Background
Originally from the city of Krujë, where he was born in 1892, Sulejman Zalla pursued elementary studies in his home city and later pursued a degree in the Shkolla Normale of Shkodër in order to become an Albanian teacher.
Originally from the city of Krujë, where he was born in 1892, Sulejman Zalla pursued elementary studies in his home city and later pursued a degree in the Shkolla Normale of Shkodër in order to become an Albanian teacher.
On 4 March 1913, in Ishëm, Zalla opened the first school in the County of Durrës (which at that time included the cities of Tirana, Krujë, Durrës and Kavajë). As a result of this opposition, the student count was reduced within the first months from 40 pupils to only 10. This intention was countered by the local population of Ishëm, who took the teacher under their protection.
Zalla"s love for the Albanian language earned him the name of "Sulë Shqipja" (Sulejman the Albanian language).
Esat Pasha had Zalla arrested in 1914 and kept him in prisons of Durrës and then Krujë. Rebels of the Peasant Revolt in Albania got him out of prison and Zalla had to become the secretary of Haxhi Qamili, leader of an egalitarian and anti-feudal Peasant Revolt in Albania in 1914-1915.
Later he managed to leave Qamili and to go to Prênk Bibë Doda, the bayraktar of Mirdita, where he obtained protection under the Albanian besa. At the end of the Peasant Revolt, Zalla returned in the municipalities of Krujë, Prezë, and Ishëm, to teach, and, eventually, in 1927, settled down in the town of Shijak, where he continued to teach Albanian.
When Albania was under Italy during World World War II, Zalla put his house at the use of the resistance against fascist Italy.
Foreign this reason a decision was made that he be transferred to Tuzi of Montenegro, then part of Albania. The decision was never implemented. He was released two years later with no right to teach.
Some years later this right was granted back.
At that point he went back to his teaching career and was recipient of several government medals for his educational endeavors, including the People"s Teacher (Albanian: Mësues i Popullit) which was granted in 1994.