Project description
To restore the lost glow of the Old Skopje Bazaar has been the goal of the Revitalization Forum that has included craftsmen and businessmen, artists, institutions, local authorities, the Ministry of Culture, and public offices and services. A Revitalization Programme for the Old Bazaar has been adopted, and the Forum has been working on bringing back visitors by revitalizing the Bazaar's contents, order and the “esnaf” (craftsmen) life that once used to represent the Old Bazaar's main feature.
Contact
Contemporary Art Centre, Skopje, Kurciska St., Old Skopje Bazaar; Kalina Bunevska-Isakovska, 02/3133-541, scca@scca.org.mk
www.staracarsija.org.mk
Location
The Old Bazaar, Skopje, northern Macedonia
About the Old Skopje Bazaar
The Skopje Old Bazaar emerged and developed in an area between the Stone Bridge and the “Bit Bazaar”, and between the Kale fortress and the Serava River. As early as in late middle age, all economic activity of the town took place here. The arrival of the Osmanlis only extended and continued the tradition already established. In the period between the XVI and the XVII century, the Old Bazaar reached its urban and economic zenith, developing into one of the largest and most significant oriental old bazaars in the Balkans.
How to reach the Old Skopje Bazaar?
The Old Bazaar is located in a central area of Skopje, on the left bank of the Vardar River. It can be reached from the central city square by passing the pedestrian Stone Bridge over the Vardar River, but there are also several other entrances to it (from the Skopje fortress of Kale, from the “Bit-Bazaar”, etc.).
Where to stay overnight?
In the Old Bazaar itself, you can have an overnight stay at the “Arka” hotel. Beyond the Old Bazaar, you may use the services of numerous Skopje hotels, motels, and other accommodation facilities.
Local specifics
The Old Bazaar abounds in cultural and historic monuments: inns, “amams” (public baths), mosques, “bezistens”. Some of these have been turned into art galleries, exhibition places, museums etc., and some of them host restaurants, shops, etc. While in the Old Bazaar, visit the Museum of Macedonia, the Museum of the Old Skopje Bazaar, the National Art Gallery and, of course, have a look at the shops of craftsmen that still work in the traditional way.
In the Old Skopje Bazaar, you will instantly feel the smell of the “kebabs” - the most recognizable local specialty. Try also other specialties of the Macedonian cuisine offered at restaurants (the “tavce-gravce”, the “turli-tava”, various salads made of fresh vegetable, the “pindzur”…). In pastry shops, you must try the “baklava”, the “oreovki”, the “tulumba”, the “kadaif”, as well as the specific local drink - the “boza”.
What can you see in the surroundings?
Visit the Contemporary Art Museum at the Skopje fortress of Kale, from where you will have an excellent panorama view of Skopje. At the Kale the Mustafa Pasa Mosque is located - one of the most beautiful mosques in the Balkans, and the St. Spas (“Holy Salvation”) church that has been turned into a museum having the notoriously known iconostasis with carved wood, the tomb of Goce Delcev, and the museum dedicated to this grand revolutionary. Of course, you can visit the city of Skopje as well, with all the activities it offers, and the nearby monuments: the archeological site of Skupi, the monastery church of St. Pantelejmon in the village of Nerezi at the Vodno mountain, the Matka Canyon, and other sites.
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