Kaznik lies in the hilly and mountainous landscape of the Rahovec area. It is a dispersed settlement. Its elevation is about 640 metres above sea level. Pottery remains and house foundations have been found at Mahalla and Starasellë, while burials marked by large stone slabs were recorded at Barakofc. The settlement appears in written documents from the late 13th century and continues to be recorded in later sources.
Written records trace the settlement at least to 1282, with further references in 1327, 1689. A register from 1921 records 4 households. Around 1879, the settlement formed part of the Bajrak of Palluzhës and had 15 households.
The 1998–1999 war brought extensive destruction. Sixteen residents of the village were killed in the Pastasel massacre.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Settlements of Kosovo 2 — Rahovec, second edition, Prishtina, 2008.
Source entry: BESNIKU (Kozniku)
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.