Çelik lies about 20 km south of Gjilan and is a hilly settlement divided into neighbourhoods. At Paçuk, pottery fragments, bricks, roof tiles and stones have been found, indicating earlier habitation. Local memory also preserves an old church at Lloç and an early fortress site between Çelik and Pidiq.
During the 20th century the settlement declined considerably as residents migrated for economic reasons to other parts of Kosovo and to North Macedonia. By 1999 only around 15 houses remained.
On 20 March 1999 the residents left the village; some went to Gjilan and others to North Macedonia. Two houses were burned during the war.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Vendbanimet e Kosovës 6 — Gjilani, Prishtinë, 2004.
Source entry: ÇELIKU
This page presents a selected summary from the published study of the settlement. For complete archival references, family histories, microtoponymy and the full treatment, consult the original volume.