The Ottoman Mosques in Macedonia

(Development and types of the Ottoman mosques in Macedonia from the end of 14th until the end of the 19th century) ZORAN PAVLOV, art historian Head of Department for Documentation, International Cooperation and Administrative Affair Ministry of Culture Cultural Heritage Protection Office Skopje Republic of Macedonia

In the past, the territory of Macedonia was a crossroad of various cultures and influences. The evidences of these past happenings continuously arouse the interest of the scientific community. Each of these cultures and influences left traces in the material, as well as in the spiritual culture of the Macedonian people. Nevertheless, it seams that the presence of the Ottomans that lasted nearly five centuries marked the appearance of the rural and urban environment in an indelible manner. The Ottoman rule on these conquered territories should not be evaluated apart from the Turkish/Ottoman art and culture. In the fallowing five centuries, the newly introduced culture will bring forth to an abundance of artistic creation most evident in the architecture i.e. in the religious buildings, but also in public edifices with typical oriental features. Ottoman architectural works had been conditional influenced by the social, economic, and political circumstances in the centuries of the Ottoman supremacy and they epitomize the Turkish way of life. Combining their best practices with the tradition and the building techniques employed by the local people, the Ottomans developed architecture with individual architectural and artistic features. This architecture had been applied in all the corners of the Ottoman Empire the same as in the territory of Macedonia. Evliya Chelebi, the renowned Ottoman traveler, wrote that 17th century Skopje had 120 mihrabs and 45 mosques, while Bitola had 70 mosques at that time. However, most of them did not outlast the turbulent times that affected the Balkan region1. The few remaining Islamic buildings testify the diversity of the Ottoman architecture and the high artistic values of the buildings spatial design and arrangement. The Islamic religion entwined in all the aspects of everyday living, thus the Islamic art since its initial stages had a religious character. As symbols and centers of the social and spiritual living, mosques had been erected throughout the Ottoman Empire. Due to this fundamental significance, the mosques are the most complete and most representative feature of the Islamic monumental art and should be considered inevitable while studying the specific culture. Like the rest of buildings in Islamic architecture, mosques were built as the foundations of high representatives of the Ottoman authorities, rich merchandisers and craftsmen, imams and distinguished citizens. The politically turbulent period that followed the collapse of the Seljuk Empire in the 14-th and 15-th centuries, left its marks on the artistic creation. Mosque
1

Matkovski, A., Makedonijia vo delata na stranskite patopisci, 1371-1777, Skopje, 1991.

architecture in this early period introduces a new architectural element a portico covered with couple of small domes features borrowed from the Byzantine church architecture. Ottoman architecture, influenced by Seljuk, Byzantine and Arab architecture, came to develop a style all of its own. The merging of the central-Asian cultural forms with the Byzantine architecture will bring forward a new type of mosque in which the central positioning of the dome (in the harim - the praying area) will dominate the overall spatial arrangement. The entrance and the exterior of the mosque will be enriched with new decorative elements/ornaments. The Haci Ozbek Mosque (1333) in Iznik, the first important center of Ottoman art2, is the first example of an Ottoman single-domed mosque. Soon after, a analogous application of a central dome, though smaller in size, and extended portico are to be found in Yeshil mosque in Iznik (1378)3 and in Iliyas Bey mosque (1404). The Ottomans introduced central dome mosques in the 15th century and have a large dome centered over the prayer hall. This style was heavily influenced by the Byzantine religious architecture with its use of large central domes. The first of these is the Yesil Cami Mosque (Bursa) which was founded by Mehmet I (1403-1421) in 1419. According to the structural features, there are several types of mosques in the Islamic architecture, formed under the influence of different regional traditions. These diversities derived from the various geographic regions within the Empire, each of them with a unique history, cultures and civilizations. The Ottoman mosque in Macedonia includes few types of plans which were characterized by the concentricity of the main prayer area, together with symmetry and balance in design and internal configuration. The domed mosques, certainly the most representative examples of Islamic monumental architecture in Macedonia may be categorized into four basic types. Standard single-unit dome mosque with a porch roofed by three small domes and one minaret adjoining the central dome.

