Tourist Attractions & Monuments Northern Macedonia

It's hard not to fall under the spell of this ^13th century Orthodox church (Црква Свети Јован Канео/Crkva Sveti Jovan Kaneo). It is the most famous and most photographed in the country. It enjoys a sumptuous setting, on a promontory overlooking Lake Ohrid. Located in the district of Kaneo, below the hill of Plaošnik, it is dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, author of the Apocalypse, who, according to a local legend, would have Christianized Ohrid around the year 50. The exact date of construction is not known, but it is estimated that the church was erected by the Byzantines in the 1200s. It was later remodeled, abandoned in the ^15th century when the Christian population was expelled from the city, and restored in the ^19th and ^20th centuries. Of small dimensions and rectangular shape, it adopts the style "with dome on centered plan" typical of Byzantine Armenia. Indeed, the region had a certain Armenian influence from the reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil ^I (867-886), himself of Armenian origin. The walls are built according to the Byzantine technique of "cloisonné" with cut stones enclosed between bricks. Some parts are ornamented by the play of colors and geometric shapes created by the varied positioning of the bricks.

Frescoes of the XIV^e century. The interior is unfortunately very dark. It was also restored in the ^nineteenth and ^twentieth centuries, with the addition of frescoes without much interest and a new iconostasis. The upper part of the apse still has a beautiful ^fourteenth century fresco of the Communion of the Apostles where Christ appears twice distributing bread and wine. Among the other medieval frescoes is a series of portraits of saints whose eyes have been systematically vandalized. We recognize Cyril and Methodius, Clement of Ohrid, John the Theologian and "Erasmus of Ohrid". Finally, the dome is decorated with a set of frescoes of the ^fourteenth century, very damaged, which were discovered during a restoration in 1963. At the top is Christ Pantocrator surrounded by eight angels. In the second register, between the windows of the dome drum, are painted eight prophets from the Old Testament. Descending the steps to the level of the lake, one reaches the small church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (1998) and a small port. From there, you can reach the main port by walking along the coast along a path dotted with bars and restaurants.

Placed at 580 m above sea level, on the northern flank of Mount Vodno, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Пантелејмон/Crkva Sveti Pantelejmon) is home to exceptional ^12th-century frescoes. Dedicated to St. Pantaleon of Nicomedia, it belonged to a monastery founded in 1164 by the Byzantine imperial Comnenes family (1081-1185). The monastery was active until 1555, when it was partially destroyed by an earthquake. Built of brick and irregular stone blocks, the church has a cross-shaped plan with a main dome mounted on a drum, four secondary domes, three naves and a rectangular narthex. It retains its ^12th-century marble iconostasis, but this lost its decorative elements during the earthquake. The church is surrounded by walls and by buildings of the old complex which normally house a restaurant (closed during our last visit). The church was restored in 1885 and the original frescoes covered with new paintings. The main dome was rebuilt and decorated with a Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"). During a new restoration in 1923, the ^12th century frescoes were rediscovered. If some parts are missing, the essential of the scenes could be saved. Note in particular the scene of the Lamentation of Christ, on the north wall, under the window.

Realism and emotion. By their bright colors and the purity of their composition, these frescoes are a very rare testimony of the Byzantine art of the Comnenes dynasty, with for only equivalent those of the monastery of Latomou, in Thessalonica, classified as world heritage by Unesco. Created by four or five anonymous painters, probably under the direction of a great master from Constantinople, they are also the first known iconographic representation of the "threne" (lamentation of Christ by the Virgin and burial) which began to develop in the ^12th century in Christendom. Finally, the frescoes of Nerezi are surprising in their realism and emotion, which contrast with the usual static aspect of Byzantine frescoes. They prefigured the work of the Italian Primitives who would develop the humanity and realism of their characters 150 years later, paving the way for the Renaissance movement. The scene of the Lamentation of Christ is reminiscent of the same scene painted by Giotto in the church of the Arena in Padua around 1305.

