Process Systems Design and Control Laboratory

ORIGIN

Two brothers, Dod Gjaksi and Mark Gjaksi, were originally from Shkodra, and the surname Gjaksi was then left to them because many houses and clans in Shkodra had been killed and fell in blood. Since there were more than thirty bloods in Shkodër and at the same time, the Ottoman Government followed them to arrest them. The two brothers Doda and Marku left Shkodra and settled in the village of Ploshtan in Dibra. Here too, Doda and Marku were attacked several times both by those who were at enmity and by the Turkish government, but they never gave up. They were brave and indomitable and invincible warriors. Due to the constant war they waged there, the name Doda Castle remained. Even though it has been around 250-300 years since that time, even today that place is called the Castle of Dodes. Before the center of the locality, then the center of the agricultural cooperative and today an administrative unit with the same name: "Kalaja e Doda". All of us who have the surname Doda are heirs and descendants of this great man who, with his name and history, left this name eternal for the generations that have passed and for the generations to come. Every boy and every man of the Doda Tribe is proud of our history and surname. Doda and Marku were surrounded several times by the Turkish army and in the fight the Turkish army managed to arrest Marku, while Doda broke through the siege and ran away. The Turkish army took Mark to deliver him to their command in Prizren, but on the way, at the bridge of Lapa in Bushtrica, he tried to escape and the Turks killed him. Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Doda to stay in the Castle. He left there and settled in Reç to live. Where he was accepted and supported by all the tribes. In Reç, Doda's sons and subsequently others returned to the Muslim faith and Doda's name was kept as a surname, continuously until today. In the Muslim faith, Selman Doda and Taf Doda are known as the ancestors of the tribe. As a family, it was always growing stronger, both economically and in terms of the number of family members. Until 1905, they were a large family of 97 members, all in one undivided family, that's why even today, when you meet someone who knows the history of this tribe, they say: "Where are you, Doda's shepherd?".

From the economic side, the main and quite large incomes were from Sejmenllik. In the time of Turkey there were very big robberies. Groups of 20-30 armed people robbed the entire village during the day, and the first person who organized these robbers was called Bylykbash. Those who were impossible to protect sought protection from other people or tribes. The tribes that defended those villages were called Sejmen. The House of Doda has been the Sejmen continuously in many villages such as in Reka, Skopje, Dibër te Madhe, etc. Those villages that were protected by the House of Doda became known in all areas such as Mirdita, Lumë, etc. and in those villages no looting could and did not happen. These villages organized and at the end of the year each family, according to the possibilities, pooled a certain amount of income, which they brought to Doda's house. This was the main income of the Doda household. Doda's house in those years had 30 boys and men, all armed. They were organized and invincible like a military unit. In her book, The Trouble with the Balkans, Edith Durham writes: "I was passing from Arrni to Lure. I stopped at a house that was the largest and most powerful in these parts. It had 72 people, all in one family, 28 boys and armed men, a lot of wealth and several three-story towers for residence. This was Doda's house".

The house and tribe of Dode never wasted the authority and strength it had with other villages and tribes, but it was constantly in their defense and whenever there was a need for the defense of the Motherland, it organized and was the first to go to war against Turks and Serbs. The house (tribe) of Doda in any case was able to muster about 350-400 armed men for war. In Dibër and Lumë (Kukës), in the megjelis or in various circles with wise and patriotic men of these regions, the values ​​and history of the Doda tribe have been defined in two words:

1. House of Doda as half of Turkey

2. Doda's house, house of rifles and war from generation to generation

Let's write the events and prove the statements above. Dibra in its history has never stopped the war against Turkey. From the Doda tribe, from the beginning of the 1800s to the end of the 1900s, the men and boys were the ones who organized whenever there was a need to rise to war, such as in Reç, Arren and Lure. They organized the people for war and were the ones who led you first and at the forefront of the war. Since two books have been written about this tribe, I will write very briefly only about some of the men of this tribe.