In the course of the 15th century this type of mosque architecture became broadly accepted on the territory of Macedonia (typical example being the Sungur Chaush mosque (1435) in Bitola, now in ruins4). Erection of sub-domed mosques will be so frequent in that period that this type of building will be considered a standard architectural model. Among the most representative mosques, which with their
2

Kuran A. lk Devir Osmanl Mimarisinde Cami, Ankara, 1964, s. 8; Goodwin G., A History of Ottoman Architecture, London, s. 17.
3

Kuran A. lk Devir Osmanl Mimarisinde Cami, Ankara, 1964, s. 15.

The mosque was rebuild in H.838/M.1435 by Sungur Chaush Bey (Tevfik M., Kratka istorija bitoljskog vilajeta (translated by Glisha Elezovic), Bratstvo 27, kn. 43, Beograd 1933, s. 213-214); Tomovski K., Dzamii vo Bitola, Godishen Zbornik na Tehnichkiot Fakultet, Broj 2, Skopje, 1957, 29-60, 46-47; Kaleshi H., Najstariji vakufski dokumenti u Jugoslaviji na arapskom jeziku, Pritina 1972, 65-68; Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Grad Bitolj, Beograd, 1911, 19; Evliya elebi, Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 58; Redzic, H., slamska Umetnost, Umetnost na tlu Jugoslavije, Beograd, 1982, 55; Redzic, H., Studije o slamskoj Arhitektonskoj Bashtini, Sarajevo, 1983, 111; Andreyevich A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, 47; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 104105;

harmony in proportions and decorative elements stand out among Turkish art in Macedonia, we would mention the Isak Chelebi mosque (1506) in Bitola which has a dome resting on rather shallow but highly positioned tromps5. Similar architectural arrangement was applied in the Yeni Mosque (1558/59) in Bitola where the monotony of the plain high exterior walls is disrupted with richly molded and emphasized cornice. Yeni mosque is also distinguishable by its marble columns and interior furnishing, but mostly by its lavishly decorated marble portal bordered with multicolored majolica tiles originating from the town of Iznik6. The Isak and the Yeni mosques are the only mosques in Macedonia that have double porches i.e. the original once were extended in the course of the 19-th century. Because of this we cannot consider them as an authentic style. The most representative building of this type is the Haydar Kadi mosque (1562) in Bitola, with its austere and clear architectural features. Harmony and simplicity dominate in its spatial arrangement: the square-shaped praying area is closed above with a high drum and dome, and the portico columns end up in richly decorated marble capitals7. In line with this building is the Tatar Sinan Bey mosque (1520-1532) in Kumanovo with its Turkish triangles as a transitional decorative element. In the case of the Tatar Sinan Bey Mosque in Kumanovo as the transition from the square plan to the round dome is affected by the Turkish triangle frieze, which is rather rare and unique in Macedonia8.
5

Kaleshi H., Najstariji vakufski dokumenti u Jugoslaviji na arapskom jeziku, Prishtina 1972, 146-151; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 100; Momidic R., Dzamijata shak Chelebi vo Bitola, Zbornik na Trudovi, Broj 1, Bitola, 1979, 65; Tomovski K., Camii vo Bitola, Godishen Zbornik na Tehnichkiot Fakultet, Broj 2, Skopje, 1957, 29-60, 39;
6

Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Grad Bitolj, Beograd, 1911, 19-20; Tevfik M., Kratka istorija bitoljskog vilajeta, Bratstvo 27, kn. 43, Beograd 1933, 85-110, 212; Tomovski K., Dzamii vo Bitola, Godishen Zbornik na Tehnichkiot Fakultet, Broj 2, Skopje, 1957, 32, 34, 38, 50, 54, 61; Andrejevic A., Altin Alem dzamija u Novom Pazaru, Zbornik Svetozara Radojcica, Filozofski Fakultet, Beograd 1969, 8; Tihic S., Islamska Umjetnost na Tlu Yugoslaviye, Svijet Islama, Yugoslovenska Revija Beograd, 1979, 311-312; Nikolovski, A., Balabanov K., Kornakov, D., Spomenici na Kulturata na N.R.Makedonijia, Skopje, 1961, 197; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981,105-106; Andreyevic, A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, 74; brahimi M., Yeni Dzamija vo Bitola (Kadi Mahmud Efendi Camija), El-Hilal, maj juni 1990 (Skopje), 9; brahimgil M., Makedonyada Trk Kltr Mimarisi, Balkanlarda Trk Kltr, Yl: 4, say: 11, Bursa 1994, 14;
7

