Tourist Attractions & Monuments Northern Macedonia

This downtown district takes its name (Чаршија) from the former Ottoman sharia where businesses, mosques and the Muslim population were once concentrated. It extends along the pedestrian street of St. Clement of Ohrid (Sveti Kliment Ohridski). Very pleasant, this south-north axis in soft slope constitutes at the same time the favorite place of walk of the inhabitants and a haven of shopping for the tourists. The Ali-Pasha mosque, the clock tower, the Zeynelabidin-Pasha tekké, the municipal market and the pleasant Kruševska-Republika square are all located here.

The banks of the river that runs through the whole of Skopje are well equipped for walking in the city center. Both banks have a pier with a bicycle path. They are also connected by various bridges and footbridges. One notices especially the constructions of the project "Skopje 2014", in particular the "Bridge of Civilizations", very kitsch with its 28 statues of Greek, Bulgarian or Serbian characters. Even more kitschy are the three fake sailboats (and concrete) "moored" on the western bank. One of them houses the hotel-restaurant Senigallia.

This national gallery (Галерија на Икони/Galerija na Ikoni) is the jewel of the country's museums. The basement room, without much interest, contains recent icons and liturgical objects. But the main room, on the first floor, contains the thirty-six most valuable icons of Ohrid. Here is our selection.

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste - V. 1070 - 43,5 x 33 cm . This is the oldest representation of this type in the world and the second oldest icon in the gallery after the one of St. Basil the Great and St. Nicholas (no. 272) dating from 1045/1055. Painted for the Saint Sophia Cathedral, it illustrates the martyrdom of forty Christian legionaries put to death on the frozen lake of Sebaste (Sivas, Turkey) during the winter of 320. This episode is common in Eastern iconography. It is striking for the strength of conviction and stoicism of the martyrs. But it is especially important politically: it serves as a pretext for Constantine to take over the entire Roman Empire and become the champion of the Christians.

Annunciation - Two icons with riza - c. 1115 - 111 x 67,5 cm (each ). This diptych comes from the nearby church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos and bears on the reverse the name of its patron, the archbishop of Ohrid Leo II Mung (1108-1120). It illustrates the announcement to Mary of her divine motherhood by the archangel Gabriel. Each of the two figures is painted on a different support whose background and edges are covered with a superb riza. This protection in embossed metal is used here to "paint" the halos, the background with plant motifs and the holy figures on the sides. Thus, around Mary appear her parents Joachim and Anne, Christ, Saint John the Baptist and various saints and prophets. Mary's raspberry red maforii is held by two semi-precious cut stones.

Christ Pantocrator - With riza - 1262/1263 - 134,5 x 93 cm. This is the oldest icon in the region with an exact date. Behind it is also the name of the patron, the most erudite archbishop of Ohrid, Constantine Kabasilas. Destined for the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos, it depicts the "all-powerful" Christ(pantokrator in Greek) draped in blue and gold with a halo made of a golden riza. The proportions are not realistic: the shoulders are too narrow, but this allows the painter - anonymous - to highlight the face and hands. The right hand with two outstretched fingers symbolizes the double nature, human and divine, of Christ.

Mother of God Hodegetria (with riza) and Crucifixion of Christ - Second half of the ^13th century - 95,5 x 65 cm. This icon painted on both sides was made by two of the greatest medieval artists of the Balkans, Michailis Astrapas and Eutychios, to whom we owe in particular the frescoes of the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos. On the front: the Mother of God Hodegetria ("Leader"). The painting is completed by a riza with hammered halos and filigree background. On the reverse: the crucifixion of Christ with the Virgin and the apostle John. The gallery has two other "double-sided" icons that were intended for processions, one of which is magnificent, from the beginning of the ^14th century, showing the Annunciation and, on the front, the Mother of God Psychosostia ("Savior of souls").

Saint Clement of Ohrid - In relief - late ^13th century - 140 x 35 cm. If it looks like a wooden statue, it is in fact an "icon in relief", a very rare type of icon in Byzantine art. It comes from the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos and is the only one of its kind in the country. The appearance of icons in relief in the ^13th century could be linked either to the first engraved wooden iconostases or to the Western influence after the capture of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204.

Saint Marine - V. 1754 - 92,5 x 60,5 cm . This is one of the most outstanding icons in the gallery. It was made by Constantine of Shpat, master of the school of Berat, in Albania. The saint, known in the West as Margaret of Antioch, died a martyr in 305. As in another icon in the gallery (no. 158), she is traditionally depicted wielding a hammer to slay a demon and/or dragon. Twelve vignettes depict scenes from her life (temptations of the devil, appearance of the dove of the Holy Spirit, etc.) and her martyrdom. Perpetually subjected to temptation, she took a vow of chastity. But for having rejected the advances of the Roman governor Olybrius, she was tortured and put to death. The Romans are represented here as Ottomans, Olybrius being dressed as a pasha. An anachronism probably very voluntary.

Mother of God Panton Chara - 1844 - 57 x 41 cm. It was made by the great Mijak painter Dico Zograf for the church of St. John in Kaneo. It belongs to the subcategory of the "Joy of All"(Panton Chara in Greek), which is related to the icons of the "unfading rose" (evocation of virginity). The Christ child is dressed in the orange-golden garb of the high priest. The inscriptions are written in both Greek and Old Slavonic. At the bottom are six portraits of saints. The last one on the right wears the red Arabic fez adopted in the Ottoman Empire from the ^nineteenth century. He also wears an embroidered vest and a fustanelle typical of the Greco-Albanian region of Epirus. It is the neo-martyr Saint George of Ioannina (Greece), killed in 1838 for having renounced Islam and converted to Christianity.

This site (Археолошки Локалитет Хераклеа Линкестис/Arheološki Lokalitet Heraklea Linkestis) houses some of the remains of the city of Iraklia Lykistis ("Lynx Heraclea" in Greek), founded by Philip II of Macedonia in the ^mid-4th century BC. Most of the visible features date from the late Roman era, including a theater and a large early Christian basilica. Unfortunately, the site is poorly promoted (no explanatory panels) and its most beautiful mosaic was damaged in 2022.