This admirable ^13th-century Orthodox church (Црква Пресвета Богородица Перивлептос/Crkva Presveta Bogorodica Perivleptos) is Ohrid's masterpiece. Its epithet Perivleptos means "seen from everywhere" in Greek. As it happens, it sits atop one of the city's three hills, next to the Archbishop's Palace and the Gallery of Icons. Its priceless original Byzantine frescoes mark a turning point in the history of Christian art.

Many names. Since the ^15th century, the church has often been referred to as the "Great Church" or the "Church of St. Clement". During the Ottoman period, it was a cathedral and housed the relics of St. Clement of Ohrid. This sometimes leads to confusion, but in the town, English-language signs read "Church Mother of God Peribleptos". This epithet of Perivleptos (or Peribleptos) comes from the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Perivleptos, held since the ^11th century by the monastery of the same name in Constantinople. The name was later adopted by prestigious sites housing a copy of the icon, such as Mystra in the Peloponnese. A fragment of the ^13th-century icon of the Mother of God Perivleptos from Ohrid is kept in the Icon Gallery (no. 81 in the collection), but is rarely exhibited.

History. The church was completed in 1295, following the reconquest of Ohrid by the Byzantines in 1290, and was commissioned by the Greek general Progonos Sgouros, governor of the principality of Arbëria (now Albania), who was married into the family of the Byzantine emperor Andronic II Palaeologus. The names of both men appear in the inscription above the west door inside the narthex, along with the year 6803 of the Byzantine calendar (the year 1295). The interior was then decorated by the two famous painters Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. In 1365, when Ohrid belonged to the Serbian Empire, two parecclesions (side chapels) were added to the north and south. They were commissioned by Gregory, Serbian bishop of Devoll, an Albanian region bordering Ohrid. New frescoes were added later in the ^14th and ^16th centuries. In the early ^15th century, shortly after the arrival of the Ottomans (1395), Saint Sophia Cathedral was transformed into a mosque. The Church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos thus became the new seat of the archbishopric. It also inherited the relics of St. Clement of Ohrid from the church of St. Panteleimon, also converted into a mosque. The Church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos retained the title of cathedral until the abolition of the Ohrid archbishopric in 1767. The relics of St. Clement were transferred to the new church on Plaošnik Hill in 2002. In 1516, the cathedral church became an "archdiocesan museum", where the archbishopric transferred the region's most important manuscripts and icons. Although not an exhibition space, the city boasts the "oldest museum in the world". This tradition continues with the Ohrid National Museum, which manages the prestigious Gallery of Icons and boasts one of the world's oldest collections of Slavonic manuscripts. From the ^19th century onwards, when Orthodox Christians once again became the majority in Ohrid, the exterior of the building was modified, notably with the addition of an exonarthex. In 1862, the monastery's outbuildings were destroyed by fire. In 1924, a bell tower was erected on the north-west side of the church. Finally, from the 1950s onwards, major restoration campaigns were launched. The most recent phase was completed in 2017 with the renovation of part of the frescoes.

Architecture. Recognizable by its drum-mounted central dome and elegant stack of roof cornices, the current building takes the form of a rectangle 15 metres wide by 20 metres long. The original church (8 x 17 m) is almost invisible from the outside. It is concealed by two later structures: two long ^14th-century side chapels, to the north and south; and an exonarthex with four columns on the façade, added in the ^19th century, to the west. Inside, however, the 1295 building is well preserved. It opens with a small narthex to the west. This is followed by the naos, dominated by the dome. The dome is supported by four pillars delimiting the choir and forming an inscribed cross plan. Finally, to the east, the sanctuary (reserved for the clergy) includes the altar, which ends in an apse, with two small areas on either side for the preparation of the liturgy ("mass" for the Orthodox). At first glance, the exterior materials resemble those of a traditional southern Balkan house: walls made of uncut stone, themselves bound with a lot of mortar and set between beech beams. These are fairly recent parts, of no real value. But if you look up at the dome or go to the apse, you'll find much more elaborate Byzantine techniques: "cloisonné" walls with cut stones set between flat bricks, and complex brick assemblies used to create a variety of patterns (meanders, checkerboard, etc.).

Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. The most precious and beautiful frescoes are to be found in the original church, particularly in the naos. These consist of four cycles illustrating the liturgy (life of the Mother of God, life of Christ, Passion of Christ, great Orthodox feasts) and a vast series of portraits of saints (martyrs, Church fathers, prophets, local saints, etc.). They were painted in 1294-1295 by Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. These two Greek brothers from Thessalonica were among the most important Balkan artists of the Middle Ages. Both painters discreetly signed their work. The inscription "By the hand of Michalis" appears on the sword of Saint Mercury and on the cloak of Saint Demetrios. The name Eutychios can be seen on the cloak of Saint Procopius. Michalis Astrapas ("Michael the Lightning") and Eutychios (sometimes called Eutychès in French) were trained by the monk-painters of Mount Athos. This was their first major work. Later, the two brothers entered the service of the Serbian king Milutin. For him, they created the decor for three other churches in Kosovo and Serbia, now classified as Unesco World Heritage sites. In the Republic of Macedonia, we owe them the remarkable frescoes of the Church of St. George in Staro Nagoričane (1318), near Kumanovo, and those of the Church of St. Nicetas (1324), near Skopje. With the decoration of the Mother of God-Perivleptos, the two painters broke with the maniera graeca (classical Byzantine style), which was very rigid, by doing much more than describing biblical episodes. They convey emotions through almost unprecedented scenes of tenderness. And with graphic innovations such as the use of perspective, realistic expressions and floating figures, they heralded the revival of European painting. Ten years later, most of their discoveries were to be found in the frescoes of the Scrovegni chapel in Padua, Italy, the first masterpiece by Giotto, the precursor of the Italian Renaissance.

Fresco of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Located above the entrance to the naos, this is one of the most striking frescoes in this church, itself dedicated to the Mother of God. It has been the central theme of Eastern pictorial art since the ^8th century: Mary's "sleep"(kimisis in Greek, dormitio in Latin) or, more prosaically, her death. This episode is almost absent from Catholic art, which celebrates the "Assumption", the ascent of the Virgin Mary's soul to heaven, on the same day, August 15, without mentioning her physical death. Here, the fresco is the climax of the Mother of God cycle.The painters have taken advantage of the architecture to make the composition more dynamic by linking it to three chronologically related episodes: on either side of the dormition, under the two side arches, the angel announcing Mary's imminent death (left) and the funeral procession leaving for the Mount of Olives (right ) are depicted; and above the dormition, at window level, the scene of Mary's Assumption is painted. The dormition scene itself is beneath the window. And it's packed with detail. Christ appears above the remains of his mother, nimbed in a mandorla. In his arms, he holds a swaddled, winged infant, symbolizing Mary's soul. Surrounding him and the shroud are six archangels, the twelve apostles without halos, and three bishops in prelatic garb. The latter, whom some texts give as witnesses to Mary's death, are the bishops of Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite and Hierotheus, and the bishop of Ephesus, Timothy. Beneath the shroud, in the foreground, the presence of a censer evokes Mary's last words, as described by the apostle Paul: "Light the incense and pray." Above Christ (and below the actual church window) is painted the blue dome of the gateway to Paradise, from which the cohort of angels descends to fetch the soul of the deceased. The decor is composed of two houses representing the places where Mary lived, in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Then, in the side sections, thirteen strange conch-shaped clouds appear, carrying fourteen figures. Each of the twelve apostles, this time haloed, has its own "vessel". At the top right, a cloud led by Archangel Michael welcomes the Mother of God, dressed in black. The latter passes on her girdle (evoking her chastity) to the apostle Thomas, who had doubted Christ's resurrection. At the very top, around the window, the theme of the Assumption is symbolized by the apostles arranged in two semi-circles. They are haloed and seated on their thrones to celebrate the imminent arrival of the soul of the Mother of God. Finally, at bottom right, the last figure in the funeral procession catches the eye. This is Jephonias, a Jewish priest. He is dressed in red and his face has been vandalized. For trying to overturn the body of the Mother of God, his forearms are severed by the sword of the Archangel Michael. In the apocryphal writings, Jephonias is the symbol of the redemption of the Jews who refused to hear Christ's message, and was miraculously healed after his conversion.

