Mushtisht or Mušutište (Serbian Cyrillic: Мушутиште) is a village in the Suhareka municipality in Kosovo. It is located to the west of the Nerodimka mountain. It has 10 medieval Serbian Orthodox churches, including the notable Church of Virgin Hodegetria, which was destroyed in 1999.

Mushtisht
Village
Church of Virgin Hodegetria before destruction
Church of Virgin Hodegetria before destruction
Mushtisht is located in Kosovo
Mushtisht
Mushtisht
Location in Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°17′55″N 20°53′20″E / 42.29861°N 20.88889°E / 42.29861; 20.88889
Location Kosovo
DistrictPrizren
MunicipalitySuhareka
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
3,394
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

The village used to have a mixed Albanian-Serbian population; according to the 1991 census, it had 5016 inhabitants.

The Serbian inhabitants fled the village during the Kosovo war. All their houses were subsequently set on fire and most of their properties usurped. Their return to the village has been actively opposed by an Albanian group.[2]

History

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It was first mentioned in a Serbian charter dating to 1315. In a charter of Emperor Stephen Uroš IV Dušan, dating to 1348, Mušutište, along with the churches of Virgin Hodegetria and St. Symeon (Sv. Simeona), were granted (metochion) to the Saint Archangels Monastery in Prizren. The churches were destroyed in the 1999 conflict.

The mass abduction in Mušutište was a war crime against the Serb civilian population in Mušutište, who used to be a majority there .[3] The abduction occurred on 12 June 1999, when Albanian soldiers attacked Mušutište and kidnapped 17 Serb civilians.[3]

Demographic history
Ethnic group 1948 1953 1961 1971 1981[4] 1991
Albanians 2980
Serbs 1173
Others 2
Total[5] 2346 2541 2816 3307 4155 5016

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ 2011 Kosovo Census results
  2. ^ Hasanaj, Marija Ristic, Cazim (2016-08-29). "Violent Protest Against Kosovo Serbs Condemned". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2023-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Српско село Мушутиште на КиМ: Старци бачени у бунаре, манастир порушен" [Serb village Mušutište, in Kosovo: elders were thrown into wells, monastery demolished]. srbijadanas.net (in Serbian). 1 June 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  4. ^ 1981 Census, Kosovo
  5. ^ Kosovo censuses 1948-1991