Mushtisht lies about 10 km southeast of Theranda, at the foothills of the Sharr Mountains. The area preserves numerous traces of material culture and place-names such as Gradeci, Gradina, Maosi and Varrezat e Vjetra, pointing to a long history of habitation.
The settlement is mentioned in medieval charters from 1330 and 1348. An Ottoman register from 1530 records Mushotishta as a large settlement. After the expulsion of Albanians from Toplica in 1877–78, muhajir families also settled in Mushtisht, some after temporary stays in Sopia and Taraxhë. Periods of Serbian and Yugoslav rule also brought emigration to Turkey.
Before the 1998–99 war Mushtisht had around 510 Albanian houses with approximately 5,500 residents and a sizeable Serbian community. The village suffered heavily during the war: houses, public buildings and local heritage were burned or destroyed, while residents were forcibly displaced.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Settlements of Kosovo 4 — Theranda (Suhareka), Prishtina, 2003.
Source entry: MUSHTISHTI
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.