scubish.com: Travel information for Skopje

Skopje is the capital of Macedonia.
Understand

26th of July 1963 is one of the worst dates in the history of Skopje, the earthquake hit in 5.17am. ¾ of the buildings of the city disappeared in just few seconds. After that the big rebuilding project began, trying to make Skopje the model city of the socialist world. The plan was drawn by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who also designed the new railway station. The plan was never fully carried out unfortunately (or fortunately). Lately many reconstruction projects have started and some towers of the fortress and the old cathedral are being reconstructed and the old theater is waiting reconstruction.

Skopje is an ecclectic mix of Muslim and Christian culture, with both factions vying to make themselves visible. To the South of the city, a large cross sits atop Mount Vodno, asserting the government of the day. However, this cultural mix has also spawned a lively and varied society, you can see people playing chess in the morning in the numerous cafés and green spaces in the summer. In the evening, Skopje comes to life as the locals dine in the cafés before heading to the bars and live music clubs, most of which are open until 3am.

Get in

By plane
The main international airport is Skopje Aleksandar Makedonski International Airport (Alexander the Great) (IATA: SKP) which is 20 kilometres from Skopje. MAT (Macedonian Airlines) is the main Macedonian airline and it serves most of the European cities. Other airlines that serve Skopje are: Adria Airways, MALEV, Austrian Airlines, Cirrus etc. The airport is accessed by the main highway Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki which connects it directly with the city. Unfortunately there is no public transport that connects the airport with Skopje so you would have to take a taxi or arrange personal transportation.

By train
To come to Skopje by train you could come either from Serbia or Greece. Skopje is connected on the main line Belgrade-Thessaloniki. From Belgrade it will take 9 hours by train. On the other hand from Thessaloniki it takes 5 hours by train. There are daily trains from both the directions.
If you come from Greece, you have to give your passport to a kind of policeman at the border (in the train). Then you have to get out of the train and go to this small house outside the train station, to get you passport back again. If you don´t know what to do, ask other passengers and look what they are doing. Usually they are very friendly and want to help you.
The transport center includes the train and the bus station together. They are located in the center of the city near the National Central Bank.

By bus
There are buses to Skopje from Sofia, Belgrade, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Zagreb, Austria, Germany, Dubrovnik through Budva and Podgorica. The buses arrive in the bus station which is below the train station. All the domestic and international buses arrive in the bus station. It is a new bus station and very modern.

Get around

By car

Car rental:

Inter Ways, +38970204358, . Car rental and shuttle taxi service in Skopje are available from the airport Petrovec Skopje Macedonia. Transfer of passengers to and from all destinations in Balkan (24\7).

See

Most people in Skopje just see the concrete buildings and run away, but if one looks deeper one will find some excellent examples of Ottoman architecture. Most of the sights in Skopje are concentrated in and around the old bazaar.

Kale fortress - it stands on the highest hill in the Skopje valley and it offers great views over Skopje. The oldest section of the fortress is within the present-day fortifications. It is 121 meters long and is built in opus qvadrum style (huge stone blocks on the outside and small stones inside). It was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian who was born in the village of Taorion near Skopje. After the great earthquake of 518 when ancient Scupi was destroyed, Justinian decided to to something for his birth-town and built Justinijana Prima on the site of presentday Skopje. Unfortunately no major archeological work has been done for discovering the remains of Justinijana Prima. Most of the present-day fortifications originate from the 10th century (the square tower) and 13th century (the round tower). It was reinforced during them Turkish rule when the number of towers was up to 70 (today there are just 3 standing) and the fortress went down to river Vardar and up on the hill where today the Museum of Contemporary Art stands. The small gate from the side of the bazaar is the only gate still standing and it was built in 1446. The fortress was badly damaged in the fire if 1689 and even more with the earthquake of 1963.

Stone bridge - The stone bridge was built in the 6th century by the byzantine Emperor Justinian. Since then it has been the symbol of the city and every ruler tried to leave a mark on it, even our last major who has been restoring it for 10 years now. The biggest reconstruction of the bridge was made in the second half of the 15th century by Sultan Mehmed II. The stone fence and guard tower were added then. Unfortunately the guard tower fell down during the most recent restoration and is waiting to be reconstructed. It still is the main connection of the main square and the old bazaar. While walking over it try to notice the 6th century big stone blocks (most visible in the last third of the bridge). The bridge has 13 arches and is 214 meters long.

