The territory of the Zharra Administrative Unit has the richest oil reserves in Albania, but it is also known for its outstanding culture and cultural heritage. Traces of settlement in this area date back to before the birth of Christ.
Ancient Itea (today Sheqishtja), during the Bulgarian occupation, took the name Novoselë and moved further east of the early settlement.
Novo-selë means “new station”, while Zoira – (Zharrëza) means full-fledged. There is some evidence that the Egnatia road also passed through Zharrëz. In the itinerary of the southern branch of Egnatia (Orikum – Apolloni-Klodiana), the settlement Ad Novas (Novoselë) is mentioned, which was located to the west, approximately 2 km from the present-day village of Zharrëz.
Lake Zharrëza was built in 1964, with a capacity of 2.1 million m3 of water. It supplies two irrigation canals, which cross the fertile fields of the area. The reservoir is used for the breeding of various fish species, but it is also a stunning tourist attraction.
