A short hike up, we saw a house under construction and two older ladies sitting in the garden chatting. I smiled and waved, they waved back and one said “Goodbye!” A guard patrolling the area nodded. It was actually a big cemetery, and has great views of the city and the surrounding mountains.

Domino! Domino!

We walked towards a bench in the shade where four men were playing a game. Another one was watching them play. They were all in good spirits. One of them raised both hands, a tile in each, “Domino! Domino!” The most jovial of them nodded at Kenric questioningly. Kenric said, “America.” The one who shouted “Domino! Domino!” shouted, “Kapitan! Kapitan!” I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Then, I remembered we were at the Martyr’s Cemetery that honors 900 fallen Communist partisans. Communist partisans are local people who were members of the Communist Party who fought occupiers of their country. Those buried here died fighting Fascist Italy which invaded in 1939, and Nazi Germany which invaded in 1943. I imagine their resistance efforts involved guerrilla tactics.

It was very heartbreaking to see most of them died around 20 years of age. We saw three “1922 – 1944” in a row. We were very surprised to see a Persefoni Kokedhima 1924 – 1944. She must have been a feisty 20-year-old.

Mother Albania

The most eye-catching monument is Mother Albania who looks over the city and the martyrs. In a prominent spot not far from her is buried Qemal Stafa, a founding member of the Albanian Communist Party. At 22, he was killed by Italian fascist soldiers. Some believe he was betrayed by his comrade, Enver Hoxha. This prominent burial spot used to house the remains of the Communist dictator until they were moved to a public cemetery. That dictator was Enver Hoxha who ruled with an iron fist from 1944 to his death in 1985, at age 76.

On our way out, the two ladies had turned into four and the same lady said “Goodbye!” again. We visited with the Dominoes players again. They were quite excited about their game. A few benches away, two men were also playing Dominoes. Nearby, a topless man was watering the plants. If he’s the resident gardener, he’s doing a great job with the flowers and landscaping. The patrolling guard had made at least three rounds by then.

As we were looking at more gravestones, we noticed the bigger group of men getting ready to leave. Every one of them bid us farewell when they walked past us. Suddenly, the duo who were playing by themselves zoomed past us and nodded, one of them swinging his pouch of Dominoes tiles. I guess dinner time in Tirana is around 7:00 pm!

Map of Places Visited