On November 26, 1912, Hafiz Ali Podgorica raised the national flag in Durrës, marking a significant moment in the lead-up to Albania’s declaration of independence. In his role as the mayor of Durrës, as well as a kadi and mufti, Podgorica played an essential role during this critical period. Like other religious figures in the country, he worked to bridge divides between different faiths in service of the national cause.

According to a radiotelegram from Vice-Consul Rudnay to the British Foreign Ministry, “The Albanian national flag was raised with cheers. The treasurer was dismissed. Hamid Bey Toptani was appointed provisional governor. The metropolitan refused to recognize the local administration. The mustahfis (city rear-guard troops) were released. The local elites stood against the Serbs. There is insufficient information about their movements. They have left from Kruja.”

Two days later, at the Assembly of Vlora, the delegates from Durrës—Dom Nikollë Kaçorri, Abaz Çelkupa, Mustafa Hanxhiu, and Jahja Ballhysa—participated and signed the historic Declaration of Independence.

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