Author: Valera Bunchuk

A resident’s guide to Albanian customs and etiquette: hospitality, the yes/no head gestures, greetings, dress, tipping and the social do’s and don’ts.

The meaning of the Albanian flag and its double-headed eagle, the link to Skanderbeg, and the country’s other national symbols, explained by a resident.

A guide to Albanian music: UNESCO iso-polyphony, northern epic songs and the lahuta, traditional valle dances, the Gjirokaster festival, and modern stars.

A traveller’s guide to the Albanian language: how it sounds, the alphabet, and the useful phrases that earn goodwill, from a resident in Durres.

What besa means, where it comes from in the Kanun, and how this Albanian code of honour shaped wartime rescue of Jews and everyday hospitality today.

Inside communist Albania: Enver Hoxha, total isolation, the religion ban, the bunkers, and where to see the era today at Bunk’Art. By a Durres resident.

A clear timeline of Albanian history, from the Illyrians and Ottoman rule through 1912 independence and the communist era to today, by a Durres resident.

A resident’s guide to religion in Albania: the Muslim, Bektashi, Orthodox and Catholic mix, why coexistence runs so deep, and tips for visiting religious sites.

Who Skanderbeg was, how he resisted the Ottoman Empire for 25 years, why he became Albania’s national symbol, and where to follow his story in Kruje and Tirana.

A resident’s calendar of Albania’s public holidays and festivals, from Summer Day and Flag Day to Eid, Easter and the Gjirokaster folklore festival.