Fresco of the Deploration of Christ. This episode in the cycle of the Passion of Christ is painted on the north wall of the naos, to the left of the dome area. Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios recount the lamentations of the Mother of God and the disciples after Christ's death on the cross. For its impact on art history, this is the church's most significant fresco. In fact, for reasons that specialists cannot explain, it bears a striking resemblance to The Deposition from the Cross, painted ten years later by Giotto in the Scrovegni chapel (1305) in Padua. These two innovative works on the same theme represent a turning point in European art. Yet only Giotto's work has achieved fame, being considered the first milestone of the pre-Renaissance movement. The strongest element in Ohrid and Padua is Mary's immense distress. Kneeling before the body of her son, she is ready to faint, held back only by the hands of the mourners surrounding her. The mourners are far more demonstrative. The second common and striking element is the unusual image of angels floating above the scene. They are desperate, and some are weeping too. Finally, there are three apostles here too, but in different postures: John kisses Christ's hand, Peter kisses his feet and Paul remains slightly apart. The only area that distinguishes the Ohrid and Padua frescoes is the foreground, where a series of objects are shown: the spear of the soldier who pierced Jesus' right side during the crucifixion, the rope used to lower the cross, a basket containing the tools used to remove the nails, and the vase of perfumed oil used to anoint the body before burial. All these objects brought back from the Holy Land were venerated as relics. For Byzantine painters, the need to depict them became necessary because, since the sacking of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204, most of these relics had disappeared.

Other frescoes. Correspondences with Giotto can be noted elsewhere in the church, such as in the beautiful scene at the "Golden Door", where Mary's parents meet for the first time after learning that they would finally have a child. In a completely new way, as in Padua, the emotion is there: Anne and Joachim embrace and hug each other tenderly. Another innovation is the scene of the "Nativity of Mary", in which, probably for the first time in Christian art, the infant Mary appears in a cradle. This realism also reflects the changing place of the newborn in medieval society. Finally, note the way in which both painters depicted Judas, the apostle who facilitated Jesus' arrest. In the dynamic scene of the "Kiss of Judas", the gesture by which Judas points out Jesus to the Jewish soldiers who have come to arrest him, the "traitor" is classically depicted as already fallen, without a halo. But in the "Communion of the Apostles" in the apse, Judas has regained his halo. Even more astonishing, he is the first of the disciples to drink from the chalice held by Christ. This time, the painters take up the vision of certain great theologians who insist not on Judas' "betrayal", but on his "imprudence", the apostle not having measured the consequences of his actions in denouncing the one he loved.

Located along the Pena River, this superb ^19th-century mosque (Шарена Џамија/Šarena Džamija, Xhamia e Larme) is a rarity in Islamic architecture: its exterior and interior walls are adorned with rich, brightly-colored decoration. In the Balkans, only the Colorful Mosque in Travnik (1817), Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Et'hem Bey Mosque in Tirana (1823), Albania, preserve comparable frescoes. Here, the mosque is modest in size (10 x 10 m) and preceded by a five-arched porch. It was built in 1833, on the site of an earlier "colored" mosque dating from 1495, of which only the 28 m-high minaret remains. It was commissioned by the region's governor, Abdurrahman Pacha. This Albanian patron of the arts, a follower of Bektashism, was the son of Rexhep Pacha, the governor who enlarged the Arabati-Baba tekké. To decorate "his" mosque, Abdurrahman Pacha called on craftsmen from the Debar region, renowned for its iconostasis sculptors and church painters. It is said that 30,000 egg yolks were needed to make the paint and varnish for the decorations.