Old Bazaar - Even though large parts of the old bazaar have been destroyed for making of streets, parking lots and similar, it still is the largest one in the Balkans. It has developed and changed during the centuries but it still has its original use as a shopping place. The old bazaar was never used for living, it always was a shopping area and contact zone of the Christian and the Muslim population as they lived in separate quarters of the town. It is a structure of many streets lined with small shops. The crafts were divided between the Christians and the Muslims (and they were not allowed to practice eachothers crafts). All the shops used to be same size no matter if they belonged to a Christian or a Muslim. Each street hosted different craft, and all stores from that craft were on one street (for example gold street, shoes street, pots street, dress street, etc) The craftsman belonged into unions, the union set the prices and all the prices were same for a certain product and the competition was in quality not price. If one was caught cheating the union had a right to kick him out of the bazaar and take away his store. The stores were closed with wooden shutters which were lowered when the stores were opened and the goods were displayed on them. The bazaar was surrounded with markets. Hygienic care was taken and different markets were placed on opposite sides of the bazaar (for example the food market was on the opposite side of the bazaar from the animal market; milk, milk products and honey market opposite from the wood market etc). Except the stores there were other objects in the bazaar like amams (Turkish baths), hans (hotels) and mosques. Their outside walls usually were surrounded with stores so no space would be wasted. Even today it is hard to spot some of this object.

Kapan han - is one of the three remaining medieval hotels still standing in the old bazaar. The ground floor used to house the horses and the goods of the merchants that visited the bazaar and the city, while on the first floor were the rooms where they slept. The han was built in the 15th century. Today it houses a nice restaurant.

Suli han - a medieval hotel, was built in the first half of the 15th century by Ishak beg. It was badly damaged during 1963 earthquake and today it houses the arts faculty of Skopje university. It also houses the Old bazaar museum.

Kurshumli han - is the largest and the most beautiful of the three remaining medieval hotels. It was built in 1550 by Mula Musledin Hodza, son of Abdul Gani scientist on the court of Sultan Selikm II. Both the ground and the first floor are made of stone and beautiful arches line the courtyard. The han has two courtyards, the second one was used to house the horses and the goods of the merchants and the guests, while the rooms around the first courtyard both on the ground and the first floor housed the guests. There is a water fountain in the middle of the first courtyard. The roof was covered with lead, and that is how the an got its name (lead is used for making bullets, and bullet is called kurshum in Turkish). Next to the an a mosque and an amam (Turkish bath) used to stand, they both suffered in the big fire of 1689 and the earthquake of 1963, so today the mosque is gone and the amam stands in ruins. Today Kurshumli an is on the grounds of the Macedonian National museum and houses the lapydarium. You can visit it without visiting (or buying ticket for) the museum.

Daut Pasha Amam – National gallery - Daut Pasha was the grand vesir of East Rumelia in the second half of the 15th century. He was based in Skopje and the legend goes that he built the amam (Turkish bath) for the needs of his harem. Before he left, he donated the amam to the city. It was a double bath both for males and females (who bated separately of course), the male and the female part going parallel next to each other. The two big domes in the front covered the two dressing rooms (male and female) which had water fountains in the middle. Each of the small domes covered a separate room for bathing. The heating room was on the end. Today the bath serves as a National gallery with a great collection of late 19 and 20 century art, and even if one is not interested in the art should go inside to see the elaborate decorations of the domes.

Double Amam - The double amam was built in the middle of the 15th century by Isa beg. It was used as both male and female bath, but unlike Daut Pasha amam where both parts go parallel to each other, here the heating room is in the middle and the entrances are on the opposite sides. Today is used as a gallery for temporary exhibits.

Bedesten - The most precious goods, like silk, spices, jewelery and perfumes, were sold in a bedesten, an object within the bazaar, with gates which were closed in the evenings so the goods would be protected. Evlija Celebija who visited Skopje during the 17th century wrote that the only bigger and more beautiful bedesten from the one in Skopje was the one in Damascus. It was covered with 12 valutes and it held a whole bazaar inside. Unfortunately that bedesten was destroyed in the fire of 1689. After the fire Skopje became much smaller and lost its importance as a trading center, so somewhere in the beginning of the 17th century the present bedesten was built. It is small and it is not even covered, but it still has a lot of atmosphere in it. It has just 5 short streets, small shops and four gates. In the past it was covered with wine grape, so it would protect the shoppers from the sun and the rain.

