In the late Ottoman Empire, the region contributed disproportionately to the AlbanianNational Awakening and the Albanian nationalist movement. Greek schools established in the 19th century helped the emergence of a relatively large Albanian literary class. Many important intellectuals such as Naim Frasheri were educated in these schools. The Ottoman authorities tried to ensure that only Christian children would be educated in these schools, but Muslim children attended nevertheless. Both the Ottoman authorities and the Orthodox Church tried to thwart the opening of Albanian-language schools as well, but in the early 20th century as the Ottoman Empire fell apart, these too were opened and Albanian children began attending them, further increasing Albanian literacy. The Albanian literati ultimately ended up contributing very significantly to the Albanian National Awakening, increasing feelings of Albanian patriotism, and facilitated the push for independence from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. Another vehicle for propagation of Albanian nationalism were the network of Bektashi tekkes in the region, which tended to support and advocate for the movement. After the fall of communism, the region is very heavily affected by emigration. This also occurred a century ago, when much of the population emigrated to, and then returned from, various places including Istanbul, Romania and the United States.
Population
Ethnicity
The vast majority of the population is ethnically Albanian, while Aromanians are also present in Frashëri and Përmet. There is also a small Roma population, and nearby Çarshovë also has both Greek and Aromanian minorities present.
Religion
The Albanian population is divided between Muslims and Christians, and it is unclear which faith is larger overall. The Roma population is mostly Muslim, while the Greek population is mostly Orthodox Christian, as is the Aromanian population as well. Many Albanian families are of mixed religious adherence, including the Frasheri family which has both Bektashi Muslim and Orthodox Christian branches. Today as in the rest of Albania, there are many people who don't observe any religion. The region has important sites for both faiths, and is dotted by Orthodox churches and Bektashi teqes built side by side. On September 5, there is a major Bektashi festival for which people travel from other parts of Albania to celebrate, and Bektashis and non-Bektashis alike participate.
Language
The population speaks a Tosk dialect of Albanian and it is typically close to the written standard of Albanian which was originally based on the dialect of the nearby town of Këlcyra. The Aromanian population speaks the Farsherot dialect of the Aromanian language, whose name comes from the town of Frashëri. Some Roma may speak their language and Greek is spoken by some people in and around Çarshovë.
