Alexander Thomson (1820-1899), the Scottish Protestant missionary known for his love for the Albanian people. This detail is highlighted in personal correspondence. Thomson died on January 15, 1899 and was buried in Istanbul.
Under his direction the office of the British Bible Society & Foreign Countries for the Ottoman Empire more than one million copies of the Holy Scriptures were circulated in more than twenty languages used in that Empire. But according to his family, the Albanian language occupied the most special place for him, as evidenced by the stone of his grave, in the Protestant cemetery in the “Feriköy” neighborhood of Istanbul.
Over the years, Thomson worked intensively with Konstandin Kristoforidhi, Gjerasim Qiriazi, Gjergj Qiriazi and Albanian booksellers. In studies to date, Alexander Thomson turns out to be the first Protestant missionary to have had a close and intimate relationship with the Albanian Renaissance, part of the National Movement for the National Revival of the Albanian People.
His obituary, prepared by the Bible Society, states: “He paid special attention to the dialects of Albania and freely devoted his heart, as well as his own income, to the educational and biblical activity in the provinces inhabited by them”. 🙇🏻♂️🇦🇱❤️🏴🇬🇧
From : @Micky Haxhiislami