Zhegër lies on both sides of the river bearing the same name and is a compact settlement. East of the village stands the fortress site known as Kalaja, where wall ruins survive, while the area has also produced evidence of ore extraction and processing and numerous archaeological remains.
The settlement is mentioned in documents from 1314–16 and 1393. A 1455 register preserves the form Zhipa, while the 15th century also records Segra. Muhajir families settled here after 1877–78, and Slavic colonisation followed from the 1920s onward.
Between March and June 1999, 410 Albanian houses were burned or destroyed, the mosque built in 1895 was burned, and ten residents were killed. In April the population was largely expelled to North Macedonia.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Vendbanimet e Kosovës 6 — Gjilani, Prishtinë, 2004.
Source entry: ZHEGRA
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.