Shpali (Kishnapola) lies about 20 km west of Gjilan and is a dispersed hill-and-mountain settlement. Its territory includes Gradina, while on a hill opposite the village the walls of a church have been found; local tradition associates it with St Paul, and the study also connects the name Kishnapolë with this setting.
The settlement appears in late-19th-century Kosovo Vilayet yearbooks. Muhajir families also settled in the area after 1878, while the 20th century brought migration toward Albania and elsewhere.
In 1999 the village had around 67 houses and 750 residents. Twenty-seven houses were burned and the school, clinic and local office were damaged. On 16 April some families were expelled to Albania, while others sheltered in the mountains.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Vendbanimet e Kosovës 6 — Gjilani, Prishtinë, 2004.
Source entry: SHPALI (Kishnapola)
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.