Since 2016, the small village of Syrigana has been protected as an archaeological site spanning prehistory, late antiquity, and the Middle Ages. It is situated at the foot of a striking rock plateau believed to have once supported an ancient castle fortification. Legends abound in the rugged landscape of this village, located a stone’s throw from Petrit Halilaj’s hometown of Runik. Runik itself is a well-known Neolithic site, famous for the Runik Ocarina, the oldest musical instrument found in the Balkans. This places the area in a key position for understanding early human history in the region.

In the aftermath of the Kosovo War (1998–99), efforts to preserve historical sites are part of broader attempts at cultural reconciliation. Today, the region is supported by ongoing efforts for heritage protection and recognition amid Kosovo’s evolving identity as an independent nation. The site’s preservation and investigation could foster unity through shared historical understanding.

Syrigana recasts primal origin fables in the vocabulary of Halilaj’s work, playfully conflating biblical and contemporary references as it posits love as a grounding force in the face of an uncertain future. Adam and Eve, here recast as a fox and a rooster, are expelled from the Garden of Eden. They travel across the seven skies in search of a place where their love can thrive, finally arriving via KFOR (Kosovo Force) helicopters upon the great rock plateau in Syrigana. They are welcomed by the locals who want to marry them, yet their union is threatened by the machinations of a mysterious wedding tailor. Will their love survive?