Macedonian National museum & Icon gallery - it is divided in three departments:Archeological, Historical and Ethnological (same ticket covers them all). I highly advise visit to the ethnological section, since it is a very good one. It has about 70 original national costumes from different parts of Macedonia, all decorated with highly stylized patterns. Look for the wedding dress from Mariovo, it is 40 kg heavy, and the wig that the bride had to wear for a month after the wedding as a symbol of her virginity. Also different customs are explained, and there is also a good presentation of traditional architecture through models and photographs. The archeological has a rich collection of objects from the neolithic 5000 years BC up to the 7th century. Unfortunately many artefacts have been taken to Belgrade or Sofia through the years and they have never been returned. The highlights are the Tetovo Menada figurine (from the 6th c. BC) and the prehistoric figurines of the Great mother. Unique are the 6th century terracotta icons from Vinica (icons like this have been found only in Tunisia and Macedonia). The historic department is less interesting, but also presented here are copies of the best frescoes from all around Macedonia (which is good if one is interested in Byzantine art but doesn’t have time to travel around). The Gallery of icons is also here, it has icons from the 10th to the 19th century, and even some of them are the best ones from Macedonia (including the Bogorodica Pelagonitisa) the Ohrid collection is still much nicer and more valuable.

Mustafa Pasha Mosque - it stands on a plateau above the old bazaar and is the most beautiful Islamic building in Macedonia (in my opinion). It was built in 1492 by Mustafa Pasha, vesir on the court of Sultan Selim I. The mosque is quite elegant and intact, and no additions have been made through the years. The interior is beautiful, simple and spacious. Take few steps back to observe the game of the domes of the fountain, the porch and the mosque. In the turbe next to the mosque the daughter of Mustafa Pasha is buried. The mosque has a pleasant rose garden and it offers fine views over the bazaar. Free entrance

St. Saviour church (Sv.Spas) - Just few steps below Mustafa Pasha mosque. The church is tiny and it has a pleasant courtyard. In the courtyard is the grave of our greatest national hero who was leader of the national movement for liberation from the Turks and Macedonian independence. Instead of explaining who he was and what he has done I’ll just write a quote from what he has said: ”I understand the world as a field for cultural competition among the nations”. There is a small (boring) museum about him in the buildings around the courtyard (you have to enter the museum to buy a ticket for the church, and when the lady insists that you take a look around politely say that you are in a hurry). Among the paving of the courtyard there are some 18th and 19th century gravestones. Turks didn't allow building of new churches during their occupation, but as the empire was weakening in the 18th century they started giving permission for building of churches to keep the population happy. There were many rules to be followed like the exterior had to be without decorations and the floor of the church had to be at least one meter below the ground so the church wouldn't dominate the skyline of the city. St.Saviour church is example of this churches. It was built in the beginning of 19th century on the site of a church destroyed in the 1689 fire (as you enter turn right to see remains of frescoes and the level of the earlier church). The church is famous for its interior and wood carving. The iconscreen is work of Petre Filipovski Garkata and Marko and Makarie Frckovski, the best wood artists in the 19th century in Macedonia. In 1926 British museum offered a blank check for the iconscreen, the state to fill in the amount if they decide to sell it. The beauty of it is that it is a deep wood carving from whole wood boards (the figures are not attached to eachother), and it is not covered with golden paint, as it is tradition in Orthodox churches so the game of light and dark shades is quite dramatic (the doors into the altar and the cross on the top are covered with gold paint, so you can compare). The iconscreen was made from 1819 to 1824 and is 10 meters long and 7 meters high. There are scenes from the old and the new testament. The figurines are 7 cm tall. Look for the creation of Adam and Eve on one of the columns next to the doors of the altar and the dance of Salome, where she dances for king Irod so he would give her the head of St. John the Baptist (she is dressed in traditional dress from Galichnik). All around there are flowers and animals typical for the region presented. On the far right look for the selfportrait of the artists presented as they are working on the iconscreen. The icons are some of the best of the byzantine revival.

Bit Pazar - it is the biggest (but not the nicest) of the food markets in Skopje. It begins where the bazaar ends and has existed on this spot for hundreds of years. A walk around can be fun, but you can also get here cheap, fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, cheese, teas, spices and flowers. Another good food markets to visit are the Green market (Zeleno pazarce) near the Parliament building and Bunjakovec market near the Cathedral. On this two there are old ladies selling handicrafts. Predominantly Albanian populated. This is the oldest Part of the city and it is the least taken care of.

