"The legend of the girls and these graves has been passed down from generation to generation, not only in our family," says the lady of the house, Mandushe Bejtullahu, who, following the family tradition, continues to take care of the girls' graves today. "Dushi," as the lady of the house is otherwise known, a retired teacher, now 77 years old, shows that the citizens of Gjakova still respect the sacrifice of girls today.

"It is believed that the day the event occurred was a Wednesday, which is why even today hundreds of families from Gjakova who believe in this event do not practice washing clothes on Wednesdays. This phenomenon is especially present in our neighborhood," she says. But the tragic end of the girls of the Bejtullahu family is the beginning of a story that continues to have effects to this day.

"The graves of the čikas have been transformed into tombs and this place throughout Gjakova is known as the 'Tyrbja e čikave'. Every day, people come here in despair, hoping that in this place they will find rest, help and salvation," says Dushi, to prove that in many cases visitors return after a while.

"People come for all kinds of troubles and, after they make the ziyarat, I wish them 'May God grant you your wish' (may he grant you your wish). There are times when after a while the same people come back smiling and satisfied, because their troubles and problems have been solved," she continues.

Incredible stories

Dushi and other residents of the neighborhood tell dozens of cases and stories related to self-sacrificing girls, stories that are credible for some and very prejudiced for others. For many years, except during the day, when she accompanies many guests, she lights a light at the graves every night, while in a place built with sheet metal she also places candles.

"If we don't turn on the light, they will come and knock on our door," she says. And not only that. According to Mrs. Bejtullahu, they also appear on many other occasions. "People who have 'appeared' to them say that they are very beautiful, like the girls of the past with their bisteks," she says. However, thousands of citizens who enter and exit the property of this family also believe in these graves.

Ismail, a neighbor of the Bejtullahu family, also tells many stories and interesting curiosities that have been passed down through generations. "It is said that earlier every night a jug full of water was sent to the graves and the next day it was found empty. This practice happened every day," he says.

Such events are also recounted today by the housewife, Dushi. "The cicadas do not like to have music played near them, this has been proven once. Many years ago, a party was organized in our yard. The wedding guests, with drums in their hands, were singing near the pear tree," she says, gesturing to a tree trunk that she says is 150 years old.

"But immediately snakes and beetles started appearing on the tree. This is a true story," insists Ms. Bejtullahu.

Two similar wars

But the story of the “Turbe s Çikave” does not end here. According to family members, the girls who were sacrificed in a war three centuries ago also had an impact on the last war in Kosovo. Mrs. Mandush says that during the war, the Çikave appeared to her daughter in a dream and “reassured” her not to be afraid, as the enemy would not come to their house. This, she says, becomes even more convincing, since all of her neighbors’ properties were burned, while their only house escaped without any harm.

“The horrors of that time on this street were repeated during the last war, when many people were killed in this neighborhood, while many houses were burned,” says Selimi, the son of Mrs. Mandushe. Masar Rizvanolli, a well-known historian in Gjakova and one of the few who has written about this history, says that these graves have a special cultural, religious, but also historical importance.

"The heroism of the Çikas of Gjakova, which the population of this region immortalized by transforming their graves into mausoleums, contains far-sighted messages for the next generation. They have served as a source of inspiration for the youth in their liberation war against its invaders, whenever the country was in danger. The Çikas and women of Gjakova showed their heroism many times whenever the country was in danger at different periods of time," said Rizvanolli.

He added that; “The Çika Mound” in addition to its religious character and importance, also represents a cultural and historical monument, which testifies to a difficult period through which the population of this region went. “This represents material evidence for the existence of the Albanian population in Kosovo even before the great Serbian influx, which, according to some romantic Serbian historians, caused the emptying of Kosovo from the Serbian population”, concluded Rizvanolli. He is preparing a scientific paper for this purpose which he hopes to present very soon./ Memory.al