Andreyevic, A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, 36, 37, 52; Stojanovski, A., slamskata Umetnost vo Makedonija, Istorija Na Makedonskiot Narod, Skopje, Kniga I, 1969, 32; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 98-99; Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Grad Bitolj, Beograd, 1911, 20; Tevfik M., Kratka istorija bitoljskog vilajeta, Brastvo 27, kn. 43, Beograd 1933, 212; Tomovski K., Dzamii vo Bitola, Godishen Zbornik na Tehnichkiot Fakultet, Broj 2, Skopje, 1957, s. 36, 40, 52; elebi E., Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 58; Tomovski K., Konzervacija i Restauracija Gazi Haydar-Kadiyine Dzamije u Bitolju, Zbornik Zashtite Spomenika Kulture kn. XIII, Savezni Institut za Zashtitu Spomenika Kulture, Beograd 1962, 51-52; Tihic S., Islamska Umjetnost na Tlu Yugoslaviye, Svijet Islama, Yugoslovenska Revija Beograd, 1979, 316; Momidic R., Dzamijata shak Chelebi vo Bitola, Zbornik na Trudovi, Broj 1, Bitola, 1979, 48; Nikolovski, A., Balabanov K., Kornakov, D., Spomenici na Kulturata na N.R.Makedonijia, Skopje, 1961, 195; brahimi M., Dzamijata na Haydar Kadi vo Bitola, El-Hilal, mart april 1990 (Skopje), 9; brahimi, M.Z., Makedonyada Trk-slam Mimarisinde Grlen Duvar Sslemeleri, 9. Milletleraras Trk Sanatlar Kongresi (23 Eyll 1991 stanbul), Bildiriler, C.II, stanbul, 1995, 288-289.
8

This transitional element is also present in the Hadzi zbek Mosque in Iznik (H.734/M.1333-34); Bayazit Pasha Mosque in Amasia (M.1414-19); in the central part of the portico and the prayer space in the Muradiye Mosque in Bursa, and the transition toward the dome in the Green Mosque in Bursa (M.1419-24). In the Balkans, this element was used as a transition toward the dome in the Shehabedin Mosque in Filibe; Evliya elebi, Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 44; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 8687; Andreyevic, A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, 47, 48, 6364; Aslanapa O., Osmanl Devri Mimarisi, Istanbul 1986, 38; Stojanovski, A., La Division Administrative Territoriale De La Macedoine Sous LEmpire Ottoman Jasqua La Fin Du XVII Siecle, Macedoine, Skopje, 1989, 204; Kiel M., Some Little known Monuments of Ottoman Turkish Architecture in the Macedonian Province, Studies on the Ottoman Architecture of the Balkans,

Another interesting group of single-unit dome mosques are with a porch roofed by only two small cupolas. The portal is placed more to the left in relation to the symmetrical axis, and a second accessory mihrab is found on the side of the front wall facing the porch. This interesting type of mosque with a double-craved porch, whose direct analogies are to be found in Edrene Shahabedin Pasha mosque (1436), and older Mehmed Iljas Bey mosque in Manisa (1362), occurs only in Macedonia and in Serbia (Altun Alem mosque in Novi Pazar 16 century) and is not to be found elsewhere in the Balkans. As unique examples of this in Macedonia we find this style in the Dukandzik Mosque (M.1548) and the Hadzi Balaban Mosque (16 century) both in Skopje9.