Clock Tower - Every bazaar in Macedonia has a clock tower. As Muslims had to close their stores couple of times a day to attend prayer, working hours were introduced in the bazaar, and no one had a chance to work and earn more than the other. So the clock towers were built. Skopje’s clock tower is across the street from Bit Pazar. It was built from 1566-72. It has more Islamic appearance than the other clock towers in Macedonia. The clock was brought from Szeged in Hungary. Unfortunately the clock disappeared during the chaos after the earthquake and today is in a clock museum in Switzerland.

other mosques:

Sultan Murat Mosque - it was built with money donated by the Sultan himself and when ever adjustments or repairs were needed it was his responsibility (Sultan Suleiman the Great donated money for the repairs after the fire of 1537, and Sultan Ahmet III for the repairs after the fire of 1689). It was built in 1436. The unusual 3 naved basilica shape and the flat ceiling (instead of domes) comes from the fact that it was built (or adjusted) over St. George monastery, the main monastery in Skopje before the coming of the Turks. It stands on a plateau next to the clock tower. The fortifications of the monastery still stand around the plateau. The main architect of the mosque was Husein from Debar.

Ishak Beg Mosque - On the end of Bit pazar is Ishak beg mosque, built in 1438 by Ishak beg a commander in the Turkish army. He leaded the army that conquered Macedonia and after he retired he settled in Skopje. The mosque was beautifully decorated with glazed tiles in different shades of blue, but it suffered greatly during the fire of 1689, and was rebuilt afterwords without the tile decorations. The six sided turbe (grave mausoleum) that stands next to the mosque didn't suffer in the fire and it still has the tiles. Turbe was built just for the aristocracy, usually for the one who donated the money for the mosque to be built or for members of his family, but Ishak beg was so grateful to his accountant that he built this turbe for him.

Isa Beg Mosque - Isa Beg mosque was built in 1475 by Isa Beg. It is the only seljuk mosque in Europe. The difference of this mosque is that it has two main domes (two joined rooms). It has a 5 domed porch. It is situated behind the Cair hospital across the street from Bit Pazar.

Jahja Pasha Mosque - it is in the beginning of Cair quarter close to Bit Pazar.It was built in 1504 by Jahja Pasha commander in the Turkish army, son in law of Sultan Bajazit II and vesir on his court. The mosque is interesting because the roof is in the shape of a pyramid instead of the usual dome. The minaret is the tallest one in Skopje and it has 50 meters and it has been hit by a lighting twice.

other sights:

Makedonija Square and around - Even though most of the interesting sights are on the other side of the Stone bridge, there are couple of interesting sights around Makedonija square. The square has changed a lot after the earthquake, most of the neoclassical buildings are gone except for a small section of houses in the center. Some more are on Maksim Gorki street and around (look for the Italian embassy and the Arabian house hotel). From the main square when you turn to enter the shopping mall look for a marked place. This is the place where the house of Mather Theresa used to stand. She was born in this house and lived here until she turned 18 when she left first for Ireland and then for India.

Parlament - Across the street from the shopping mall is the Parlament building. It was built in 1933 by Viktor Hudak in modernist style.

City hospital - The city hospital is diagonally from the Parlament building. It was built in 1931 by the Croatian architect Drago Ibler and is the most beautiful example of modernist architecture in Skopje.

St. Klement Cathedral - Back on the main square, about 5 minutes walk from it is St.Klement Cathedral. After Virgin Mary Cathedral was burned by the Bulgarians on the end of WWII, and St.Dimitrie church (which recived the role of Cathedral) was unable to meet the needs of the people, building of the new Cathedral started in 1970. The architect is Slavko Brezovski and it is a bold and contemporary interpretation of Orthodox architecture. The Jesus Pantocrator fresco painted in the main dome covers area of 70 meters squared and just his eye is 1,5 meters long.

Feudal tower - Back on the main square, take Makedonija street leading towards the Old railway station. The street has couple of nice cafes. Right after you pass the crossroad look left to see the feudal tower. It is not known when was it built and what was its purpose. Probably it served as a deffence tower on a property of a Turkish aristocrat. Today it serves as a souvenir shop and it you can enter and see it from the inside. Right in front of it on the site of the old Catholic church (destroyed in the earthquake) there is a monument to Mother Theresa.

Old railway station – city museum - The old railway station stands half ruined as a monument to the earthquake of 1963. It was built in 1938 by Velimir Gavrilovik in modernist style with byzantine decoration. Today it houses an exhibition gallery and small city museum (it can be good substitute if you don’t have time for the National Museum). The side of the museum has a large painted message from Marshall Tito to the people of Skopje following the 1963 earthquake.

