Travel Guide Rahovec (Orahovac)

Location. The town is called Rahoveci/Rahovec in Albanian (pronounced "raovets") and Ораховац/Orahovac in Serbian ("orakhovtas"). It has about 25,000 inhabitants, 97% of whom are Albanian, and a total of 75,000 inhabitants with the whole municipality. It is located 28 km northwest of Prizren, 23 km east of Gjakova/Đakovica, 18 km northwest of Suhareka/Suva Reka.Description. The wine capital of Kosovo, Rahovec/Orahovac is also an important centre of Sufism with four tekkés belonging to the rufais, melamis, kaderis and halvetis. Wine and Islam? An ancient cohabitation, since the dervishes are generally tolerant of alcohol consumption. Where things are more tense, however, is in relations between communities. Before the war in Kosovo, this region was the one where Serbs and Albanians got along best, even sharing the same dialect. That all changed with the bloody capture of the town and neighbouring villages by the KLA in July 1998. The Yugoslav army responded with force. Major massacres were committed on both sides and most of the Serb inhabitants were driven out after the conflict. However, about 600 Serbs and Roma (up from 6,000 in 1998) remain in the northern district of Rahovec/Orahovac, clustered around the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The town has good bus connections from Prizren or Gjakova/Đakovica, but has only one hotel, the Park Hotel Plaza (+383 49 74 88 30), where the tourist office is located.