And ...........

The emperors that Albania contributed to the Roman Empire were Diocletian, Julian, Probus, Claudius Probus, Constantine the Great, and one of its most famous emperors, Justinian the First!

The Byzantine Emperor, Anastasius (491-518 AD), was an Albanian who was a native of Durres on the Albanian coast!

The Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire during the entire 17th century were all Albanians and came from just one family named Koprulu! Indeed, some Grand Viziers or Prime Ministers of Albanian blood directed the affairs of the Ottoman Empire since the 1500s!

The Governors of Romania throughout the entire 19th century came from one Albanian family named Gjika!

Illyrians, Albanian predecessors occupied most of the Balkans Peninsula including Northern Greece, and former Yugoslavia!

Pashko Vaso, an ardent Albanian nationalist in Albania's struggle for independence from the Turks in 1878, was once the Governor of Lebanon!

Karl Von Ghega, the builder of the famous Semmering railway in Austria that became the model for all of Europe was an Albanian.

Alexander the Great, certainly was half-Albanian from his mother's side (Olympia) who was Illyrian.

During the centuries, Albanians have given to the world a high number of distinguished religious peronalities both Christian and Muslim. For example Pope Clement VII (1700-1721) was Albanian as were numerous cardinals. The list includes Sheikh Al-Albani (a distinguished personality of Hadith Science), Patriarch Athenagoras (a distinguished personality of the Catholic Church), Father Fan S. Noli writer and founder of the Authocefal Albanian Orthodox Church, and Mother Teresa the well known philantropist and Christian missionary.

Albanian language is one of the 9 original Indo-European languages, derived directly from the old Illyrian language.