Gjergj Qiriazi and the Congress of Monastir

On December 19, 2015, the director of the Institute for Albanian & Protestant Studies (David Hosaflook) and its chief linguistic advisor Prof. Xhevat Lloshi were invited by the Institute for the Cultural and Spiritual Heritage of the Albanians (Skopje) and the Albanian Alphabet Museum (Bitola, Macedonia) to take part in an academic symposium entitled “Gjergj Qiriazi and the Congress of Monastir.” Hosaflook highlighted the role of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Gjergj Qiriazi’s formation and Prof. Lloshi presented Qiriazi’s previously unknown Botany textbook discovered by Dr. John Quanrud of the IAPS. After words of greeting by Hon. Behixhudin Shehapi (the state secretary of the Macedonian Minister of Culture) and Hon. Izet Mexhiti (mayor of the Çair district of Skopje) and z. Nuer Arsllani (director of the museum), several distinguished professors spoke, including dr. Skender Asani, prof. Nebi Dervishi, prof. Avzi Mustafa, prof. Shefqet Zekolli, emphasizing the importance of the Congress and Gjergj Qiriazi’s influential role in its success.