Margariti

For the Romanian village of Mărgăriţi, see Beceni.

Margariti Μαργαρίτι
Margariti
Location within the regional unit
Coordinates:
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Epirus
Regional unit	Thesprotia
Municipality	Igoumenitsa
Population (2001)
• Municipal unit	3,032
Community
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Vehicle registration	ΗΝ

Margariti (Greek: Μαργαρίτι; Albanian: Margëlliç) is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,032 (2001).

History

In February 1913, Margariti was taken by the Greek army and joined Greece following the Treaty of London. During that period all village elders of the region gathered and declared that they would resist the incorporation of the area into Greece. At that time the town had a mixed population of Greeks and Cham Albanians until the final expulsion as a result of the Cham collaboration with the Nazi occupation forces. Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Margariti were destroyed during WWII.

Province

The province of Margariti (Greek: Επαρχία Μαργαριτίου) was one of the provinces of the Thesprotia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipal units Margariti and Perdika. It was abolished in 2006.

Notable residents

• Hamdi Çami, deputy of Preveza in the Ottoman Parliament
• Jakup Veseli, representative of Chameria in Vlora Congress, signatory of Albanian Declaration of Independence.
• Konstantinos Zakas (1916–1986) Greek Army General.