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Ottoman Skopje

Ottoman Skopje
Hudreds of years of Ottoman domination have left Skopje with a distinct Oriental feel and look, and many monuments from the period remain. You’re welcome to visit the mosques free of charge outside prayer times. Just ask around for the caretaker if the doors happen to be locked. To enter a mosque, you should take off your shoes outside and be modestly dressed. Shorts and bare shoulders are not approprate.

Skopje » Sightseeing » Ottoman Skopje

Bey's Tower

A 14-metre high residential tower from the 17th century, this is the oldest building in central Skopje. Built for defense, with 1. Read_on (No Comments)

Bezisten

A feature found in all Ottoman bazaar areas, a bezisten is a secure, gated part of the market that once housed the shops selling silk, jewellery, spices and perfume. Read_on (No Comments)

Cifte Hamam

The mid-15th century Cifte or Double Hamam in the heart of the bazaar was in use as a bath house until 1915. Reconstructed after the 1963 earthquake, it now houses the Contemporary Art Gallery. Read_on (No Comments)

Clock Tower

Like every bazaar, Skopje has a clock tower that once told traders when to close their shops a few times a day for Muslim prayers. Read_on (No Comments)

Daut Pasha Hamam

Skopje’s extraordinary 15th-century Daut Pasha Hamam (bath house) holds the National Art Gallery, although the building is far more interesting than any of the art you’ll find inside. Read_on (No Comments)

Ishak Bey Mosque

Ishak Bey, the conqueror of Macedonia who settled in Skopje after retiring had this small, pretty mosque built just north of the Bit Pazaar in 1439, and it is still used by the merchants manning the stalls there. Read_on (No Comments)

Kapan Han

A beautiful building indeed, the 15th century Kapan Han is one of the three remaining medieval inns still standing in the old bazaar. Read_on (No Comments)

Kursumli Han

The beautiful Kursumli Han is a bit tricky to get to but well worth visiting. Reached via the courtyard or parking lot of the National Museum, it is the best of the three surviving caravanserais, or inn complexes in Skopje. Read_on (No Comments)

Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Towering above the old bazaar area with its 16-metre-wide dome and thin 42-metre-high minaret, the elegant Mustafa Pasha Mosque was built in 1492 and incredibly survived all disasters that befell the city intact. Read_on (No Comments)

Suli Han

The Suli Han inn which houses the Bazaar Museum used to have dozens of rooms for travellers to sleep and store goods, plus stables. Read_on (No Comments)

Sultan Murat Mosque

A huge and quite simple structure with no dome but a normal roof, the Sultan Murat or Hunkar Mosque is Skopje’s oldest, dating from 1436. Read_on (No Comments)