Star of the Mahdi. The outer walls each feature some 30 rectangular panels painted with geometric and arabesque motifs. The façade has fewer painted panels and more arabesques. The porch features a large six-pointed star, rather than the classical five-pointed one representing the five pillars of Islam. This is the symbol of the Mahdi, the "Saviour" awaited by all Muslims, but whose belief is more widespread among Bektashis (and Shiites) than among traditionalist Sunnis. Inside, the six-pointed star can be found in various places. The mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) and minbar (pulpit) are carved marble and painted in a baroque style. On the porch side, the upper part of the wall is open with three corbelled balconies, also in Baroque style. The walls are decorated with floral and geometric motifs, Arabic calligraphy and landscapes depicting Muslim buildings. Among the latter is a representation, extremely rare if not unique in a mosque, of the Prophet's tomb in Mecca. The carved wooden dome is adorned with twelve medallions representing six floral compositions and six mosques in the Tetovo region. Last but not least, note the ^18th-century wooden clock with a mechanism indicating the (variable) prayer times.

Located on the edge of Stara Čaršija, beneath the Skopje fortress, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Спас/Crkva Sveti Spas, Kisha e Shën Sotirit) and its complex house one of the country's finest iconostases, as well as the tomb of Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary Goce Delčev (1872-1903). Dating from the late ^17th or early ^18th century, it is dedicated to the Ascension of Christ and Christ the Saviour: the term Spas refers both to the Ascension of Christ (forty days after Easter) and to Jesus himself. The proximity of the Mustafa-Pacha mosque explains the discreet architecture of the complex. Viewed from the outside, the church reveals only its tiled roof and black-beamed campanile. Once in the courtyard, we discover the sarcophagus in which lies Goce Delčev, considered a hero in North Macedonia and Bulgaria. It was offered by Bulgaria to Yugoslavia in 1946 under pressure from Moscow, shortly before Tito's break with Stalin in 1948. The church is reached by descending a few steps.

Iconostasis. The church's iconostasis is carved entirely from walnut. It is 10 m wide and almost 7 m high. It was made between 1817 and 1824 by brothers Marko and Petar Filipovski and Makarie Frčkovski, a trio who are also responsible for the iconostasis at St. John Bigorvski Monastery in Mavrovo National Park. All three belong to the Macedonian Mijak minority, renowned for their engraving and painting skills. Divided into five horizontal zones, the iconostasis has only two registers of icons, also made by Mijak craftsmen, the largest of which were added in 1864. But it's the woodwork that really stands out. The double twisted columns supporting the various elements are carved from a single block of wood. The panels, meanwhile, are teeming with finely carved details: plant motifs, a fortified city, animals, monsters, human figures and more. Note the group of three men representing the three craftsmen working the wood, tools in hand. Or the biblical scene of Herod's feast, in which Salome dances in traditional Mijak costume to charm the King of Judea into delivering her the head of St. John the Baptist. Finally, the ceiling features frescoes dating from the ^17th century, rediscovered during restoration work in 1964.

This cemetery (Француски Гробишта/Francuski Grobišta) houses the bodies of 13,262 soldiers of the French Army of the East who died in the First World War. Established in 1923, it is the most important French military cemetery of this conflict abroad. It also houses the "Bitola Memorial", a museum inaugurated by the French Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2018. Covering an area of 3 hectares, the site is impressive, with the graves of 6,134 identified soldiers and those of a further 128 unidentified soldiers divided into four squares, as well as an ossuary containing the remains of 7,000 mostly identified men. On the graves or in the memorial registers, the families of the "poilus d'Orient" come to look for the name of an ancestor buried in Bitola. There are Émile, Joseph and Fernand, but also Abdalla, Rabah and Mohammed. The list is long. It recalls the heavy price paid by colonial troops during the "Verdun of the Balkans": the siege of Monastir/Bitola by the German and Bulgarian armies from November 1916 to September 1918.

