Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress on Islamic Civilisation in the Balkans

This is a collection of the papers that were presented during the international congress on “Islamic Civilization in the Balkans” held in the Macedonian capital Skopje in 2010. The congress, organized in cooperation with the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), was fourth in IRCICA’s congress series on the history and cultures of the Balkan region. The Skopje congress was accorded high patronage and opened by H.E. Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic Macedonia, who also presented a comprehensive paper. The first volume contains the papers that were presented in English or Turkish (39 papers) and the second volume, those presented in Macedonian, Albanian or Serbian (44 papers).

Located at crossroads between Europe and Western Asia, the Balkan peoples have been in contact with the Muslim world since at least the 8th century. Various phenomena, including the long experience in trade between the two regions, helped fasten the expansion process, and enhance the cultural influence, of Islam in the Balkans.

The region acquires increased importance in IRCICA’s studies on the history of Islamic civilization due to the presence of the OIC Member State Albania and Observer State Bosnia and Herzegovina in the region. Previously, three congresses were held on the same theme, in Sofia (2000), Tirana (2003) and Bucharest (2006) respectively. A fifth congress was held in May 2015.