This vast Ottoman-period tekké (Арабати Баба Теќе/Arabati Baba Teḱe, Teqeja e Baba Harabatit) belongs to the brotherhood of the bektashis, the most tolerant branch of Sufi Islam. The complex, which resembles a fortified camp, extends over 26,700 m². It boasts a magnificent garden, a dozen classical Ottoman-style buildings and around a hundred tombs of dervishes and followers of Bektashism. It was founded in 1538 by the Turkish dervish master Sersem Ali Baba. But it bears the name of his disciple and successor, Arabati Baba. It was he who undertook the expansion of the tekké after the death of his master in 1549. Out of humility, these two great theologians and poets adopted ridiculous sobriquets: in Turkish sersem means "madman" or "fool" and harabati is derived from the ancient Arabic arābātat, meaning "drunkard". It was from this tekké that the humanistic precepts of the bektashis spread to the Albanian-speaking populations of the Balkans. However, the complex took on its current appearance between 1799 and 1820 under Rexhep Pasha. An adept of Bektashism, this Albanian governor of the Tetovo region undertook major renovations.

Welcoming dervishes and intimidating bearded men. Rexhep Pacha's original intention was to house his daughter Fatima, who was suffering from tuberculosis, so that she could breathe the pure air of the Šar Mountains. Thanks to his patronage, the complex continued to flourish, attracting ever more dervishes, scholars, poets, pilgrims and donors. When the bektashis became too influential at the sultan's court and were expelled from present-day Turkey, the brotherhood transferred its headquarters to the Arabati-Baba tekké in 1826. When the Ottomans left in 1912, the headquarters were finally transferred to Tirana, Albania, where they remain today. Since 1912, the tekké has suffered a long decline. Closed down by the Yugoslav socialist authorities in 1945, it fell victim to arson in 1948, before being transformed into a tourist complex in the 1960s with a restaurant, hotel and even, for a time, a discotheque. After independence and another fire in 1992, it was finally returned to the Bektashis in 1994. But since 2002, part of the complex has been occupied by a group of Sunni Islamists who consider the Bektashis to be "heretics". Fortunately, a visit is still possible. But it can be a little strange, with welcoming, peaceful dervishes on one side, and sometimes intimidating fundamentalist bearded men on the other.

This Orthodox monastery (Манастир Свети Наум/Manastir Sveti Naum) was founded between 893 and 905 by Saint Naum of Ohrid and Bulgarian King Boris ^I (reign 852-889). It is dedicated to the archangels Gabriel and Michael. Nestled on a cliff on the shores of Lake Ohrid, 600 m from the Albanian border, this 30-hectare complex enjoys a magnificent setting. Surrounded by greenery and the springs that feed the lake, the monastery is famous for its free-roaming peacocks and the excellent raki sold by the monks. Having belonged to Albania from 1912 to 1925, it is one of the holiest and most visited places in Northern Macedonia. It was extensively remodeled and enlarged up to the ^16th century, and part of the buildings were rebuilt after a fire in 1875. Today, there is a large ^19th-century circular building housing the monks' cells and the Sveti Naum hotel, several churches and chapels, a harbor for tour boats, souvenir stores, sacred springs and a small lake. At the center of the complex, the Church of the Archangels-Gabriel-and-Michel (Црква Архангели Гаврил и Михаил) forms the catholicon (main church) of the monastery. The ^10th-century building followed a trefoil plan modeled on the church of the monastery of St. Panteleimon in Ohrid. Only the black and white marble floor has been preserved. The original church was destroyed before the ^13th century, then rebuilt in Byzantine style in the ^16th century. The porch pillars bear inscriptions in Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets from the ^10th-12th centuries, among the oldest epigraphic traces in Slavic literature.

Tomb of Saint Naum. All interior walls are painted. But only a few fragments from the ^16th-17th centuries remain. Most of the frescoes were executed between 1800 and 1806 in a "medieval" style by an Albanian artist from Korça called Terpo. On the right, after the narthex, the chapel dates from 1799. Topped by a large dome, it houses the tomb of Saint Naum, where the saint was buried in 910. The tomb is the object of deep devotion, including within the local Muslim community. Tradition has it that people bend over the tomb to hear the saint's heart beating and make a vow. The chapel is decorated with frescoes depicting miracles attributed to Naum, some of which are not lacking in piquancy: a monk caught trying to steal the saint's relics, the healing of a mentally ill man, a domesticated bear, a horse thief caught at the monastery gates and a mysterious bucket that left its imprint on the rocks.

Cupolas and iconostasis. The dome of the narthex features portraits of the archangels and Boris ^I, who financed the construction of the monastery after abdicating to become a monk in 889. The dome of the nave is decorated with a superb Mother of God, surrounded by representations of the evangelists Cyril and Methodius and some of their disciples, such as Clement and Naum. The carved wooden iconostasis dates from 1711. It is the oldest in the country. Its icons were painted in the same period by Konstandin Shpataraku, of the Albanian school of Berat and father of the Terpo painter who did the frescoes. Among the icons in the iconostasis, note the Mother of God Eleousa ("of tenderness"), the portraits of the archangels and that of Saint Marina holding the devil by the horns.

Brightly lit at night, this fortress (Скопско Кале/Skopsko Kale, Kalaja e Shkupit) is worth it mostly for the views it offers: it overlooks the Vardar River on the highest point in the city center, 268 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, it is poorly maintained. It is, however, the oldest inhabited site in the city, with discoveries made here dating back to the ^4th millennium BC. The fortifications were created by the Byzantines in the ^6th century from materials of the Roman colony of Scupi, destroyed by an earthquake. But its present structure dates from the Ottomans. There remains a gate and a portion of Byzantine wall to the east and, above all, a 121 m long rampart and restored defensive towers facing the city center. It is possible to walk the walkway during the day. Inside, traces of a Byzantine building, an Ottoman mosque and a medieval Serbian church are visible. It was in the latter that the Serbian king Dušan was crowned emperor "of the Serbs and Greeks" on April 16, 1346, briefly becoming the most powerful ruler in Europe. The fortress also has a museum installed under a glass structure. But it has been closed for several years. Finally, along the southern rampart stands the monument Strength, Glory and Victory created in 1953 by the sculptor Jordan Grabulovski, to whom we owe the Makedonium in Kruševo. It represents a woman holding a laurel wreath at a height of 5 m with a soldier and a small child at her feet.

Founded in the ^11th century, this Orthodox cathedral (Црква Света Софија/Crkva Sveta Sofija) is the largest medieval building in the country and is the headquarters of the Autocephalous Church of Macedonia. Dedicated to St. Sophia, a ^2nd-century Roman martyr who embodied divine Wisdom, it houses some of the best-preserved ^11th-century frescoes in the world that bear witness to the schism of 1054. Its complex architecture reflects a long and eventful history: it is of Byzantine style but does not have a central dome, its naos has three naves as the ancient temples and its general plan follows the shape of a T whose upper bar is constituted by a monumental exonarthex without equivalent in the Balkans. It was moreover transformed into mosque during four centuries. The entrance is always done by the Ottoman porch which dates from the ^15th or ^16th century.

