Đerzelez Alija

Đerzelez Alija (also spelled Djerzelez Alija) is a popular legendary hero in epic poetry and literature in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in northern Albania (where he is known as Gjergj Elez Alia). Muslims from Bosnian Krajina modeled the poetic image of Alija Đerđelez after the image of the historic person Ali Bey Mihaloğlu. Songs about Djerzelez Alija were transmitted by bilingual singers from Bosniak milieu to northern Albanian milieu where Djerzelez Alija was renamed to Gjergj Elez Alia.

Name

There are many different variants of his name, such as Bosnian: Đerđelez Alija, Albanian: Gjergj Elez Alia or Djerdjelez Alija; Turkish: Gürz Ilyas (rendered in Hungarian: Gerz Ilyas).

His name is derived from the Turkish word gürzi (mace) and means warrior with the mace.

Historical background

Some historians believed that epic figure of Alija Đerđelez was inspired by Ali Bey Mihaloglu an Ottoman military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo. According to Ottoman census of 1485 he was in charge for nahiya of Dobrun near Višegrad as his timar. There is a turbe (mausoleum) in village Gerzovo (near Mrkonjić Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina) which according to the legend is burial place of Gjergj Elez Alia.

The first written record of epic figure Gjergj Elez Alia (in form of Ali beg) was a form of Bosniak epic and ballad poetry , recorded by Đuro Matei at the end of 17th or beginning of 18th century. In songs recorded in Erlangen Manuscript Djerzelez is mentioned in form of Balibeg.

Alija Djerzelez was an epic hero of the Bosnian Krajina (frontier region) from the end of 15th century. Songs which emerged in Bosniak islamic milieu were transmitted by bilingual singers to Albanian islamic milieu. Djerzelez Alija from Bosnian songs had become Gjergj Elez Alia in Albanian song. He is one of many heroes of Bosniak poetry who exists in Albanian poetry.

Bosniak folklore and literature

Gjergj Elez Alia is a legendary hero of Bosniak folklore and literature where his name is used in form Djerzelez Alija. Turkish historian and chronicler Ibn Kemal (1468—1534) wrote about his popularity in folk songs in Bosnia.

Some of the poems which have the name of Djerzelez Alija in their titles are:

• Đerđelez Alija, the Emperor's Champion
• Đerđelez Alija i Vuk Despotović
• Marko Kraljević i Đerzelez Alija (Marko Kralyević and Djerzelez Aliya)
• Banović Sekul i Đerđelez Alija
• Oblačić Rade i Đerđelez Alija
• Đerđelez Alija i Starina Novak
• Đerđelez Alija deli mejdan sa Sibinjanin Jankom
• Ženidba Đerđelez Alije
• Sedam kralja traže glavu Đerđelez Alije

• Junaštvo Đerđelez Alije
• Đerđelez Alija i tri gorska hajduka
• Vuk Jajčanin i Đerđelez Alija
• Komlen kapetan traži glavu Đerđelez Alije
• Đerđelez Alija i ban od Karlova
• Zadarski ban i Đerđelez Alija
• Smrt Đerđelez Alije
• Đerđelez Alija ide u Toku
• Tokalija kralj traži glavu Đerđelez Alije
• Đerzelezovo bolovanje
• Otkud je Đerđelez

Djerzelez Alija is one of the main characters of many other poems without his name in their title, like:

• Porča of Avala and Vuk the Fiery Dragon
• The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despo

Serbian nationalists and supporters of Bosniak genocide claim that Alija Djerzelez was based on an obscure and mythological "serb hero", although it is a known fact that Alija Djerzelez was a hystorical figure, unlike the serb mithological fairy tale. Likewise the poems of Alija are mentioned and sung many centuries before any mention of the supposed Kraljevic Marko. Many serb scholars tryed to destroy the hystorical evidence, like in many other cases in Bosnian history, but failed. Legend says that he was killed during his prayer (salat) because he did not want to interrupt it although he was aware that he would be killed.

Ivo Andrić, the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature and a hardcore serb nationalist responsible for much hate between many nationalities of Bosnia, wrote Put Alije Đerzeleza [The Journey of Alija Đerzelez], published in 1920, after two fragments (Djerzelez at the Inn and Djerzelez on the Road) were published in 1918 and 1919.

One of the oldest houses in Sarajevo, The House of Alija Djerzelez, is named after Alija Djerzelez. There are streets in several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bihać, Gračanica, Zenica,...) named after Alija Djerzelez.

Albanian folklore

In Albanian folklore, Gjergj Elez Alia was a great warrior. The song Gjergj Elez Alia was recorded by Bernardin Palaj and Donat Kurti in Nikaj (Tropojë District) and published in Tirana in 1937. The song is usually sung accompanied by the lahute, or occasionally with çifteli by the rapsodi (performer). The song is part of the larger cycle of the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Albanian: Këngë Kreshnikësh or Cikli i Kreshnikëve) that crystallized in the 17th and 18th centuries and recorded in written form in first decades of 20th century by the Franciscan priests Shtjefën Gjeçovi and Bernardin Palaj. Although they were transmitted from South Slavic milieu of Bosnia they are not simply translated from Serbo-Croatian, but they independently evolved in northern Albanian highlands.

Gjergj Elez Alia had nine wounds on his body and lay suffering for nine years in his house and everybody had forgotten him. Only his sister took care of him night and day for nine years. Then news came that another enemy, Balozi i Zi (black knight) had come from the sea and was killing people and destroying villages every day.
One day Gjergj felt some drops of water on his face and thought that his house had become so old that the rain was coming in. His sister told him that it was not the rain, but her tears on his face. She told him that Balozi had requested her and sooner or later would come to get her. Gjergj then told her to take his horse and make it ready for war, as he was going to fight against the horrible Baloz. He met Baloz the next day and had the fight; Gjergj was victorious. He returned home to his sister and as they hugged with joy, both their hearts stopped beating and they died instantly together. They were then buried in the same grave and the place was never forgotten. Everyone that passed by stopped to remember his great actions.