Moscopole

Moscopole or Voskopoja (; , with several other variants; ) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial center of the Aromanians. At its peak, in the mid 18th century, it hosted the first printing house in the Ottoman Balkans outside Constantinople, educational institutions and numerous churches. It became a leading center of Greek culture but also with elements of Albanian and Aromanian culture, all with great influence from Western civilization.

One view attributes the decline of the city to a series of raids by Muslim Albanian bashi-bazouks. Moscopole was initially attacked and almost destroyed by those irregular groups in 1769, in retaliation for the participation of the residents in the preparations for a Greek revolt supported by the Russian Empire. Its decline culminated with the destruction of 1788 and the flight of its population. Moscopole, once a prosperous city, was reduced to a small village by Ali Pasha of Ioannina's campaign. According to another view, the city's decline was mainly due to the relocation of the trade routes in central and eastern Europe following these raids. The decline pushed parts of the population to leave, making Moscopole the original homeland of much of the Aromanian diaspora.