History. The site was first occupied by an ancient Greek temple, then by a Roman civil basilica, itself replaced in the ^sixth century by a Christian basilica. Around 880, the Bulgarian emperor Boris ^I and Saint Clement of Ohrid had a basilica built here. This one is transformed around 990, when Samuel ^Ier chooses Ohrid as capital of the Bulgarian Empire. Of still modest dimensions, the building adopts the plan of an ancient basilica with three parallel naves. The present cathedral was founded between 1037 and 1056 by the Byzantine prelate Leo, second archbishop of Ohrid. It is then conceived as the symbol of the Byzantine reconquest of the region. It became the seat of the "Bulgarian" archbishopric of Ohrid, in theory independent, but directly subjected to the patriarch of Constantinople. If the Bulgarian basilica disappears, the three-aisle plan is preserved. The new building stretches towards the west where it ends with a narthex. The whole is surmounted by a central dome, whose four pillars give the naos the cross-shaped plan of Byzantine churches. Between 1317 and 1334, the Byzantine archbishop of Ohrid, Gregory ^I, had a monumental double-storey exonarthex of 30 m length placed on the west side. The construction of this "Gregory Gallery" remains an enigma. Why such a construction site? And who financed it? Indeed, Ohrid did not belong to any great power, but to local Albanian nobles. The city will pass under Serbian control in 1334. It is the rich Greek-Serbian lord Jovan Oliver (to whom we owe the church of Lesnovo) who will finance the frescos around 1340-1355. The Ottomans transformed the cathedral into a mosque at the beginning of the ^15th century. The central dome is removed and, as the direction of prayer of Muslims is towards Mecca, southeast, a new entrance is created northwest, with a porch placed along the naos. The "Gregory Gallery" is condemned, but it serves as a support for the minaret, installed on its northern tower. Inside, the frescoes are hidden. A mirhab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca for prayer, was installed. As for the marble iconostasis, it was dismantled to be used for the construction of the minbar (pulpit). The mosque retains its old name, however, since it is called Büyük Ayasofya Camii in Turkish, ie "Great Mosque of Saint Sophia. After the departure of the majority of the Muslim population in 1912, the mosque serves as a warehouse. The building is the subject of a major renovation from 1949: all the attributes of the old mosque are gradually removed and part of the Christian frescoes are rediscovered. In 1959, the cathedral is reopened to the worship and becomes the seat of the new Orthodox Church of Macedonia. The place is however rarely used for worship. Known for its good acoustics, the naos is mainly used for concerts of sacred or secular music, in particular within the framework of the summer festival of Ohrid (from mid-July to mid-August).

Historical significance of the frescos. As the double gallery of the exonarthex and the narthex are closed to visits, only the naos is accessible. But it is the naos that contains the oldest and most precious frescoes of the cathedral. Painted by unknown artists, they were made during the great schism of 1054 between the Eastern and Western Churches. It is the main visual testimony of this historical event according to the official Byzantine point of view. Their commissioner, Archbishop Leo of Ohrid, was indeed a close collaborator of Michael ^I Cerular, the Patriarch of Constantinople who was excommunicated by the papal legates on July 16, 1054, the date that marked the definitive separation between Catholics and Orthodox.

Frescoes on the west wall. Most of the remarkable ^11th century frescoes are in the choir and apse. But the central part of the west wall, immediately to the right after the entrance, preserves several other frescoes from the same period. They are placed above the old main entrance that connected the narthex to the naos. If they are damaged, one can recognize the scenes of the Presentation in the Temple, the Nativity of Christ and the Dormition of the Mother of God. The latter is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.

Iconostasis and foundations. Barring the eastern part of the three naves, the marble iconostasis was added in 2015, and the icons it houses are of no historical value. As is the Eastern tradition, this partition serves to separate the naos from the sanctuary reserved for the communing clergy. One can therefore no longer admire the amazing frescoes behind it, notably the portraits of the six Roman popes painted in the diakonon (sacristy), to the right of the altar: in the context of the schism of 1054, it was a question of putting the bishops of Rome on the same level as the sixty other Christian prelates painted throughout the sanctuary. Above all, it is a pity that the minbar (pulpit) of the old mosque was demolished in 2000. However, this one was precisely made of finely carved elements from the iconostasis of the ^eleventh century. On the other hand, openings in the floor and glass panels allow us to see the foundations of the old Bulgarian basilica as well as the remarkable ^14th century marble carved ambo (lectern). Behind the iconostasis, the highest frescoes of the central apse are clearly visible. The ensemble is dominated by the Mother of God Throne of Wisdom painted on a blue background of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, the most precious pigment of the Middle Ages. Below is the scene of the Communion of the Apostles. Christ the priest is placed under the ciborium of the altar. He makes the sign of blessing and holds the paten, the round plate used to distribute the amnos ("lamb" in Greek), that is, the leavened bread symbolizing the sacrifice of the body of Christ. The presence of the paten is unusual: it is an evocation of the dispute over the divine liturgy (the Eucharist for Catholics) which was one of the triggers of the schism of 1054.

Fresco on the choir vault. Shortly before the iconostasis, the semicircular vault is occupied by a large scene of the Ascension: Christ appears in the center, in a mandorla supported by four angels. Further down, on either side, stand the apostles, the Mother of God and the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the next register are five archangels kneeling on either side. This is another reference to the rupture of 1054: the archangels represent the Pentarchy, that is, the original organization of Christianity with the five patriarchal Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome.

Frescoes on the walls of the choir. On both sides of the vault, several scenes are loaded with symbols related to the schism of 1054. Thus, on the south side (on the right when facing the apse), the damaged representation of the Hospitality of Abraham is a double blow. First of all, the three angels appear here as the three incarnations of God and are seated in the prophet's home in the same plane. This goes against the dogma of the Filioque developed in the West, which establishes a hierarchy between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then there is the dish prepared by Sarah (in the background, on the left) and served by Abraham, kneeling: it is leavened bread, the kind reserved in the East for the divine liturgy. The same bread that the Pope, in 1054, wanted to replace with unleavened bread as in the West. On the north side, the oldest known representation of the Liturgy of Basil the Great appears: the ^4th century bishop prepares the sacrament of communion under the ciborium. The work serves here as a reminder that the Byzantine rite, unlike Western practice, has not deviated from the origins of Christianity.