Museum of Conteporary Art - The collection of the Museum of Conteporary Art has a collection of 4800 artworks, out of which 1760 are gifts from artists from 61 countries, including Picasso, Aleshinski, Leze, Sulaz, Lui Can, Hartung, Gaitis , Buri, Millares, Kemeni, Kalder, Vasarely and others. All this artists donated their works to the city after the earthquake in 1963 for the new art museum. The building itself is a gift from Poland. Around 1600 works are from Macedonian artists. With all of this Skopje actually has the most complete and biggest collection of contemporary art in Southeastern Europe. Unfortunatly because the building badly needs repairs just parts of the collection are periodcaly on display.

Outside the city center:

Aqueduct - The aqueduct is situated on the exit of Skopje towards Kosovo, right before the village of Vizbegovo. It is still not known when it was built. Many people claim it is from roman times but it goes opposite of Scupi so that doesn’t make much sence. It was probably built during Byzantine times and it is sure that it was still used during Turkish times when it provided water for the 70 public baths and 110 water fountains of the city. 55 stone arches of the aquaduct are still standing.

Scupi - The ancient city of Scupi is not worth the efort to reach it. There is almost nothing left except for part of a street, bath and a bazilica. After the city was ruined by the earhtquake of 518, all the building material was used in the building of Justinijana Prima (one can see almost all of the seats of the Roman theatre incorporated in the Kale fortress). It is interesting that even though the earthquake was very strong and completely ruined Skupi there were almost no casualties. The inhabitans fled the city just two days before fearing from Avar atacks and settled in the small fortresses they had built on Vodno and in Matka.

Vodno mountain - 1066 meters above sea level it towers over Skopje. It is popular hiking place with marked paths leading through the woods and there are couple of rest areas. On the top of Vodno the Millenium cross was built to mark 2000 years of christianiy in Macedonia. It is 66 meters high and it is the highest structure in Macedonia. The building of the cross caused great contraversies in Skopje, there were people who loved it, people who hated it, people who thought that the place is not appropriate, people who thought that the time is not appropriate etc. Now we all got used to it and we don’t even notice it.

Buy

The currency is "Macedonian Denar". You can get it from one of the many ATMs in the centre. 60 denars are approximately one euro. Make sure you don't take out too many at once, as when you leave the country you won't find many places that will exchange them for you !!!

Eat

The famous Macedonian pie 'burek' . Burek would not be considered a pie in the way that the word pie is used in the U.S. It is not sweet. It comes in two styles, meat (Meso) and cheese (sirenje) and consists of a buttery, flaky dough similar to greek filo dough. It comes wrapped in a small piece of butcher paper. It is very inexpensive and very filling. Macedonians often pick up a burek at a burek stand along the street on the way to work and eat it while waiting for a bus. It's their version of a fast-food breakfast and is best enjoyed with the local yoghurt, both can be purchased with change from 200 Denars.

Lunch and dinner are enjoyed at a comfortably slow pace in Skopje so don't expect the service from restaurants or cafés that litter the city to be particularly quick, no-ones in a hurry! As a starter, it's tough to beat the local Shopska salad, a large bowl can be had for about 100 Denars and mopped up with complimentary bread. Most common main courses involve platters of grilled meat, so vegetarians may have trouble finding good food.

Drink

While most cafes and bars will have foreign beers, the local ones are tasty and much cheaper, and most outlets will carry either Skopsko or Zlaten Dab. There's no shortage of places to drink them, most cafes expect you to take at least one beer with your meal. Its not hard to find good cafes but a good place to start is by the riverside near the old bridge, and at night this becomes a lively party area as well. In addition to local cafe's, you'll also find the city's Irish bar where you can go if you feel the need for a more familiar drinks menu.

Sleep

Holiday Inn Skopje (Vasil Agilarski 2, Skopje 1000, Tel 389-2-3292929 Fax 389-2-3115503) The only 'high-end' hotel in central Skopje is in a great location. It's next to the river, situated at the end of stretch that has all the bars and restaurants which are great in the summer.

The Skopje-Ferijalen Dom Hostel is a good choice for budget accommodation. It is about two blocks from the train station/main bus terminal and a short walk (about 5 minutes) from the main places of interest. The hostel has double rooms (which can be used by single travellers) with televisions and air conditioning. Breakfast is included in the price and there lunch and dinner are also available from the restaurant on-site. They do not accept credit cards.