Dukancik mosque in Skopje, with its dome resting on tromps is the largest building of this type preserved to date. Its portico is walled up on the lateral sides. The mosque was damaged in the 1963 earthquake, but later completely reconstructed. The third type of 16th century is represented by elaborately designed multiunit domed mosques. The mosque is composed of a T-shape prayer hall, some of them covered by two domes. Among the monuments of this type is the Yahya Pasha mosque in Skopje (1504)10, Isa Bey mosque in Skopje (1475)11, and Ishak Bey Mosque in Skopje (1438)12. Besides the so-called T-type (or wrapped) of mosques (due to the lateral rooms), this type of mosques were popular in the early Constantinople period.

The Yahya pasha mosque now covered with pitched roof once had had the largest dome in the area. The decoration of its portico, which is one of the most monumental portals in the Balkans, stands up for the fully developed aesthetic expression of the artist. Gazi Isa Bey Mosque has a prayer space consisting of two
Variorum Pub. Group, Brookfield, Vt. 1990, 163164; Goodwin G., A History of Ottoman Architecture, London, 1992, 22, 62; Pavlov Z., Dzamijata Tatar Sinan Beg vo Kumanovo, El-Hilal, mart april 1996 (Skopje), 6.
9

Andreyevic, A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, s. 59; Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Skoplje i Njegova Okolina, Beograd 1930, 155; Evliya elebi, Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 38; Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 41; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, s. 249.
10

Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Skoplje i Njegova Okolina, Beograd 1930, 157; Asim S., skp Tarihi ve Civar, skp, 44; Elezovic, G., Turski Spomenici, 1348-1520, Kniga I, Sv.1, Beograd, 1940, s. 367, 420-525; Duda, W.H., Balkantrkische Studien, Wien, 1949, s. 31, 53; Evliya elebi, Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 33; Zdravkovic, I., Izbor Grage Za Prouchavanje Spomenika Islamske Arhitekture u Jugoslavije, Beograd, 1964, 108; Bogojevic, L.K., Portalot Na Yahya-Pashinata Dzamija Vo Skopje, Arheoloshki Muzej Na Makedonija Zbornik Posveten Na Dimce Koco, Kniga VI-VII, Skopje, 1975, s. 97, 99, 104; Nikolovski, A., Balabanov K., Kornakov, D., Spomenici na Kulturata na N.R.Makedonijia, Skopje, 1961, s. 56; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 268-269; Andreyevic, A., slamska Monumentalna Umetnost XVI Veka u Yugoslaviji, Kupolne Dzamije, Beograd, 1984, s. 23-24, 72, 74, 76; Goodwin G., A History of Ottoman Architecture, London, 1992, s. 147, 158.
11

Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981. 250-254;; Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 110; Elezovic G., Turski Spomenici u Skoplju, Glasnik Skopskog Naucnog Drustva, Kniga I, Sveska 1, Skoplje, 1925, s. 262.
12

Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 163; Kalesi, H., Najstariji Vakufski Dokumenti u Jugoslaiji Na Arapskom Jeziku, Prishtina, 1972, 104; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, s. 255-258; Elezovic, G., Turski Spomenici, 13481520, Kniga I, Sv.1, Beograd, 1940, s. 24-26.

square surfaces covered by domes of the same size, with an overall length of 20.5 m where the idea for great space/room is clearly stated. The mosques of the so-called developed type constitute separate class of mosques. That is the case with the Hamza Bey Mosque in Bitola where the mihrabs niche is a rectangular expansion at the southern side13. We also encounter this style in the Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren (beginning of the 17th century). We can also put the Husamedin Pasha Mosque in Shtip in this group where the mihrabs niche actually presents a seven-angled space that comes out from the table of the southern wall. The placing of the mihrab in a kind of apse often regarded as a result of the intensive mutual contact between early-Ottoman and late Byzantine architecture14.