Memorial. Housed in a building next to the janitor's house, the memorial is small but well designed. In the first room, photographs by the Manaki brothers document the daily lives of civilians and soldiers in the bombed-out city. The second room details the lives of twelve French, Senegalese and Madagascan soldiers. The words are harsh. Like those written by soldier Joseph Toutain (1895-1980) to his family in Orne, on March 19, 1917: "I [received] a bullet in the neck, it came out behind the ear." Although the cemetery is open to the public, the memorial is often closed. To prepare your visit and make sure the janitor is present, it's best to make an appointment with the French consulate in Bitola. In the rest of the Balkans, there are five other large cemeteries or French military squares from the First World War: Seddülbahir (Turkey) with 12,235 bodies, Thessalonica (Greece) with 8,310 bodies, Skopje with 2,930 bodies, Sofia (Bulgaria) with 789 bodies and Korça (Albania) with 640 bodies. Lastly, other small isolated squares or foreign military cemeteries also house the remains of soldiers who died for France. Such is the case of the British military cemetery at Doïrani, near Lake Dojran on the border between Greece and Northern Macedonia, where an unknown French soldier lies buried.

The origins of this aqueduct (Скопски Аквадукт/Skopski Akvadukt, Ujësjellësi i Shkupit) are poorly known. Of the original two hundred or so arches, fifty-five remain, most of which are well preserved, stretching in one piece for 386 m on either side of the Serava River, a small tributary of the Vardar. Used until the ^18th century, the brick and stone structure was used to bring water from the small Skopska Crna Gora (the "Black Mountain of Skopje"), 32 km northeast of the city as the crow flies. There are three theories as to when it was built. In the ^first century AD for the water needs of the Roman colony of Scupi, located 2,200 m to the southwest? This is unlikely, as the aqueduct does not go in that direction at all. In the ^6th century, by the Byzantines for the site of the present fortress of Skopje, 2,600 m to the southeast? It is already more plausible, since the work points more or less in this direction. In the ^16th century by the Ottomans for the numerous baths and fountains in the neighborhood of Stara Čaršija, right next to the fortress? This theory seems to be the right one. It is the one favored by most scientists. But to decide, it would be necessary that the authorities finally decide to finance a real excavation campaign. In the meantime, the development and the protection of the site leave much to be desired, to the point that some inhabitants continue to come to plunder the stones and the bricks of the arches.

This "big town" (golem grad) is also known as the island of snakes or "Île Saint-Pierre". It is the only island in the country and a magnificent natural reserve with exceptional flora and fauna: snakes, turtles, birds… 750 m long and 450 m wide, its summit is 50 m above the lake. Today, uninhabited, it houses the remains of several civilizations. Golem Grad was indeed populated for two thousand years, and the monasteries were active between the Xe and the XIV century. In addition to a Roman necropolis, six churches were discovered. Among them, Saint Peter's Church, erected at the time of the Serbian Lord Volkašin (XIV century), was best preserved. One of its characteristics is the fresco of the leak of Mary in Egypt, a theme rarely represented in medieval churches of the region. You can also see a paleochristian basilica (end of the century-Ve century), in which the fragments of a mosaic have been discovered. To admire all this, he does not fear snakes. They would be 50,000 on the island. To say that we cross all the time, all the time, in water and in trees. The researcher of the CNRS Xavier Bonnet, a snake specialist, conducted several missions and was reassuring: The two most common species are not dangerous: tesselated snakes are not venimous and ammodyte vials bite scarcely. These animals are very fearful, not the kind to jump to your ankle. " "

Donkey's Peak" (Врв Магаро/Vrv Magaro) is the highest peak on Mount Galičica, at 2,255 m above sea level (GPS: 40.932886, 20.820534). It lies between the P 504 road between Lakes Ohrid and Prespa to the north and the Albanian border to the south. A 5.6 km loop starts from the road at Lipova/Липова, 17.7 km east of Trpejca. At the summit, a white and red marker bears the name and altitude of the peak. The views are superb: of the two lakes, but also of Mali i Thatë ("dry mountain"), which reaches 2,787 m in altitude, in Albania.

