Bulqizë is recorded in the
Ottomandefter of 1467 as a hass-ı mir-liva and derbendci settlement in the
vilayet of Dulgoberda. Although the register's complete survey on the village is missing, the following household heads are attested: Dimitri Bogdani, Kolë Sharqini, Gjin Kimeza, Gjin Kolandi, Nikolla Budi, Martin Bardi, Progon Buljani, Maqe Kimëza, Istvan Nenada, Progon Bogdani, Dimitri, Todor Damëza, Banek Alakasa, Nikolla Mesina, Budi, Gjergj Garuja, and Gjergj Iglat (from i gjatë, "the tall").[6]
Geography
Bulqizë lies in the lower north-east of Albania adjacent to the border with
North Macedonia. The municipalities of
Mat and Tirana lie to the west while at the south is the municipality of
Librazhd. There are significant sources of
chromite (a
chromium ore) mined there since the 1980s, which supports most of the economy of the area. The Bulqizë mine has experienced several gas explosions since 1992 – including one with fatalities – recently likely attributed to seeps of
natural hydrogen possibly formed from
ophiolites and trapped within a faulted reservoir. [7][8][9]
^"Bashkia Bulqizë" (in Albanian). Albanian Association of Municipalities (AAM).
Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.