Get out

Matka Gorge

St.Pantelejmon Church in Nerezi village

Marko’s Monastery is an active monastery situated outside Sushica village on Kitka mountain. It was founded by king Volkashin in 1345 and finished by his son King Marko in 1366, who is also the donor of the frescoes painted between 1366 and 1371. It is unknown why the monastery is built in the vicinity of Skopje instead of Prilep the capital of their medieval kingdom. It is presumed that the grave of king Marko (who died in Romania fighting the Turks) is here but it was destroyed by the Turks. The architecture of the church is a cross in square with a central dome and a blind dome in the narthex. The elegant exonarthex (open porch) was added in 1830 by Hamzi Pasha, who was a generous donor of the monastery throughout the 19th century. It is quite surprising a Turkish aristocrat to be a donor of an Christian monument. The frescoes are work of more artists with different skills and are well preserved. Visible is the tendency for adding dramatization and narrative painting of the scenes. Most interesting is the unique scene The cry of Rahela (Mathew 2:18). On the southern facade the portraits of king Volkashin and king Marko are painted. There is a bus going to the village but just few times per day. From the village there is half hour walk to the monastery. Behind it there is a river and a small picnic area. While in the area also visit St.Bogorodica church (also referred as St.Nikola church) in Sushica village, built in the 13th century.

Skopska Crna Gora mountain and its medieval churches and monasteries – even though Vodno is the most popular hiking option in Skopje, a fun and educational day trip from Skopje is visiting the villages, churches and monasteries on Skopska Crna Gora Mountain. Easiest way to do it is with a car, but also one can take a bus to one of the villages like Banjani or Kuceviste, and hike to the surrounding points of interest. St.Nikita monastery in Banjani village was built in by Serbian king Milutin in 1307-08 on a site of an earlier church. It is a single domed church of a written cross architectonical solution. The frescoes are work of the famous Ohrid painters Mihailo and Eftihie. Unfortunately they lack the energy and the technique of Bogorodica Perivlepta church in Ohrid. It is quite probable that by now they had a big group of students around them and they just controlled the work. If one looks carefully one can see where them two picked up the brush and corrected the work. Most significant fresco is the Pursuit of the Merchants from the temple where one can see the human elements characteristic for their work. St.Bogorodica Church in Kucevishte village the naos was built closely before 1348. The narthex was built somewhere between 1355 and 1358 by local aristocrat Radoslav and his wife Vladislava. Above the nathex there is a grave chapel for Radoslav and Vladislava. The painter of the frescoes of the naos is quite good, educated, well acquainted with the work of Mihailo and Eftihie, quite probable their student. Still his work doesn’t reach their energy, colors and elegance, but he is quite good in composition and placing figures in it. Like his teachers he did sign his name on the northern column by the iconscreen, his name is Grigorie. The frescoes of the narthex have been damaged by fire and the grave chapel was painted by a less skilled painter. Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel Monastery in Kucevishte village was built towards the end of the 14th or maybe the beginning of the 15th century. The church is threeconhos with a dome, and elaborate ceramic decorations on the facades. There are two inscriptions dating the frescoes from 1631 and 1701. The figures are presented small in size, poor in colors but with bold drawing with an attempt to present landscape. Most famous is the large presentation Tree of Jesse. St.Nikola church in Ljuboten village was built in 1337 by Mrs.Danica a local aristocrat whose sons had important positions (something like mayors or governors) of strategic positions on the entrance of the city. She built the church in honor of her passed husband. It is a single domed church of a written cross architectonical solution. Parts of the frescoes are in bad condition. Influenced by the works of Mihailo and Eftihie. The Serbian royal family is presented (king Dushan, queen Elena and prince Urosh), it is interesting that the painting treatment of them, especially the colors are different than those for the saints. Unfortunately the village was part of the 2001 conflict and many of the frescoes were damaged by Albanians who used the frescoes of the saints for shooting practice.

Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје, IPA: , Shkup) is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic centre of the country. It was known from the Roman period under the name Scupi. The city developed rapidly after World War II, but this trend was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake. Today Skopje is a modern city with a range of cultural monuments.

Skopje is located at , on the upper course of the Vardar River and is located on a major north-south Balkan route between Central Europe and Athens. It has 506,926 inhabitants (2002 census). It is a major centre for the metal-processing, chemical, timber, textile, leather, and printing industries but has suffered many closures since 1991. Industrial development of the city has been accompanied by developments of the trade and banking sectors, as well as an emphasis on the fields of culture and sport.

Name

The name of the city in Macedonian is Скопје (Skopje), from Latin Skupi, the name of a pre-Greek people of the region who founded the city. The word Skupi which was the first name of the city means "hut" in Paeonian. During the Middle Ages, Skopje was often under the rule of the Bulgarian Empire; the Bulgarian rendition is Скопие (Skopie). The Turkish name of the city is Üsküb and it was known as Uskub or Uskup in most Western European languages during the period of Ottoman rule. The Serbian name for the city is Skoplje or Скопље; it was known as such in English during the time of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. (See also: other names of Skopje)
History

Classical era
The site of modern Skopje has been inhabited since at least 3500 BC; remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale fortress that overlooks the modern city centre. The settlement appears to have been founded around the 3rd century BC by the Ancient Paionians, a tribe that inhabited north of Macedon.

