Ponesh lies about 8 km northwest of Gjilan and is a hilly and mountainous settlement divided into four neighbourhoods. At Çukë, local tradition preserves the memory of a fortress, while old house foundations can also be seen in the village territory.
The settlement appears on an Austrian map from 1689. After the expulsion of Albanians from the Sanjak of Niš in 1877–78, several muhajir families settled here. In 1933 and 1937, 13 Slavic colonist families with 66 members were established in the village.
During the 20th century some Albanian residents migrated to Turkey, North Macedonia and Gjilan. By the late 1990s the village had a Serbian majority; property damage during the war is also documented.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Vendbanimet e Kosovës 6 — Gjilani, Prishtinë, 2004.
Source entry: PONESHI
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.