Exonarthex. When leaving the cathedral, turn left in the small park and left again to go down the stairs to Ilindenska Street. This is where the monumental facade designed around 1317 by Archbishop Gregory ^I is finally revealed. Today, the exonarthex is almost unnoticed in the urban fabric. At the time of its construction, this structure was enhanced by the creation of a vast square. However, the latter disappeared when the exonarthex was condemned during the Ottoman period. Partially cleared since the 1950s, the square now hosts an open-air theater. From the terraces, one can have a little distance to admire the facade with its two lateral towers surmounted by domes mounted on drums, its two open galleries and its 30 m length. The base of the walls is composed of large carved stones, some of which, bearing engravings and inscriptions in Greek, are replacements from the ancient theater. The towers are mostly mounted in "cloisonné", a Byzantine technique consisting of framing cut stones between mortar and flat tiles. In the central part, bricks are practically the only material used. They form eight arcades supported by five pillars and four columns in the lower gallery, then seventeen blind niches in the next row. The upper gallery is the most famous: it is represented on the reverse side of the 1,000 denar banknotes. Its style is neat, with four elegant triplets separated by three cul-de-four niches. Finally, the whole is dominated by a long inscription in Greek. It is the dedication of the patron, Gregory ^I. It reads: "Gregory, Moses of the new Israel, teaches the wisdom of the divine law to the Mesians." The "Mesians" are the inhabitants of Mesia, a Roman province that lay west of the Danube. It is by this name that the Byzantines designated the Bulgarians of Ohrid in the Middle Ages.

This stunning rotunda-shaped cathedral (Соборен Храм Свети Климент Охридски/Soboren Hram Sveti Kliment Ohridski) is the seat of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Designed by Slavko Brezovski (1922-2017) and completed in 1990, it is one of the world's few modernist cathedrals. The interior can accommodate 6,000 worshippers. The dome is adorned with a 5-t chandelier and a 70^m2 fresco of Christ. The iconostasis is 19.50 m long and 12.50 m high.

Located in Stara Čaršija, this caravanserai (Капан Ан/Kapan An, Hani i Kapanit) is Skopje's oldest. Erected around 1460 on the initiative of Ottoman governor Isa-Bey Ishaković, it takes its name from the large scales (kapan) that were used to weigh and tax goods transiting through here. Surrounding a square courtyard, the first floor was used for livestock and merchandise, while the upper floor housed 44 rooms for merchants passing through the city. Today, there are several restaurants and cafés, including the Pivnica An.

Located above the Vardar River, past the Skopje fortress, this national museum (Музеј на Современа Уметност Скопје/Muzej na Sovremena Umetnost Skopje, Muzeu i Artit Bashkëkohor nga Shkupi) was established in 1970. It houses one of the most important contemporary art collections in the Balkans. It was founded after the 1963 earthquake, thanks to an appeal for donations launched by Jean-Paul Sartre and other European intellectuals. A total of 3,000 works were donated by artists and cultural foundations from 60 countries. As a result, the museum presents a fairly comprehensive panorama of the creative output of the 1960s-1970s, much of it European. The building itself is very attractive. Designed by a collective of Polish architects and renovated in 2014, it offers beautiful views over the Vardar and Skopje's western shore. In a vast, immaculate 5,000^m2 space, works by such great names as Pierre Soulages, Niki de Saint Phalle, Kristo, Fernand Léger, David Hockney and Bernard Buffet are on display. Creations from the former Yugoslavia are in the majority, with many works by artists from what is now North Macedonia. Among them are the very fine works of Jordan Grabuloski, creator of the Makedonium de Kruševo. But the main piece is the painting Tête de femme (1963) donated by Pablo Picasso. It is not on display, but can be shown on request. The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions throughout the year.

Located in Stara Čaršija, opposite the Čifte hammam, this white-walled building (Безистен/Bezisten, Bezisten) was used to store merchants' most valuable goods for the night: silks, gold, jewelry, etc. It was built in 1900 on the site of an earlier ^15th-century bezistan destroyed in the great Skopje fire of 1689. With its four entrances, the current complex takes the form of open-air cobbled lanes running around two former warehouses. This rather charming complex now houses a number of stores.

This former hammam (Даут-Пашин Амам/Daut-Pašin Amam, Hamami i Daut Pashës) was one of the largest in the Ottoman Empire. It houses the National Gallery of Macedonia (Национална галерија на Македонија/Национална Галерија на Македонија, Galeria Kombëtare e Maqedonisë), founded here in 1948. The building was erected around 1480 on the initiative of the Ottoman governor of Rumelia Davud Pasha, who later served as grand vizier of the Empire from 1482 to 1497. Like the hammam Čifte, it had two parts one for men and the other for women. The ensemble is surmounted by two domes, which each covered a hot room, and eleven domes above the rest of the facilities. The interior retains some ornaments such as carved stalactites or floral reliefs. It houses nine rooms where some of the most valuable paintings of the country are gathered. In room 1 there is a collection of icons from the ^14th to the ^17th century. Among them, note the movingVirgin of Lesnovo (^14th century) and the Annunciation (^16th century) which incorporates elements of Italian art, while the Holy Spirit is represented by a kind of black beam typical of the Serbian-Byzantine style. This is followed by room 2 dedicated to the "Macedonian Renaissance" (^19th-20th centuries), and then a large space dedicated to contemporary art (rooms 3-9) with works by the great painters Nikola Martinoski (1903-1973) and Petar Mazev (1927-1993). The garden is decorated with statues and sculptures.

This small Orthodox church (Црква Свети Андреја/Crkva Sveti Andreja) preserves its beautiful frescoes painted shortly after the building's construction in 1389. The most remarkable are those of the Passion of Christ cycle: the Last Supper, the Descent from the Cross and the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. Dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, the church was built for the Serbian lord Andrijaš Mrnjavčević (c. 1340-1395), brother of Prince Marko, who ruled Greater Macedonia at the time.

Perched on Mount Vodno, 1,050 meters above sea level, this futuristic tower of the National Communications Agency (Кула на АЕК) is the tallest building in the country: it is 155 meters high. Adopting a twisted shape, it serves as a communications relay and includes three circular structures housing technical rooms, offices, and a panoramic restaurant that is advertised as rotating. We have not yet been able to test this. After ten years of work, the site was still not finished by mid-2023. But the opening was finally in sight. And what a view!