Probably the last group of domed mosques is illustrated by a rather uncommon type of mosques, or, to be precise, by two 18th century mosques. The first one is the Emin Mahmud mosque in Ohrid, which is pentagonal in base and vaulted with dome15. The other one the Kuloglu mosque also in Ohrid, octagonal in base and covered with dome, has a plain portico on the north side16. The spatial concept previously used in the turbet architecture of the 16th century has been borrowed for creating a unique praying area with a local flavor which influences the architectural expression. These two mosques are the sole example of this architecture not only in Macedonia but further in the Balkan region. In terms of style, the architecture of the domed mosques in Macedonia follows the identical route of development and features of the Ottoman architecture. Examples of all types of domed mosques may be found in Istanbul and a few in Edirne or Bursa, from where they were introduced to other Ottoman regions in the Balkan. The architecture of the 16th century domed mosques in Macedonia showed great similarities in spatial design and the materials used for building. The basic building material was stone and brick made by applying the ancient Byzantine technique of picturesque alternation of layers of brick and stone as well
13

Tomovski K., Dzamii vo Bitola, Godishen Zbornik na Tehnichkiot Fakultet, Broj 2, Skopje, 1957, 54; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 97; Deroko A., Spomenici na Arhitektura IX-XVIII. veka u Jugoslaviji, Narodna Arhitektura, Kniga I, Beograd, 210; Momidic R., Hamza Beg - Uc Seyler Dzamija vo Bitola, Zbornik na Trudovi, Broj 8, Bitola, 1989, s. 95, 97, 98; Hadzi Vasiljevic J., Grad Bitolj, Beograd, 1911, s. 20.
14

The first mosque on which we find this element is that of Murat I in his capital Bursa (Kiel M., Some Little known Monuments of Ottoman Turkish Architecture in the Macedonian Province, Studies on the Ottoman Architecture of the Balkans, Variorum Pub. Group, Brookfield, Vt. 1990, s. 157); Evliya elebi, Putopis, Sarajevo 1957, 141; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 48; Turski dokumenti za Istorijata na Makedonskiot Narod, Opsirni Popisni Defteri od XVI vek za Kustendilskiot Sancak, Tom V, kn. 2, Skopje 1980, 120; Nikolovski, A., Balabanov K., Kornakov, D., Spomenici na Kulturata na N.R.Makedonijia, Skopje, 1961, 126; Petkovski R., Husa Medin Pashina Dzamija, Delo 74, god. X, br. 2, Shtip mart-april 1983, 551; Kiel M., Some Little known Monuments of Ottoman Turkish Architecture in the Macedonian Province, Studies on the Ottoman Architecture of the Balkans, Variorum Pub. Group, Brookfield, Vt. 1990, 157, 159, 178a; Turski dokumenti za Istorijata na Makedonskiot Narod, Opsirni Popisni Defteri za Kustendilskiot Sancak od 1570 godina, Tom V, kn. 5, Skopje 1995, 74-76.
15 16

Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981,138. Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 141

as by inserting bricks between cut stone in the manner of cloisonn. The domes used squinches or pendentives as a transitional structure connecting them to the square base on which they rested. The Bursa style is evident in the Sultan Murat II mosque in Skopje (1436), which is three-naved basilica with hipped roof17. This basilical spatial arrangement, under the influence of the three-aisled church architecture, is evident in the Murat Pasha mosque in Skopje18, but also in some smaller in size mosques in the rural areas (ex. Mosque in the village of Dragoevo). While the 14th and 15th century Ottoman buildings in Macedonia follow the architectural patterns erected in Edirne and Bursa, the 16th century innovations originating from Istanbul remained dominant throughout the last years of the Ottoman rule. After the fall of Constantinople and under the influence of St. Sophia, the mosque architecture in the second half of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century becomes oriented towards greater dimensions and bigger praying area sheltered with a dome. The early Istanbul style retains the architectural decor of the Bursa style, but is oriented toward a big space. The manner of construction and the building materials were taken over from Byzantium. In the course of building, the local builders trained in Byzantine times played an important role. The most important structure erected under the early Istanbul style is the Mustafa Pasha mosque in Skopje (1484). It has a square room covered by a dome, spanning a distance of 16.3 m in diameter, which suggests an aspiration to build a very large domed mosque19. Mosques without domes Beside the domed mosques, during the entire Ottoman era in Macedonia there are many smaller mosques covered with hip roof structure built under the influence of local architectural traditions. This is the dominant type of mosque in the Balkan. Mosques of this type are frequently of modest dimensions. They are elongated in plan and cover with flat timber ceiling.
17