Skupi came under Roman rule after the general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon in 148 BC, being at first part of the Roman province of Macedonia, established in 146 BC. The northward expansion of the empire in the course of the 1st century BC lead to the creation of the province of Moesia in Augustus's times, into which Scupi was incorporated. After the division of the province by Domitian in 86 AD, Scupi was elevated to colony and became a seat of government within the new province of Moesia superior. From 395 AD, it passed into the hands of the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire.

The first known bishop of the city is Perigorius, present at the Council of Sardica (343). Scupi was probably a metropolitan see about the middle of the 5th century (Latin: Archidioecesis Scopiensis).

Medieval era
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was born near Skupi, at Tauresium, in 483. In 518, Skupi was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. Justinian came to the aid of its inhabitants by founding a new settlement called Justiniana Prima north from the site of Skupi. However, Justiniana and the remnants of Skupi were destroyed by invading Slavic peoples at the end of the 7th century. The Slavs renamed the site as Skopje but were eventually pushed out by the Byzantines.

During much of the early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire. From 972 to 992 it was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire. After that, it was a capital of Byzantine administrative region (katepanat) Bulgaria after the fall the First Bulgarian Empire in 1018. Skopje was a thriving trading settlement but fell into decline after being hit by another devastating earthquake at the end of the 11th century. It was a capital of the estate of the Bulgarian feudal lord, later Emperor Konstantin Asen in the middle of 13th century. The town was conquered by the Serbs in 1282. In 1346 it was named the capital of the Serbian Empire of Stefan Dušan.

The Ottoman city
In 1392, three years after the Serbian defeat in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Skopje was captured by the Ottoman Empire. For the next five hundred years it was known by the Turkish name Üsküb or Üsküp. Ottoman Üsküb was the capital of the Vilayet of Kosovo (district of Kosovo), which occupied a much greater area than the modern region of Kosovo.

The city's character changed markedly during this period. The Ottomans imported Islam and built many mosques and other typically Ottoman buildings, such as hammans (baths) and travellers' inns, some of which still exist today. Many Sephardi Jews expelled from Spain also settled in the city, adding to its ethnic variety.
The medieval city was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1555, but it soon recovered and prospered. By the 17th century, its population was put at between 30,000-60,000. The Turkish writer Dulgar Dede visited Üsküb during this period and wrote: "I travelled for many years across that country of Rumelia and I saw a many beautiful cities and I was amazed at Allah's blessings, but not one impressed and delighted as much as the heavenly city of Skopje across which passes the Vardar River."

In 1689, however, Skopje was burned by the Austrian general Engelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini – ostensibly to eradicate an outbreak of cholera, but quite possibly to revenge the Ottomans' 1683 attack on Vienna.

The city's fortunes waned over the next 200 years and its population shrank to only about 10,000 people by the middle of the 19th century. It revived after 1873 with the building of the railway from Belgrade to Thessaloniki, which passed through Skopje.

In the 20th century
By 1905, Skopje had a population of approximately 32,000, which was comprised of a mixture of ethnic and religious groups. In 1910, the Roman Catholic nun , Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, later to become famous as Mother Teresa, was born in Skopje.

The city became a major centre of rebellion against the weakening Ottoman Empire, and in 1903 it was a key player in the unsuccessful Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising against Ottoman rule. The Ottomans were expelled from the city in August 12, 1912 by the local Slavic population. Several months later the city was captured by the Serbs at the beginning of First Balkan War.
In 1913, the allies in the First Balkan War fell out with each other and launched the Second Balkan War over the division of the spoils. Serbia retained control of Skopje, with the Vardar valley being incorporated into Serbia. This lasted until October 1915, when Bulgaria joined the Central Powers and seized much of Serbian-ruled Macedonia.
The city was occupied by Serbia at end of the World War I in 1918, when it became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1929). Between 1941 - 1944 the city was under Bulgarian control. One month after the communists took power in Sofia and the Bulgarian army was sent to fight the Germans to the west front, Skopje was seized by Yugoslavian troops, and then joined Yugoslavia in 1944, when it became the capital of the newly established People's Republic of Macedonia. Following the wars, Skopje and the rest of Yugoslav Macedonia was incorporated into Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
On 26 July 1963, Skopje was struck by another major earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, which killed over 1,000 people and made another 120,000 homeless. Eighty percent of the city was destroyed by the earthquake, and numerous cultural monuments were seriously damaged. The losses from the quake amounted to a massive 150% of Macedonia's GNP at the time and 15% of Yugoslavia's GNP. A major international relief effort saw the city rebuilt quickly, though much of its old Ottoman aspect was lost in the process. The ruins of the old Skopje train station which was destroyed in the earthquake remain today as a memorial to the victims along with an adjacent museum.