This rocky promontory, which rises more than 1,000 m above sea level, is presented as the "Kokino Megalithic Observatory" (Кокино Мегалитска Обсерваторија): according to the local official version, it would have been used for astronomical observations during prehistoric times. As such, it has been included in the Unesco World Heritage Tentative ("secondary") list since 2009. Excavations conducted from 2001 have brought to light a hundred objects left by man between the ^nineteenth and ^seventh century BC and presented in the museum of Kumanovo. However, no serious study came to support the theory of "the observatory". If Nasa supported this thesis for a time, the American space agency retracted in 2015, describing the site of Kokino as "a particularly problematic case". This one owes its name to its reddish-hued rocks: in Greek, κόκκκινο/kokkino means "red". Placed at the top of the hill of Tatićev Kamen, between 1,010 and 1,030 m above sea level, it extends about 90 m in length and 50 m in width. The complex dominates the hamlet of Kokino, to the southwest, across the road. In addition to the remains of an enclosing wall to the north of the promontory, the "observatory" would be made up of four platforms spreading out towards the west and of stones presented as strategically placed to follow the movements of the sun and the moon. But the visit proves to be disappointing, because the place - as beautiful as it is - does not shelter very "telling" vestiges.

The old Ottoman quarter of the charchia or "Old Bazaar" (Стара Чаршија/Stara Čaršija) retains many shops, a market and a few cafés and restaurants. It's pleasant to stroll through this 12-hectare labyrinth of alleyways. Here you'll find the Hadji-Mahmut-Bey mosque, former Ottoman baths and the La Havra synagogue. Founded in the ^16th century, Bitola's charchia reached its apogee in the ^18th century. It was then much larger than it is today, attracting merchants from all over the Empire, as well as from Vienna, Venice and Marseille.

In Stara Čaršija, between the Murat-Pasha mosque and the Suli caravanserai, this former hammam (Чифте Амам/Čifte Amam, Çifte Hamami) is covered by two domes and twelve cupolas. It houses temporary exhibitions from the National Gallery. Built around 1450 under the aegis of Ottoman governor Isa-Bey Ishaković, it owes its name to the Turkish term çift, meaning "double": it had one area for women (to the southwest) and another for men (to the northeast). In operation until 1917, it also housed a section reserved for Jewish residents (to the northwest).

This gallery (Галерија Мартиноски/Galerija Martinovski) was founded in 1968 in a beautiful traditional ^19th-century house. It is dedicated to the Aromanian painter from Kruševo Nikola Martinovski (1903-1973). Trained at the Grande Chaumière academy in Paris between 1927 and 1828, he is considered the founder of contemporary art in what is now North Macedonia. The two floors feature 62 works by the painter (oils, tempera, drawings, etc.), some of his personal effects and an exhibition of traditional local costumes.

This national museum (Народен Музеј во Охрид/Naroden Muzej vo Ohrid) is housed in an elegant Bulgarian-Ottoman house built on four levels between 1827 and 1865 by the Robev family (Куќата на Робевци/Kuḱata na Robevci). Since 1951 it has housed the largest part of the region's archaeological collections. On the first floor, the former stables house the lapidary collection with milestones from the Via Egnatia (^3rd century) and tombstones from various ancient necropolises. Note two engraved stones from the Hellenistic period (c. 200 BC) that come from the ancient theater of the city. They represent the Greek god Dionysus accompanied by his muses. On the second floor are reconstructed the apartments of the Robevs, a rich family of merchants and doctors who were at the origin of the "Bulgarian Renaissance" of Ohrid in the ^19th century: furniture, clothes, a large portrait of Constantin Robev, his doctor's bag, etc. The most valuable part of the archaeological collection is on the second floor. It includes coins, jewelry from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Roman glass bottles and a superb statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis (^2nd century BC). The latter is the centerpiece of the museum. It bears witness to an "oriental" cult that developed in the Greek world after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Neolithic tomb and view of the lake. One room houses the reconstruction of a Neolithic tomb found in the Samuel fortress. It is presented on a turntable, with jewelry and gold objects. On the third floor there is a reconstruction of the Robev family's large reception room with some examples of traditional wood carvings and a beautiful view of the lake. The museum is part of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and National Museum of Ohrid (Завод за Заштита на Спомениците на Културата и Народен Музеј во Охрид/Zavod za Zaštita na Spomenicite na Kulturata i Naroden Muzej vo Ohrid). This public organization manages various sites in the city, including the Uzunov House, located opposite the Robev House, or the National Gallery of Icons. Its headquarters are located in the former Radnička school, a vast neoclassical building from 1922 that dominates the old town in Uzunov street. It does not house any exhibitions, but the offices are open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

This 1 km-long pedestrian street (Широк Сокак) is Bitola's main thoroughfare. It links Dragor to the north and City Park to the south. Renamed in honor of Serbian King Peter ^I, then Marshal Tito during the Yugoslav period, it has taken on its Ottoman-era name, which blends Slavic širok ("wide") and Turkish sokak ("street"). It is bordered by around a hundred listed ^19th-century houses, numerous shops, cafés and restaurants, as well as several monuments. It is also home to six of the ten consulates still present in Bitola.

This kitsch house (Спомен-Куќа Мајка Тереза/Spomen-Kukja Majka Tereza) was erected in 2009 as part of the "Skopje 2014" project. It is located on Macedonia Street, on the site of the Catholic church where Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997), was baptized. Small, uninteresting exhibition upstairs and chapel on the first floor. The new Saints-Constantin-et-Hélène church and the reconstruction of a ^17th- or ^18th-century tower surround the building.

Founded in the ^12th century, this Orthodox monastery (Манастир Свети Илија/Manastir Sveti Ilija) is isolated in a forest 630 m above sea level. Guarded by a family that lives there, it is famous for its so-called "miraculous" water source (against eye diseases). Its catholicon is a small rock church which preserves damaged frescoes of the ^XIVth century and a beautiful iconostasis in carved wood of the ^XIXth century. Some scenes from the film Before the Rain (1994) were filmed here.

Founded in 1080, this Orthodox monastery (Вељушки Mанастир/Veljuški Manastir) is located 400 m above the village of Veljusa (population 1,500). Dedicated to the Mother of God Eleousa ("of compassion"), it houses a community of nuns, a garden with boxwood lined paths and various buildings that have been rebuilt many times. The catholicon (main church) preserves elements of the ^eleventh century: fragments of mosaic, marble iconostasis and some frescoes, including that of Christ Emmanuel in the dome. Beautiful views over the plain of Strumica.

