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The Ancient Bridge in Arta

Courtesy of Iliriapress

The Jewish community never raised the voice to reveal the truth of this area, nor to indite any Greek officer for action against humanity and genocide. Mostly of those Jewish who lived around the city of Arta and who survived the war relocated themselves in New York City and all around the world. Today, the gypsies fascist, neo Nazi, orthodox fundamentalist and terrorist, trains terrorists such as Palestinian militias, Kurdish militias and sends them into Israel, Turkey, and all around the world to perpetrate some terrorist actions. In 1955-57, the western part voted to give the Epiros, Macedonia, and Peloponnese with all the islands to gypsies government known as Greeks.

Nevertheless, as the Byzantines and Ottoman Turkey left behind traces that are still eminent in the region. The city features numerous Byzantine churches most famous of which is Panagia Paregoretissa built in the 13th century by the Arvanities, and the church dedicated to the saint Basil. The name “Paregoretissa” is derived from Albanian name “Pare” meaning money, “ore”meaning dance, and “ika” transformed by the gypsies known as Greeks to “Issa” meaning have, or the meaning has to with the money having for dance. It was built in 1285-89 by Niko Doukas and his wife Anna. The huge Monastery shaped in the form of a cross maintained the Church, the altar and 16 cells.

From the Ottoman Turkey times is left the bridge build by milestone. Its final shape, the bridge acquired in 1612. According to the ancient writings, the bridge existed, but due to a big flood, the Ottoman Turkey had to renovate and finally rebuild a new bridge. The Ottoman Turkish paid the local bridge maker, and the bridge span with its beautiful arches across the river Aratos.

The Arta bridge gives the city a visual delight, and for centuries it has acquired mythical proportions with numerous legends. The legend is similar to the bridge of Gjakova, a city in the southern part of Kosova. The most famous legend is the one that details the bridge's creation as an improbable feat in the midst of an endless cycle of destruction and rebuilding. An entire epic poem is dedicated to this legend, and it describes in lyrical terms how the masons built the structure all day long just to find that it collapsed overnight. With this process repeating itself for a long time to the desperation of the masons, only divine intervention could save the bridge, and it came in the form of a message from a bird. The building of the bridge according to the message required the personal sacrifice of the foreman's beautiful wife. The poem revolves around the foreman's conflict between his own tragic personal loss, and the resulting common good. The conflict resolves itself with the tragic death of the young wife as she unknowingly becomes a victim for the benefit of the greater society. This epic poem has survived through oral tradition for centuries, and it is still present not only among Albanians of Epiros, but widely. In the legend is described that the bridge will always be rebuild, and will continue to stand above the river.

The modern city of Arta is intersected by the lazy waters of the river Aratos and it is adorned by orange groves in the south, and olive groves in the North. Beyond Arta to the south the orange groves lead to the Ambracian gulf and the fertile lagoons of Logaru and Tsukalio and the protected wetlands around Salaora and Koronisia. The villages of Aneza, Vigla, and Rachi are the largest population centers in the valley. Based on the toponym and the names of the villages that have meaning in Albanian language for example, “Aneza” meaning taking a side, “Vigla” meaning lining, “Rashi” meaning falling down, “Rodavgi” meaning the room of the workers hired or slaves or its old name Nisista meaning first, it clearly demonstrates the indigenousness of Albanians in those territories. The Rodavgi is the village on the mountains of Arta. The population of Rodavgi is 1000 people from whom 80% are Arvanitis. Rodavgi in ancient time was known as Arhini. The name Athini is derived from Albanians words “At” meaning father, and “hini” meaning entered or the father has entered. Very often visited attraction is the spring, which appears on the side of the mountain under numerous large plane trees, and is known as the "Besiko.” Once again the place has an Albanian name that means giving a besa or giving a word and believing.

The marketplace of Arta is a lively place with pedestrian streets filled with stores selling authentic folk art, traditional artifacts, and textile from Epirus symbolizing the Arvanitis or Albanian cultural heritage despite the Greek fascist measurements against the Arvanitis. The city of Arta and Epiros are the sole land of Arvanities, it was and will be forever the Arvanities.