Skopje grew rapidly druing united Yugoslavia and became a major industrial centre for the south-central Balkans region. In 1991 the Yugoslav federation broke up and Skopje became the capital of the independent Republic of Macedonia. Greece objected to the use of the name Macedonia by the new state, and imposed an economic blockade on the country, which severely {fact} damaged the economy of the Republic of Macedonia by closing its access to the sea through Thessaloniki. The blockade was lifted in 1995 following an agreement between the two governments on the name issue which still hasn't been resolved.
In December 2006 the government announced plans for renaming the city's airport to "Alexander the Great". Skopje is also the home of the State University "Saints Cyril and Methodius" founded in 1949.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, the population of Skopje was 506,926 people. The main ethnic group are Macedonians - 338,358, who make up 66.75% of the population, followed by Albanians - 103,891 (20.49%), Roma - 23,475 (4.63%), Serbs - 14,298 (2.82%), Turks - 8,595 (1.70%), Bosniaks - 7,585 (1.50%) and Aromanians (Vlachs) - 2,557 (0.50%) and others - 8,167 (1.61%)

97.5% of the population over the age of 10 is literate.

Climate

The city experiences a continental climate, with warm summers and cool winters.

Tourist attractions

The church of Saint Panteleimon in Nerezi near Skopje is a superb example of the Comnenian art on the all-Byzantine level. Commissioned by several members of the royal Comnenus family, the church was not finished until 1164. Nerezi is famous for its frescoes, representing a pinnacle of the 12th-century trend of intimacy and spirituality. They are often compared with similarly delicate works by Giotto, who worked 140 years later. These murals underwent serious 19th-century overpainting but were restored lately.

A ancient Roman aqueduct survives to the north of the city. One of stone bridges connecting both side of Vardar River dates back to the reign of Stefan Dušan. This bridge is not to be confused with the more famous Stone Bridge in the city square built under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed III the Conqueror between 1451 and 1469, today featured as the emblem of the city of Skopje. Within Skopje, there are notable buildings from the Ottoman rule such as the Kuršumli Han (medieval Turkish inn) and several mosques.

Of these mosques, Mustapha Pasha's Mosque is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings of Islamic architecture in Skopje. Located on a hill facing Fort Kale, this mosque dominates the whole surroundings and was built in the last decade of the 15th century when the military spahi system of Osmanli Turkish feudalism had reached the peak of its development. It is an endowment of Mustapha Pasha, an eminent figure in the Turkish state during the rule of Sultan Baiazid II and Sultan Selim I. The year of Mustapha Pasha's death is engraved on the entrance of his mausoluem, which is located by the mosque. It shows him to have died in 1519. The mausoleum and the mosque were both badly damaged in Skopje's 1963 earthquake, and restoration and conservation work was started in 1968. The interior of the mosque, like that of the porch, is mostly decorated with stylized plants. On the walls of the praying space are calligraphic inscriptions (lehve) with the names of Allah, Mohammed and his followers (Ebubekira, Ali, Osman and Omer) and quotations from the Qu'ran. The painted decorations are more recent, mainly from 1933 when the mosque was renovated. This can be seen from the intense blue and black color of the ornaments, which are often a confusing mass of color.

The Millennium Cross situated on the peak of the mountain Vodno is a new tourist attraction. The cross should be finished in July 2007. At 66 meters high, it is one of the biggest crosses in the world and can be seen from 30 km away.

Famous people born in Skopje

Below is a list of famous people born in Skopje or its surroundings:

Justinian the Great - Eastern Roman Emperor (482 - 566)

Mother Teresa - Roman Catholic Humanitarian (1910 - 1997)

Darko Pancev - European Cup Football Winner (1965 -)

Milčo Mančevski - Macedonian film director (1959 -)

Yahya Kemal Beyatlı - famous Turkish poet (1884 - 1958)

Sister cities

Ankara, Turkey

Belgrade, Serbia (since 2006)

Pernik, Bulgaria

Bradford, United Kingdom

Craiova, Romania