This Orthodox monastery dedicated to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (Лешочки Манастир/Lešočki Manastir, Manastiri i Leshkës) is a symbol of Macedonian identity. The faithful come here to pay their respects at the tomb of Kiril Pejčinoviḱ (c. 1771-1845), a Bulgarian monk from Tearce canonized by the Macedonian Orthodox Church in 2022. Enjoying a beautiful setting, with the Šar Mountains in the background, the complex was founded in the ^14th century by Serbian prince and saint Lazar Hrebeljanović (1329-1389). Destroyed by the Ottomans after the Austrian incursion into Polog around 1683-1699, it was restored by Kiril Pejčinoviḱ, who was higoumène (abbot) of the monastery from 1818. A great literary and religious figure, Pejčinoviḱ is both considered the creator of the modern Bulgarian language and one of the earliest contributors to the Macedonian language. On the heights of the complex remain the ruins of the old ^14th-century Church of St. Athanasius. To the south-east of the courtyard stands the 19th-century Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Dating from the ^19th century, it is very simple in form and features frescoes from the ^14th, ^17th and ^19th centuries. Finally, the new Church of St. Athanasius, completed in 1936, is massive and of a style that is, to say the least, haphazard. Badly damaged during the 2001 civil war, it was rebuilt with European funding in 2007. Various ^{twentieth-century} buildings recall the monastery's use as an orphanage and as an annex to the Tetovo hospital specializing in the treatment of lung diseases.

Erected in 1313, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Никола Болнички/Crkva Sveti Nikola Bolnički) was part of a complex housing a hospital that served as a quarantine place for travelers. A unique case in the country, a two-bay wall-belfry is directly integrated into the building: it is an influence of the Romanesque architecture of the Dalmatian coast, which was then, like Ohrid, under Serbian control. The frescoes date from the beginning of the ^14th to the end of the ^15th century. Those on the south wall are the best preserved with portraits executed around 1340: St. Nicholas, St. Clement of Ohrid, St. Panteleimon and the Anargyrian saints Como and Damian. Below are six portraits of great Serbian figures added in 1345. Archbishop Nicholas ^I of Ohrid appears with the man he enthroned as emperor in Skopje in 1346, Dušan, next to him. Next is his wife, Helen of Bulgaria, and their son, the future Uroš V. On the right, the series ends with St. Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and his father St. Simeon, founder of the Nemanjić dynasty in 1166. In the courtyard are visible the remains of the city walls. Right next to it are the Cultura 365 center and the Church of the Mother of God of the Hospital. The latter was built around 1368. It was used for women in quarantine. The frescoes on the vaults date from the ^14th century, but the decoration of the walls was made in the ^19th century, as was the carved wooden iconostasis.

This artificial lake (Езеро Младост/Ezero Mladost), whose name means "youth," covers 5.2 ^km2. It was created in 1962 on the Otovica River to power a small power plant and irrigate the surrounding agricultural land. Today it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of the Veles region. There are beaches, several bars, restaurants and hotels, a lighthouse tower and even a small winery (on the eastern shore). The lake is 1.5 km long, 500 m wide and 25 m deep.

Built around 200 BC, this theater (Антички Театар/Antički Teatar) is the only one in the country of Greek origin. The architects of Lychnidos took advantage of the relief to place the stands on the sides of two hills. This configuration offered good acoustics and protection against the wind. What to allow the spectators to benefit from the melodies of the chorus and the whispers of the actors during the representations of comedies or tragedies. The building was modified by the Romans between 140 and 70 B.C. to accommodate up to 5,000 spectators (which suggests that the city then had between 20,000 and 25,000 inhabitants) and gladiatorial and wild animal fights. After the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, which made Christianity the only legal religion in the Empire, the theater was destroyed. Many of its materials were used for the construction of houses, basilicas and, later, the cathedral of Saint Sophia. Rediscovered in 1960, the theater retains only part of the arena walls and its first twelve rows. Among the lowest stands, on the left when you are facing the bleachers, notice the names written in Greek: they are those of families of the local elite who had assigned seats. But the best view of the lake today is from the twelfth row. Since 2001, the theater has been renovated with a capacity of 1,700 seats. It hosts performances, especially during the Ohrid Summer Festival, from mid-July to mid-August.

This fortress (Самуилова Тврдина/Samuilova Tvrdina) offers magnificent views of the old town and the lake. But you should not be impressed by the crenellated walls rising up to 16 m high, the three fortified gates and eighteen defensive towers: almost everything here is new. This ancient stronghold was completely rebuilt in 2002-2003 in a pseudo-millennium style in order to artificially recreate what was the capital of the Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Tsar (Emperor) Samuel ^I between 997 and 1014. In the context of the new national narrative, everything was done to accredit the official thesis that Samuel was "Macedonian"... even though a Slavic Macedonian identity only emerged at the end of the ^19th century. On site, signs explain that a first stronghold was established here in the ^4th century BC by Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. But no international research came to support this thesis. It is however admitted that fortifications existed around 200 B.C. Reinforced by the Romans and the Byzantines, they made it possible to push back a raid of the ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great in 478 of our era. In the double enclosure, the Roman, Byzantine, Serbian, Albanian or Ottoman vestiges are not highlighted. Only is visible the old palace of the Albanian governor Xheladin Beu Ohri (beginning of the ^XIXth century). But the barracks and the mosque of the Ottoman soldiers remain in ruins.

This triumphal arch (Порта Македонија/Porta Macedonija) was built for the twentieth anniversary of independence (1991) and completed in 2012. In a dubious neoclassical style and 21 m high, it is decorated with 32 bas-reliefs representing so-called "national" heroes: Alexander the Great, the Byzantine emperor Justinian, Samuel ^I of Bulgaria, the Serbian king Marko Mrnjavčevic... It is one of the most expensive achievements of the project "Skopje 2014" (6.3 million euros). The panoramic terrace was no longer accessible during our last visit.

