Otišani Explained

Otišani (mk|Отишани) is a village in the municipality of Debar, North Macedonia.

Name

The village in Albanian is known as Hotishani.

Demographics

Otišani (Hotishani) is attested in the Ottoman defter of 1467 as a village in the timar of Hizir Muriqi (possibly, Maziqi or Mazhiqi) in the vilayet of Dulgoberda. The village had a total of five households and the anthroponyms recorded depict a mixed Albanian-Slavic character, for example, among the household heads a certain Gjergj Karlovići is attested.^[1] Otišani has traditionally been inhabited by a Torbeš population.^[2]

According to the 1942 Albanian census, Otišani was inhabited by 263 Albanians.^[3] According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 530 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include:^[4]

• Macedonians 302
• Turks 170
• Albanians 46
• Others 12

Notes and References

1. Book: Caka . Eduart . Defteri i hollësishëm për zonat e dibrës i vitit 1467 . 2019 . Akademia e studimeve albanologjike instituti historisë . Tiranë . 104.
2. Book: Vidoeski, Božidar. Dijalektite na makedonskiot jazik. Vol. 1. 1998. Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnostite. 9789989649509. p. 309. "Во западна Македонија исламизирано македонско население живее во неколку географски региони на македонско-албанската пограничје: во областа Река по долината на Радика (Жировница, Видуше, Болетин, Требиште, Велебрдо, Ростуша, Аџиевци, Јанче, Присојница, Скудриње, Горно и Долно Косоврасти, Могорче, Баланци, Мелничани), во Дебарско - во Жупа (Броштица, Бајрамовци, Горенци, Житинени, Кочишта, Мал и Голем Папрадник, Рковци) и Голо Брдо (Врмница, Владимирци, Гиновци, Клење, Лешничани, Љуболези, Големо и Мало Острени, Окштун, Отишани,"
3. Web site: Ethnic/Religious composition of Dibër and Tetovë prefectures .
4. Macedonian Census (2002), Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion, The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 89.