TIRANA, February 27 – On February 27, 1879, the “Alphabet Book of the Albanian Language” was published in Istanbul. The book played a key role in formalizing Albanian education.

The 131-page book was printed in 2,000 copies. It introduced the alphabet created by Sami Frashëri, based on the phonetic principle of “one letter for each sound.” The publication in Istanbul is the reason it is attributed to that city.

After the League of Prizren in 1878, Albanian patriots reviewed four alphabet proposals. Sami Frashëri’s version was chosen for its scientific consistency and use of the Latin alphabet.

The text included contributions from Jani Vreto, Pashko Vasa, and Koto Hoxhi. It covered subjects such as history, arithmetic, and ethics.

The book became the first formal standard of Albanian writing, providing a basis for the further development of education and national culture.

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