Overlooking the old city to the west, this hill (Плаошник) is home to excavation sites and much maligned recent construction. The place is worth a visit for the mosaics of its early Christian basilica and for the plunging views over the lake. The hill has been inhabited since the Iron Age. At the beginning of our era, it was romanized: it was a residential area with houses, baths and temples. From the^5th century onwards, the place became a religious site with two basilicas and the seat of the first bishops of Lychnidos. In the ^9th century, St. Clement of Ohrid made Plaošnik the main center of Slavic evangelization with the construction of the prestigious Ohrid Literary School, a monastery and the church of St. Panteleimon. In the ^15th century, the latter was transformed into a mosque and provided with an imaret (hospice). A Muslim neighborhood was born, taking the name of Imaret. But since 2000, a vast real estate project tinged with nationalism has been launched: almost all traces of Islamic presence has been erased (only an Ottoman mausoleum remains). In its place were erected the modern buildings of the University of the Apostle Paul and the new church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon. These constructions have distorted the hill. They have earned Ohrid strong criticism from UNESCO, which is threatening to remove the city from the World Heritage List. In the western part, behind the bar of buildings of the university, a way passes in the forest to join the church Saint-Jean of Kaneo.

The Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia (Меморијален Центар на Холокаустот на Евреите од Македонија/Memorijalen Centar na Holokaustot na Evreite od Makedonija, Qendra Memoriale të Holokaustit të Hebrenjve nga Maqedonisë) is located on the site of Evresko Maalo, the former Jewish quarter of Skopje that disappeared in the 1963 earthquake. Created as part of the "Skopje 2014" project, it is installed in a rather ugly gray building. The exhibition recalls the long tradition of local Jewish culture and its brutal end with the deportation of 7,143 Jews from the territory of present-day North Macedonia to the Treblinka death camp in 1943. Today, there are only about 100 Jews left in the country. The Jewish presence in the region dates back to antiquity, but the vast majority of Jews in the Balkans (from Sarajevo to Thessaloniki via Skopje, Štip and Bitola) are descendants of the Sephardim expelled from Spain in 1492 and welcomed here by the Ottomans. At the entrance, the name of the museum is written in Ladino (a language with Castilian vocabulary and Hebrew syntax): Sentro Memorial del Holokausto de los Djudios de la Makedonia. On two levels, the memorial exhibits a cattle car that was used for the deportation of the Jewish inhabitants, portraits and documents of the period, in the form of paintings or interactive screens. The purpose of this place is not only to remember this community, but also to propose bases for reflection for today's multicultural society.

Brightly lit at night, this 66-meter-high tubular metal structure (Милениумски Крст/Mileniumski Krst) is the fifth largest Christian cross in the world. Located at 1,060 m above sea level, right next to the summit of Mount Vodno, it was erected in 2002 on the initiative of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to celebrate the two millennia of Christianity (its height corresponds to twice the Christic age). This symbol of identity, built one year after the civil war of 2001, was strongly criticized by Albanians and Muslims in the country.

These artificial "springs" (Билјанини Извори/Biljanini Izvori) are a popular summer stroll for locals. One of its highlights is the Biljanini Izvori restaurant. The actual source of the Biljana River is on Mount Galičica and flows here from fish-breeding ponds. The Biljana then forms a 700 m-long channel that joins Lake Ohrid, with a small marina at its mouth. To the south, the lake's last marsh, Studenčišča (Студенчишко Блато/Studenčiško Blato), is an important 50-hectare biodiversity area.

This small spa (Катлановска Бања) is located in a meander of the Pčinja River. The 40 °C water that emerges here from a deep fault has virtues against rheumatism and skin lesions. You can bathe in a cave along the river or at the pool of the adjacent medical center (katlanovskaspa.com). Next to this building is a monument to the memory of the Greek and Yugoslav wounded who were evacuated and died here during the Greek civil war of 1946-1949.

These gorges (Бадерската Клисура/Badarska Klisura) stretch for 9 km along the Pčinja River, between Badar and Vardar where the Pčinja flows. Surrounded by hills between 400 and 500 m in altitude, they were an important strategic site in the early Middle Ages. Above the village of Badar, 1.2 km to the northwest, are the remains of the walled city of Baderiana/Бадеријана. This is the supposed birthplace of the Roman emperor Justin ^I (c. 450/452), founder of the first Byzantine dynasty and father of the great emperor Justinian.

This mountain range (Бистра Планина/Bistra Planina) covers 573 ^km2 in the southeastern half of Mavrovo National Park and part of Kičevo municipality. It includes fifteen peaks over 2,000 m above sea level, culminating in the Medecina/Меденица ("honeycomb") peak, at 2,163 m above sea level, near the village of Galičnik. Renowned for its forests, caves (undeveloped for tours), numerous rivers and small glacial lake Senečko (at 1,870 m a.s.l., 4.4 km west as the crow flies from the village of Mavrovo), it is also the setting for many sporting activities: skiing at the Zare-Lazarevski resort, off-piste skiing around Galičnik, paragliding, hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking. An 11 km trail links the Mavrovo National Park information center with the village of Vrben/Врбен (130 inhabitants, above Mavrovi Anovi) via the Koža peak, 1,740 m above sea level. Another, 14.3 km long and considerably more difficult, connects the Zare-Lazarevski resort with Galičnik via the Medecina peak. But one of the most frequently recommended routes is between the village of Nikiforovo/Никифорово (population 50, on the eastern shore of Lake Mavrovo) and Sandaktaš peak/Сандакташ, at 1,983 m above sea level. It requires an 8 km walk (approx. 2h30) with a 700 m ascent. It presents no particular difficulty and offers superb views of Mount Korab, Lake Mavrovo and, to the southeast, the Treska valley and the town of Kičevo.

This Orthodox monastery of Serbian origin (Манастирот Свети Димитрија/Manastirot Sveti Dimitrija) houses a beautiful ^13th-century church. This one is distinguished by its Byzantine architecture (cloisonné apparatus, beautiful brick patterns), but also by its bell tower added in the ^18th century on the narthex. In 2017, during a restoration, a fresco of the Last Judgment and another representing the founder - not identified - of the church were rediscovered under a layer of plaster.

The "Salt Spring Cave" (Пештера Слатински Извор/Peštera Slatinski Izvor) is the largest in the country. It is over 4 km long, of which around 1,000 m have been explored, and is home to numerous stalactites and stalagmites, a river and several small lakes. Unesco-listed, it was created in dolomitic marble during the last Ice Age. The entrance is through a small, crudely-constructed opening. But it's best not to venture too far without caving equipment and experience.