The first known leader and warrior from this tribe was Taf Doda with other Rechnjans who fought against Turkey and was killed in the war in 1844. Similarly, Selman Doda was a warrior in the army of Ali Pasha Tepelena. After Selman and Tafa comes the second generation and they were Suf Doda and Bajram Doda. Both were brothers, both warriors who are well known in the history of the Doda tribe in the war against Turkey. Suf Doda with the fighters who managed to defeat the Turkish army in the field of Karadak and with his own hand managed to take the flag of the Turkish army, a flag which we had until 1960. The Turkish army, after receiving information about who took the flag and who were the leaders of the war on the front that was broken, he organized his military forces and with artillery attacked the towers of Doda for 5 consecutive days and after he was convinced that the armed men had left the house, he sent the foot soldiers and burned them the towers. At that time all the armed men had gone to the mountain and the women with the children had gone to their relatives. Besides participating in the war against Turkey, Suf Doda and Bajram Doda were both in the League of Prizren. In his book "The History of Dibra", Kristo Frashëri writes: "One of the main figures of the League of Prizren alongside Iljaz Pasha Dibra was that of Suf Doda (p. 267). On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the League of Prizeren, for the merits and contributions given, they were decorated by the Presidium of the People's Assembly. Since Sufa and Bajrami were old, the third generation comes, Baftjar Doda and Xhafer Doda, both warriors and leaders in the war against Serbia. Both Xhafer Doda and Baftjar Doda were always on the same front together with Elez Isuf in the war against Serbia and had become a terror for the Serbian army. In 1913 when Luma had asked for help from Dibra, Baftjar Doda and Xhafer Doda were together with more than 300 armed Rechnians and were stationed at Qafe i Kolosjani, ready to start the war. But the Luma parish did not agree, because the fighting would take place in villages and vulnerable families would be harmed, since the population had not been evacuated, but Xhafer Doda told them: "You have sent me word of war and I am not going back", and jump first in the attack against the Serbs. Thus the war began and continued for two days in a row, and the Serbian forces broke through and crossed the Morina Pass. That's why they say to the song: "Xhafer Doda is leaving nam,/ he is joining the Serbs in istikam./ When Baftjar Doda is crying,/ the mountains tremble, the hills tremble." The Serbian army managed to arrest Xhaferri and on the way to Prizeren, they stabbed him in a fight. For their bravery in the war, both have been decorated and a tombstone has been erected for Baftjar Doda in Kafë i Kolosjani. Many boys and men of the Doda tribe took part in the war against Serbia, such as: Sadik Doda, Cam Doda, Sali Doda, etc.

After the war with Serbia comes the next generation and the war for the liberation of the country. From the tribe of Doda, almost all the sons of this tribe were in the war for the liberation of the country. Riza Doda, Rexhep Doda, Hamdi Doda, Osman Doda, Murat Doda, Liman Doda were partisans and cadres in the National Liberation War. From the tribe of Doda, there were also with the National Front: Sali Doda, Ramadan Doda, Mer Doda, Selim Doda. Both sides were brothers and first cousins, but in war they were head-to-head opponents. Both those who were partisans and those who were with the National Front are well known in the history of the National Liberation War. Riza Doda was killed by the partisans and is a martyr of the motherland.

Taking into consideration the period of the war against Turkey, what we said above is confirmed: "The House of Doda is half of Turkey".

Further, taking into consideration the war against Serbia and the National Liberation War, the other saying is confirmed: "The house of Doda, the house of rifles and wars from generation to generation".

From the Doda tribe, not only in the war, but continuously there are cadres and cadres in various tasks and during all periods.

At the time of Zog: Sadik Doda – captain; Sali Doda – captain; Ramadan Doda – mayor of the municipality; Zenel Doda – officer; Mer Doda – mayor of Shpal municipality, Mirdita; Myftar Doda – gendarme; Dali Doda – officer with the Italian army; Xhem Doda – clerk; Xhafer Doda II – gendarmerie commander in Prizren. At the time of the Labor Party, all leaders from the Doda tribe were highly educated: Rexhep Doda - chairman of the Dibër Executive Committee and Rector of the Agricultural University, Hamdi Doda - Brigade commander; Murat Doda – head of section in the Tirana Executive Committee; Osman Doda – head of branch; Liman Doda – officer; Fatmir Doda – lecturer at the University of Medicine, hospital director; Mesila Fatmir Doda – MP; Piro Doda – mechanical engineer; Albert Doda – construction engineer; Xhemal Doda – forest engineer; Gazmend Doda – doctor; Agim Suf Doda – Party school, head of the Cadre Branch in Sharre, head of the Puke Trade Branch; Kujtim Doda – Head of Section in the Puke Executive Committee; Besnik Doda - Party school, Head of Staff; Qemal Doda – Finance, head of Finance + Taxes; Arben Doda – Finance, head of Finance + Taxes; Petrit Doda – Finance, various institutions; Femi Doda – Finance, various institutions; Halil Doda – school principal; Dashamir Doda – teacher; Muhamed Xhafer Doda – teacher; Ali Xhafer Doda – teacher; Edison Dida – engineer; Ergin Doda – University of Sports; Rraman Doda – chairman of cooperative Reç; Misim Doda – chairman of Tejmalle cooperative; Agim Ramadan Doda – teacher; Vesel Doda – teacher; Haqif Mus Doda – accountant; Muhamed Gani Doda – agronomist; Sabri Halim Doda – construction technician; Ismail Doda – construction technician; Nezir Doda – economist (accountant); Sahit Doda – teacher; Asllan Doda – mayor of Reç municipality; Llam Doda – construction technician.

Starting from Doda I up to today's generation, those who participated in the war, and those who worked in the administration, we are all up to six generations.