Elezovic G., Turski Spomenici u Skoplju, Glasnik Skopskog Naucnog Drustva, Kniga VII-VIII, Broj 3-4, Skoplje, 1930, 725; Asim S., skp Tarihi ve Civar, skp, 44; Elezovic, G., Turski Spomenici, 1348-1520, Kniga I, Sv.1, Beograd, 1940, 261, 713-813, 1088; Nenadovic S.M., Arhitektura u Yugoslaviyi od 9 18 veka, Nauna Knjiga, Beograd 1987, 290-315; Uysal A.O., Yugoslavyadaki Baz Trk Eserleri Hakknda, Aratrma, C.IV, S.41, Mays 1992, Ankara, 1992, 44; Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 60.
18

Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981. 262, 306-307; Elezovic, G., Turski Spomenici, 1348-1520, Kniga I, Sv.1, Beograd, 1940, 286; Salih Asim, skp Tarihi ve Civar, skp, 9; Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 43.
19

Elezovic G., Turski Spomenici u Skoplju, Glasnik Skopskog Nauchnog Drushtva, Kniga VII-VIII, Broj 3-4, Skoplje, 1930, 725; Salih Asim, skp Tarihi ve Civar, skp, 1932. 44; Elezovic, G., Turski Spomenici, 1348-1520, Kniga I, Sv.1, Beograd, 1940, 261, 713-813, 1088; Duda, W.H., Balkantrkische Studien, Wien, 1949, 51-53; Ayverdi E. H., Yugoslavyada Trk bideleri ve Vakflar, Vakflar Dergisi Say: III, Ankara 1957, 157; Zdravkovic, I., Izbor Grage Za Prouchavanje Spomenika Islamske Arhitekture u Jugoslavije, Beograd, 1964, 88; Bogojevic, L.K., Portalot Na Yahya-Pashinata Dzamija Vo Skopje, Arheoloshki Muzej Na Makedonija Zbornik Posveten Na Dimce Koco, Kniga VI-VII, Skopje, 1975; Nikolovski, A., Balabanov K., Kornakov, D., Spomenici na Kulturata na N.R.Makedonijia, Skopje, 1961, 52-53; Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981. Nenadovic S.M., Arhitektura u Yugoslaviyi od 9 18 veka, Nauchna Knjiga, Beograd 1987, 290-315; Uysal, A.O., Yugoslavyadaki Baz Trk Eserleri Hakknda, Aratrma, C.IV, S.41, Mays 1992, Ankara, 1992, 44; Kumbaradzi Bogoevic Lidija, Osmanliski spomenici vo Skopje, Skopje 1998, 60.

Their construction is based on the local tradition and design conception mostly evident on the mosques in the rural areas. A separate sub-type is represented by the mosque with a wooden cupola inside a pitched roof, like a Colored mosque in Tetovo. Building materials for mosques were unbaked bricks with a lot of wood. The Colored Mosque in Tetovo was built in 1495 and it had the function of an Islamic assembly temple. The sources note the reconstruction of the building from the 16 to the end of the 17 century when the mosque was burned to the ground in the great fire that caught the town. The present building, dating from the 1833/34, follows the square ground basis of the original, unpreserved to date, mosque. The paintings are its most impressive part. The new founder, Abdurahman Pasha summoned skilful craftsmen from Debar, who painted the mosque on the inside and on the outside. Exactly these lifelike painted ornaments in their number, picturesqueness and applied painting technique present a rarity and peak work among the similar Islamic religious objects that include this mosque in the anthologies of the Islamic architecture20. Building material The peak of the Ottoman era gives a completely different perspective outlined by the monumental buildings with a central dome and narrow minarets. In general, the mosque construction depended on the building material employed that originated from the immediate surrounding of the construction site, as well as on the building tradition and the skills and practices of the local builders. The plans of mosques, came from Seljuk Anatoly, the overall shape and proportions show Turkish taste, but the masonry is often in the local Balkan traditions: cloisonn, or in the cheaper buildings , broken stone, plastered over and with imitation cloisonn painted and cut in the plaster. The Tatar Sinan Bey mosque is built of neatly cut and polished large blocks of yellow brown stone of the egligovo district, the same material as used at the mosque of Husamedin Pasha Mosque in Shtip. The technique is the same that was also used in the construction of some churches in Macedonia (e.g., St. Gjorgji, village Mlado Nagorichino 1406/07)21. The facades of the rest of the mosques in Macedonia commonly consist of unprocessed stones, which are plastered afterward. The masonry of the Durak Efendi mosque in Strumica is provincial product, composed of builders and little worked blocks of granite intersected with courses of brick. This masonry is related to that which is used on the small churches of the Struma area, built in the 16th and 17th century. Minaret In the process of building the mosques, special attention was paid to the construction of the minaret, which gives vertical accent to the mosque. In every mosque, the minaret is placed by the northern-western part of the prayer space. An exception is the Sungur Chaush Mosque in Bitola where the minaret is placed in the northern-eastern angle. Thus, although there simply realized examples (e.g., the Kazandziler Mosque in Skopje, the Asan Baba Mosque in Bitola and the Durak
20

