Heritage of the Shkodra Dynasty of the Marubi Photography in UNESCO, from the dark room, in the light of the eternity of the wealth of the world

By Albert Vataj

There are moments when history is not just through events, but through the memory of those events. And in 2025, Shkodra, Albania and all Albanian photographic art climb one of the highest peaks of international recognition: the Archive of Petro, Objects and Documents of Pietro and Kel Marubi is declared part of the Memory of the World International Register by UNESCO.

This monumental act is not simply an appreciation, but a proclamation of the eternity of a heritage, a beacon that illuminates our cultural roots and our art of view through the eye of the objective.

« Photography is the most sincere way to remember reality. It does not go away, only if we choose to see it with blind eyes. » – Kel Marubi

Shkodra, the city that nourished a poetic and civic spirit this dynasty of photographers, becomes a physical and spiritual part of the world’s memory for the first time. What began with the Pietro Marubi camera in the mid -19th century turned into a cultural era with more than 500,000 negatives, which represent not only one visual archive, but the living membranes of Albanian life into transformation.

In this permanent literacy are the faces of leaders and leaders, the landscapes of nature that bear the scent of centuries, the life of the city and the village in all its rhythms, costumes, holidays, rituals, dramas and pride, is the visual memory and the testimony of a tradition, a culture and a tremendous fortune.

Basically, Marubi turned the picture into light literature. He did not « catch moments », but insisted on eternity as in a visual manuscript of a nation in formation. There was no decor in his work, but reality; There were not only a figure, but a soul, identity and substance.

« In every face there is an unfinished story. I have the task of listening to light, » Kel Marubi wrote in one of his sheets.

This inheritance, now known worldwide, is a true testament to the Albanian gaze towards himself and the world.

UNESCO, through the Memory of the World, does not announce archives for the sake of technical documentation, but for their historical, spiritual and universal value. Marubi is not merely the story of a family that immortalized the appearance – is the story of a nation that taught to itself, to self -identify, preserve identity through the image.

This is an act of extraordinary reverence for Albania, but especially for Shkodra, the city that refused to remain merely a provincial chronicle, but became the center of gravity of Albanian culture, the center of memory gravity.

In this country that still tries to preserve the past from forgetfulness, the proclamation of the Marubi Archive as a world heritage is an act of national education, a turn where culture itself begins to find its way to eternity through institutional care and civic consciousness.

Minister Blendi Gonxha, in his speech, mentioned with feeling:

« This is not just an appreciation of the Marubi’s contribution … but a tremendous appreciation for Shkodra, the city that gave life to the art, culture and memory of a nation. »

At a time when the images are temporary and memory risks being digested by the speed of consumption, Marubi comes as a silent lesson on endurance, dedication, for that almost monastic effort to preserve everything that represents life.

This news should serve as an incentive for:

Further promote the work of Marubi in international exhibitions;

Digitize the archive in full and educational way;

Create educational programs that young people teach for the power of memory through photography.

This award is not for a family, a city or a forgotten art – it is for a people who testify to themselves. In the view of Albanian heritage, Marubi occupies not only the place of honor, but the place of universal belonging, because what he has fixed in silver cells is the Albanian man, with all the beauties, pain and light.