The most beautiful mosques to visit Skopje

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.

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 mosque (Мурат Пашаина Џамија/Murat Paša Džamija, Xhamia e Murat Pashës) is not of major interest, except for its three beautiful Ottoman(türbe) tombs in its cemetery, which date back to the ^18th century. It was built in 1802, on the site of a ^15th century mosque, destroyed during the bombardment of Skopje by the Italian general Piccolomini in 1689. It retains the minaret of the old building. Named after a local governor, it should not be confused with the Sultan-Murat mosque, which is located further east.

This mosque (Иса-Бегова Џамија/Isa-Begova Džamija, Xhami e Gazi Isa Beut) was built in 1475-1476 as a tribute to the governor of the Skopje sanjak, then first governor of Bosnia Isa Bey Isaković, son of Ishak Bey. It comprises two identical rooms, two vaulted side wings and a porch covered with five domes. The interior decoration was redone in 1966. The mosque's medersa (Koranic school), still in use today, is one of the oldest in the Balkans. The Sultan-Murat mosque and clock tower lie 300 m to the south.

Located north of Stara Čaršija, next to the Bit Pazar, this mosque (Алаџа Џамија/Aladža Džamija, Allaxha Xhamia) was built in 1438 by the general and governor of Skopje Ishak Bey and enlarged by his son Isa-Bey Ishaković. It owes its name to the multicolored ceramics that adorned its walls: in Turkish, alaca means "colored". These were destroyed by fire in 1689. The mosque retains its 30 m-high minaret and richly sculpted doors. The interior features painted decorations, reliefs and ^15th-century parquet flooring.