This 27 km-long former military road (P 504) offers magnificent scenery. It passes close to the Magaro peak and the Albanian border, crossing Mount Galičica between the two lakes. It connects road P 501, 3 km south of Trpejca, on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid, with Tsarina/Царина, south of Oteševo, on the western shore of Lake Prespa. Don't miss a stopover at the Galičica pass, at an altitude of 1,660 m, to enjoy the grandiose views over the two lakes.

This pleasant 48.6-hectare park (Градски Парк) is located next to the Toše-Proeski stadium and stretches 1.5 km along the Vardar. Created in 1905 by Governor Hafiz Mehmed Paşa, it expanded until the 1970s. It is home to Skopje Zoo, as well as several cafés and restaurants. Among the statues adorning the walkways are one of Macedonia's Bulgarian hero Goce Delčev (1946) and a copy of the "Pudique Venus" discovered in 2008 at the Scupi archaeological site.

This mosque (Јени Џамија/Jeni Džamija) is easy to spot thanks to its 39-m-high minaret. It owes its name of "new mosque"(Yeni Cami in Turkish) to the cadi (Muslim judge) Mahmud Efendi, who had it built in 1558 on the site of several churches, the foundations of which can be seen all around. It's a fine example of provincial Ottoman architecture: a square with a single dome, extended by a porch. The interior is decorated with arabesques in bas-relief on the marble furnishings, stalactite sculptures, painted earthenware and calligraphy.

This elegant Orthodox monastery (Манастир Матка/Manastir Matka) is occupied by nuns famous for their textile workshop: liturgical vestments for the clergy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, embroidered icons, but also handbags with folk or modern designs. Founded around 1337, the complex is dedicated to the dormition of the Mother of God. It consists of a large, well-kept garden and buildings from different periods, including a beautiful little church dating from 1497. The church contains remarkable frescoes from the ^15th and ^16th centuries.

This large Orthodox church with salmon-pink walls (Црква Свети Димитриј/Crkva Sveti Dimitrij) dates from the ^18th century. Constantly transformed, it was briefly elevated to the rank of cathedral. If its frescoes, painted after the earthquake of 1963, are without charm, they are famous because of a "miracle": on April 8, 2012, the halos of the saints began to glow in an unusual way. A phenomenon probably due to the humidity of the church during the Easter celebrations.

This mosque (Султан-Муратова Џамија/Sultan-Muratova Džamija, Xhamia e Sulltan Muratit) is the oldest in Skopje. It was erected in 1436 on the site of an Orthodox monastery dedicated to St. George thanks to a donation from Ottoman Sultan Murat II (1421-1451). However, not much remains of the original building as many changes were made, including the restoration completed in 2020. The rectangular building (34.60 x 27.60 m) is preceded by a porch with five arches. The large, classical, tiled roof conceals a decorated dome. The interior space is divided into three naves delimited by two supporting walls and three rows of columns. Dominated by a minaret of 35 m high, the mosque is part of a complex of which two mausoleums and the old buildings of a former medersa (Koranic school) and an imaret (hospice) remain. Next to the latter, to the north, stands the clock tower (Саат-Кула/Saat-Kula, Kulla e Sahatit) which was used to indicate the (variable) prayer times to all the mosques in the city. With a height of 37 m, it was built between 1566 and 1573. For the lower part, a square defensive tower of the old monastery was used. An octagonal stone section was added, topped by a wooden floor. The latter was rebuilt in brick in 1902. Like the mosque, the tower has undergone a recent restoration funded by Turkey.