Ayverdi, E.H., Avrupada Osmanl Mimari Eserleri, Yugoslavya, C.III, Kitap 3, stanbul, 1981, 75-77; Zdravkovic, I., Izbor Grage Za Prouchavanje Spomenika Islamske Arhitekture u Jugoslavije, Beograd, 1964, 94; Boskovic,T., Arhitektura Srednjeg Veka, Beograd, 1957, 58;
21

Kiel M., Some Little known Monuments of Ottoman Turkish Architecture in the Macedonian Province, Studies on the Ottoman Architecture of the Balkans, Variorum Pub. Group, Brookfield, Vt. 1990, 164.

Efendi Mosque in Strumica) exist, the tall and slender minarets that are characteristic of the mosques on the Balkan dominate. Decoration The decoration is the factor of unification in the Islamic architecture and design. Decorative carvings were usually in stone, less frequently in stucco or marble, covering the minarets, columns, mihrabs, portals, windows, minbars and mahvils. The most interesting are the portals in Yahya Pasha Mosque (1503) and Mustafa Pasha Mosque (1493) in Skopje. Researches into the decoration of the Ottoman period in Macedonia have also shown that the earliest examples of wall paintings on the pendentives are found in the eastern wall of the Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Skopje. Such wall decoration is also preserved in the Yahya Pasha Mosque in Skopje, and the Yeni Mosque, the Isak Mosque and the Haydar Kadi Mosque in Bitola, while in the rest of the mosques in Macedonia wall decoration is not notably present. As with the architecture of domed mosques, decorative carvings of the 16th century in this region changed along with the changes of style that characterized most of the other monuments of Ottoman art in the Balkan. Colored wall decorations, mainly floral in character covered outer surfaces of the walls and the arched parts, and the interiors and porches of mosques, as well. Painted ornaments that are particularly present in the interior of the objects are with oriental characteristics representing either floral or geometrical features, and landscape. Among the most beautiful examples are the Mustafa pasha mosque in Skopje, Yeni mosque in Bitola and the Colored mosque in Tetovo. Transformation of the architectural forms is followed by a transformation of the decoration. One of the most representative features of the classical period of the Ottoman art is the column capitals lavishly decorated with stalactites. The mihrab area witnesses the booming of the stucco decoration. The decorative elements of the European Baroque and Rococo influenced even the religious Ottoman architecture. The wall decoration in the Sultan Murat mosque and Isa Bey Mosque in Skopje, Isak mosque in Bitola and the Colored mosque in Tetovo are characterized with the presence of western and baroque influences. The study of the wall decoration in Macedonian mosques one that begins with a drawing that turns into an image, than considers the topic, the style, the development, as well as the masters of the wall painting - gives not enough firm evidence for an identification or a precise definition of an existing trend or a school. The lack of diversity in the Ottoman architecture in some of the Balkan areas could be associated not only with the commissioners of the buildings (very often the same person) but also with the schools of decoration and builders that, usually regardless of the local tradition, envisaged and designed these buildings in a manner that imposes universal, common features.