This peak (Црн Врв/Crn Vrv, Maja e Zezë) lies at 2,585 m altitude in the Šar Mountains, on the border with Kosovo. It offers grandiose views over the entire massif and as far as the large Kosovar town of Prizren, some 17 km to the north-west as the crow flies. It can be reached via a relatively difficult, poorly-marked 8 km trail from Vejce (approx. 4.5 hrs walk and 1,500 m ascent). The route is described on several websites, including sharplanina.com.mk and sharamountainguide.com.mk. Scheuchzer's cottongrass(Eriophorum scheuchzeri), a "cottony" plant found mainly in Arctic peat bogs from Alaska to Siberia, as well as in a few valleys in the Alps and Pyrenees, was recently discovered near the Black Peak. It's also possible to reach the Black Peak via another 20.8 km itinerary, which ends in Vejce and requires a 9h hike. This one starts from the hamlet of Brezno/Брезно (officially, 3 Macedonian inhabitants) which is located at 975 m a.s.l., 6 km northeast of Lešok. First, you have to follow a carriage road (by 4 x 4 or on foot) to the locality of "Les Trois-Eaux" (Tri Vode/Три Воде) at 1,320 m above sea level. The trail then crosses the Tearečka Bistrica river and leads along Mount Suva Dupka (2,492 m) and to the summit of the Black Peak, before descending to the village of Vejce. The route is difficult and unmarked, with an ascent of 1,610 m. We recommend that you do both hikes with a guide.

This "Three Men" peak (Три Мажи/Tri Maži) is part of Mount Galičica. It rises to 1,630 m above sea level at GPS 41.068529, 20.846229, southeast of de Velestovo. Starting from the hamlet, it can be reached via a superb 12 km loop trail with a 600 m vertical drop. The first seven kilometers are uphill, the next five downhill. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful views of the lake and the town of Ohrid. The route is fairly easy. Details can be found on wikiloc.com and mymacedoniablog.wordpress.com.

This small lake surrounded by a beautiful forest (Езерото Острово/Ezeroto Ostrovo) is 220 m long and 140 m wide, with a maximum depth of 3.5 m. It is fed by a complex known as the "Saint Naum spring" (Извори Свети Наум/Izvori Sveti Naum). It consists of 48 springs, 30 of which are underwater. These are resurgences of natural channels originating from Lake Prespa and passing beneath Mount Galičica. The lake includes three green islands, one of which is home to the Ostrovo restaurant. The lake can be explored by rowing boat with a guide.

This waterfall (Самовилски Водопад/Samovilski Vodopad) is little-known and difficult to access due to the damp ground. But it is... enchanting! The Samovilski River, a small tributary of the Radika River, falls here in staircases 8 m high between moss-covered rocks and in the middle of a thick forest. It's just 50 m from the road, near the junction between the roads to Strezimir, Kosovo and the abandoned village of Brodec. But 50 m on slippery ground must be a trick of the fairies, who prefer to keep to themselves here.

This mountain range (Кораб Планина/Korab Planina, Mali i Korabit), whose name means "boat" in Albanian, stretches over 400 ^km2 between Northern Macedonia and Albania. Its summit, the Golem Korab (Голем Кораб, Maja e Korabit), is the highest point in both countries, at 2,764 m above sea level. This "great Korab" is the fourth highest peak in the Balkans. The massif boasts nine other peaks over 2,500 m in altitude, three of which flank the Golem Korab: Korab II (2,753 m), Korab III (2,745 m), both on the border, and Radomira Peak (2,716 m) in Albania. A little further south are Malokorapska Stena (2,725 m) and the "little Korab", Mal Korab (2,683 m). Surrounded by the Šar massif (2,748 m) to the north and the Dešat massif (2,372 m) to the south, the Korab is part of a vast protected area with the Mavrovo National Park in northern Macedonia and the Korab-Koritnik Natural Park (555 ^km2) in Albania. On the Albanian side, to the west, the walls are rocky. However, the Korab Golem is accessible via a 9.4 km trail from Radomira (1,250 m above sea level, 35 km north of Peshkopi). In North Macedonia, there are several more scenic routes. The one from Strezimir stretches over 8.5 km with a 1,318 m ascent, passing Lake Korab at 2,470 m altitude. It requires a good level of fitness. You can then return to Strezimir or descend to Radomira. In either case, check with the information center in Mavrovo Anovi before you set off.

This beautiful waterfall (Дуфски Водопад/Dufski Vodopad or Duf Şelalesi in Turkish) is formed by the Rostuška river, which here makes a 23.5 m high jump through a narrow gorge, before filling a small basin and then joining the Radika. The water here flows powerfully, averaging 90 litres/second in winter. But the site is most beautiful in autumn or spring. The waterfall is located below Rostuša, about 30 minutes' walk from the village or 15 minutes from the road along a well-marked path.

Located in Stara Čaršija, near the Museum of North Macedonia, this caravanserai (Куршумли Ан/Kuršumli An, Hani i Kurshumlisë) is the city's largest. Built in the early ^16th century, it had 60 rooms for merchants, including 32 upstairs all with fireplaces. Its name comes from the lead(kurşumlu in Turkish) that covers its domes. Transformed into a prison in the ^18th century, then into a museum in the 1920s, it now houses the lapidarium of the Museum of Northern Macedonia (Roman steles and statues). Concerts, exhibitions and theater in summer.

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This is the largest artificial lake in the country (Тиквешко Езеро/Tikveško Ezero). With an area of 14 ^km2, it is used for fishing (wild fish and livestock) and frequented by bathers in summer with many second homes in the northern part, around the Tikveš dam and the hamlets of Brušani/Брушани, Resava/Рeсава and Goleš/Голеш. To the south, on the western shore, is the most valuable historical monument in the region - the Polog Monastery, which is only accessible by boat. The lake extends 29 km in length from south to north to the dam. The 105 m high dam is used for electricity production and irrigation. Since 1968, it retains the waters of the Crna Reka ("black river"), a tributary of the Vardar, which reaches a depth of over 100 m. The lake is dominated in the west by the Višešnica mountain which reaches 1,557 m in altitude. The landscape is beautiful and well preserved, as there are no roads around the lake except those connecting Kavadarci to the hamlets in the northern part. Four ancient hills emerge from the waters to form the islets of Brušani and Gradište/Градиште (in the northeast), Dradnja/Драдња (in the northwest), and Blaštica/Блаштица (in the very south). In addition to the Polog Monastery, the area around the lake contains another ^16th-century monastery as well as two rock churches. The one of St. Nicholas, known as "Mark's Church" (Маркова Црква), is located near the hamlet of Dradnja, northeast of the lake. It is decorated with the damaged frescoes from the ^14th century.