This stone bridge (Камен Мост/Kamen Most, or Ura e Gurit in Albanian) is the symbol of Skopje: it connects the western and eastern banks of the Vardar River and appears on the city's coat of arms. It attracts an often dense crowd. Sometimes you have to make your way through the improvised stalls of street vendors. Supported by thirteen arches, its deck extends over 214 m in length and 6.33 m in width. The date of its construction is not known. Some evoke Roman or Serbian origins. The bridge is sometimes called "Dušan's bridge" (Dušanov Most) in reference to the Serbian king who would have built it in 1346. But the most likely hypothesis is that it was built by the Ottomans between 1421 and 1481, shortly after the conquest of the city in 1392. In any case, the bridge is associated with the uprising led by Petar Karpoš in October-December 1689, who was captured by Ottoman troops and ended up impaled in the center of the bridge (the supposed location is marked by a memorial plaque). Several times damaged by the Vardar floods, the bridge was consolidated and widened in 1909. Spared by the earthquake of 1963 and closed to traffic in 1967, it was damaged during the civil war of 2001. Important restoration works were then carried out until 2009. On this occasion, its coating and its parapet were redone. The central arch has also recovered its former watchtower with a mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca.

Located next to the Museum of Northern Macedonia, this mosque (Мустафа-Пашина Џамија/Mustafa-Pašina Džamija, Xhamia e Mustafa Pashës) is the largest and most beautiful in Stara Čaršija. It was built in 1492 as part of a donation from Mustafa Pasha, vizier (minister) to the sultans Bayezid II and Selim ^I. Situated on a small hill, it dominates the old Ottoman town with its 47 m-high minaret. The mosque was once part of a complex comprising a medersa (Koranic school) and an imaret (hospice). It was severely damaged during the 1963 earthquake, and its restoration was only completed in 2011 with financial assistance from Turkey. The building's architecture is simple. It has a square base and a dome 16.3 m in diameter. The ashlar and brick walls are pierced by multiple openings. The white marble porch is supported by four marble columns and covered by three small domes. At the entrance is the mausoleum (türbe) of Ima, Mustafa Pasha's daughter, the fountain for the ablutions of the faithful and the remains of the medersa and imaret. The garden contains the tombs of religious figures and rose beds. The interior is painted with floral motifs and decorated with sculptures. It also features panels bearing calligraphy of the names of Allah, Muhammad and the first four caliphs who succeeded the Prophet (Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Omar ibn al-Khattâb, Othmân ibn Affân and Ali ibn Abi Talib).

This 18,000 m² square (Плоштад Македонија/Ploštad Makedonija) forms the center of the city. It is marked by the presence of numerous kitsch monuments erected as part of the "Skopje 2014" project. The most imposing is the Horse Warrior monument, as tall as an eight-storey building. Installed in 2011, this 14.5 m-high bronze statue stands on a 10 m-high stone and bronze column at the center of a musical fountain surrounded by eight water-spitting bronze lions. Made in Italy, it depicts Alexander the Great riding Bucephalus. It was designed by local artist Valentina Stefanovska, responsible for several of the city's most recent monuments, including the Macedonian Gate. Initially named after Alexander the Great, the statue was renamed following protests from the Greek government. However, this is not the first time the square has been adorned with a horseman. Under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, two equestrian statues of Kings Peter ^I of Serbia and Alexander ^I of Yugoslavia guarded the entrance to the stone bridge. These were destroyed by the Bulgarian occupiers in 1941. The square itself has changed name and appearance several times over the last century. For a long time, it was known as Burmali Square, in reference to the ^15th-century mosque that stood there until the 1920s. It was renamed in honor of Marshal Tito in 1945, then Independence Square in 1991, before taking on its current name in 2004.