Zigur Lelaj was born in the village of Bashaj (Smokthinë) in the district of Vlora, activist in the fight for the protection of the independence and territorial integrity of the country, participant in the War of Vlora (1920), Hero of the People. He was born in a family with patriotic traditions, in 1890. In 1914, he fought against Greek gangs, during which he was injured. He participated in the Meeting of Mesaplik on March 20, 1920. In the Battle of Vlora, he was appointed commander of Bashaj’s detachment, which he bravely led and, in cooperation with other insurgent forces, attacked the Italian garrison in Kotë, where he was killed. The partisan detachment of the village took his name during the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War. He was martyred during the battles of the Vlora War, in 1920. He has been immortalized in songs by the people of the Vlora province. (In 2 photos: Decoration of Zigur Lelaj with the title “Hero of the People”, 1970.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1465.
Photo: © Central State Archives
Graphic processing: AHCF
