After a week in Kosovo, my Son and I continued our backpacking through the Balkans journey towards south to Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia.
Skopje is a North Macedonia’s major political, economical, educational, and cultural center. Skopje has been occupied by many different empires since its foundation. This is evidenced by the several Byzantine churches and monasteries around the city, also by a few Roman sites, however, the group that left the greatest mark on Skopje were the Ottomans. The Ottomans ruled Macedonia for 500 hundreds years and built a large number of mosques and other buildings.
About 80% of the buildings in the city was destroyed during 1963 earthquake, After that, the big rebuilding project began, trying to make Skopje the model city of the socialist world.
Photos below are from our few days stay in the capital city.
Welcome to Skopje! Beautiful Manhole Cover with the Vergina Sun (Macedonian Star), a rayed solar symbol first appearing in ancient Greek art of the period between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.The Yutong City Master, a Double-Decker bus design in a “retro” style, similar to London’s AEC Routemaster, by the Chinese manufacturer Yutong.Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs, newly built orthodox church near Skopje Bus Stop.Memorial House of Mother Teresa – Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, honored in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary born in Skopje.Ortodox Church Konstantin and Elena.A giant bronze statue of Alexander the Great. The statue is formally entitled “A warrior on a horse”, a rather vague description apparently designed to avoid further upsetting neighboring Greece, which claims Philip and Alexander as Greek heroes.Stone Bridge with National Archaeological Museum in a background.Stone Bridge with National Archaeological Museum in a background, after dark.National Archaeological Museum.Fountain of the Mothers of Macedonia.A giant 29-metre tall bronze statue of the ancient warrior king, Philip of Macedon. The statue is formally entitled “Warrior with accompanying elements”, a rather vague description apparently designed to avoid further upsetting neighboring Greece, which claims Philip and Alexander as Greek heroes.Macedonian National Theater (River side view)One of the Lions at the Goce Delčeva (Goce Delchev) Bridge.J.P. Vodovod I Kanalizacija (Water Supply and Sanitation) and Customs Administration of Macedonia buildings with the Skopje Fortress in a backdrop.Government of the Republic of Macedonia building with many National flags.Government of the Republic of Macedonia building.The Skopje Fortress, commonly referred to as Kale (the Turkish word for ‘fortress’), is a historic fortress situated on the highest point in the city overlooking the Vardar River.With Raul at the Skopje Fortress Beautiful Sunset from the Skopje Fortress.Beautiful Sunset from the Skopje Fortress overlooking the Vardar River.One of many towers of the Skopje Fortress.Raul at the Skopje Fortress.At the Skopje FortressFountain Square after dark.Old Bazar, As one of the oldest and largest marketplaces in the Balkans, it has been Skopje’s center for trade and commerce since at least the 12th century.Mustafa Pasha Mosque, an Ottoman-era mosque located in the Old Bazaar of Skopje Beautiful Manhole Cover with City’s Coat of Arms.Beautiful Manhole Cover with City’s Coat of Arms.Beautiful Manhole Cover .Skopsko (Macedonian: Скопско), the most popular beer with 64% of the market in North Macedonia.
After couple of days exploring the Capital city, we took an hour bus ride to the town of Tetovo to visit the Painted Mosque, the most beautiful Mosque in all of the Balkans.
Šarena Džamija, meaning Decorated Mosque in English but also variably translated as Painted Mosque. The mosque was originally built in 1438 and later rebuilt in 1833 by Abdurrahman Pasha.Unlike the traditional Ottoman ceramic tile decorations in mosques, the Šarena Džamija has bright floral paintings. More than 30,000 eggs were used to prepare the paint and glaze that went into the elaborate decorations.The interior of the Šarena Džamija.The interior of the Šarena Džamija.The interior of the Šarena Džamija.the Šarena Džamija, the painted mosque. A small Orthodox church near the Pena River in Tetovo.
After few days in the capital city of North Macedonia, we continued our backpacking through the Balkans journey towards south to Ohrid, a small resort city on the hilly shores of Lake Ohrid and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In May 2017, 23 days before I was going to complete 50 years, grabbed an opportunity and took an early retirement.. Picked up a backpack and traveling ever since.. Love to travel around the world, experience different culture, local cuisine & drinks .. and take pictures.. so far been to 108 countries and still counting...
Window on the World 