Selam Musai, fighter and commander of the volunteer forces for the defense and liberation of the country from foreign invaders, Hero of the People, was killed in Koçi’s Neck (Vlora). He was born in the village of Salari in Tepelena, in 1860. The opposition for two years to not join the Ottoman army and his connection with the circles of the patriots made him well known in the province. His house in Salari and the camp on the mountain had become bases for patriotic groups, such as that of Çerçiz Topulli and Mihal Gramenos with his friends. Selam Musai participated in the detachments raised in 1911 and operated in South Albania. In December 1912, responding to the call of the Provisional Government of Vlora to protect the country from the aggression of the Greek forces, he put himself in charge of his countrymen. He went to the front of the war, where he was wounded. In 1920, he was among the “National Defense” Committee members, set up in the province of Tepelena to liberate the country from the Italian invaders. However, at 60, he again emerged at the head of his armed fellow villagers and the nearby streets, went to Vlora, and fought against the Italian garrison of Kota. After his defeat, Selam Musai and his warriors lined up ready for battle in front of the large garrison of Vlora. In hand-to-hand fighting with the invaders, Selam Musai was killed on June 11th.(In the photo: Salam Musai)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1779.
Photo: © National History Museum
Graphic processing: AHCF
