20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

810 Tănase BujduveanuXX. The Destruction of the Aromanian Towns reflected in theAromanian PoetryThe horrors made by the Muslim population against the Aromanianshave not been forgotten. The destructions, the massacres, the crimes wereall recorded by oral tradition. The exact number of folk poems on thesubject is not known and many of them were lost. Others were transmittedfrom generation to generation and were recorded by folkorists.The situation in the Balkans in the second half of the 18 th century, thedestruction of the Aromanian settlements by the Muslims are all reflectedin the Aromanian poetry. The folk poetry underlines the fights betweenthe Muslims and the Christians, the killings, the exodus of the Aromanianpopulation, forced to leave their beautiful and prosperous towns. The folkpoetry is a real record of the past of the Aromanians living in the south ofAlbania and in the north of the Pindua area.XXI. The Town from the 19 Th Century to present dayAfter the destruction of the town some families decided to go back totheir former houses and restore them. In 1805 W. M. Leake visited the townand mentioned that it had the aspect of a large village surrounded by gardens.In 1814 when he came back he mentioned that “in the mountains located tothe west of the present settlement lie the remains of the former flourishingVlah settlement of Moscopole”. In time, the population increased. At themiddle of the 19 th century Moscopole was part of the county of Ohridatogether with other 60 villages inhabited by Aromanians, Bulgarians andTurks. The majority of the inhabitants of Moscopole were Aromanians.