Mosques in North Macedonia (5)

The Gazi Hajdar Kadi Mosque, (Macedonian: Ајдар Кади Џамија; Albanian: Xhamia e Gazi Hajdar Kadiut, Turkish: Gazi Haydar Kadi Cami) is a mosque, situated in Bitola, North Macedonia. In the past the religious building has been transformed into a warehouse by the local Macedonian authorities. A thorough reconstruction was undergoing for several years with the assistance and cooperation of the Turkish Republic, and finally it was fully put into service and opened to public in November 2016. The mosque was commissioned by Haydar Bey, then beylerbey of Rumelia Eyalet, the largest Ottoman administrative territory, with Manastir as a regional centre. According to the inscription in Arabic on the stone plaque above the door, the mosque was built in 969 he (1561/62 AD). The mosque is a domed building with massive walls of about 1.4 meters thick. The builders came from a small village in the region of Manastir but the project was most probably prepared by an unknown Islamic architect, influenced by the work of famous architects of that time, such as Kodja Sinan. In the description of Evliya Çelebi's travels through the Balkans in the 17th century, this mosque was considered as one of the most beautifully decorated. Study of the remains show that the Haydar-Kadi Mosque was the only mosque in Bitola with two minarets. Marble decorations adorn the mihrab and the triangle-shaped tromps. A stone bas-relief can be seen on the portal, capitals and on the mimbar. Colourful geometrical designs can be found around the windows, on the arches, as well as on the tromps. The wood-carved door is executed in bas-relief. The most distinctive motif is the stylized Arabic letter 'elif'. This type of woodcarved doors can be seen in Istanbul mosques. The mosque was repaired in 1890. We also know that all the mosques of the town were restored before the visit of the Mehmed V in 1910, a fact confirmed by certain elements of the interior decoration painted at that time. After the end of five centuries of Turkish rule in 1912, the mosque was abandoned. The lead from its dome was stolen and the dome was only restored in 1967. It was subsequently used as a packaging warehouse for a local distillery, then as a concert hall. In 2014, the mosque was completely renovated with funds from the Directorate General of Foundations (Turkey), which oversees the management of Islamic inalienable endowments (vakıf) dating back to the Ottoman era. The cost of renovations was more than 4.5 million lira. It reopened to worship on 4 November 2016 after a hiatus of 104 years.

The Orta Mosque is located in the old urban heart of the city of Strumica, at the very foot of the fortress of the Czar's Towers. The mosque was built in 1613-1614 at the time of Sultan Ahmed I (1603-1617), according to a note placed above the door of the western entrance of the structure. Due to conservation needs, in 1984, trench excavations were carried out alongside the mosque on its outer side. The discovery of the medieval graves and remnants of the medieval architecture was the reason for the excavations to become systematic. The oldest evidence of habitation in the area points to the 4th-3rd century BC, and the constructions did not stop even in the Roman, or the early Christian and Byzantine period. Naturally, the remains of the foundations of a three-nave medieval church dating from the 12th-13th century are of particular importance. The church was built of mud and stone, and the interior was ennobled by wall painting illustrating various religious images. The fragmentally preserved art elements, in their style, associate the painting before the epoch of Palaiologos. It is but a great pictorial and thematic complex entirety distinguished with the highest of art qualities in the representations of Paul the Apostle from the painting The Communion of the Apostles; Luke the Evangelist; Simon the Zealot; hiero martyrs of noble descent; the cycle of the holy holidays; the cycle of Christ's sufferings and the Eucharistic scene in the altar. The preserved structural part of the apsis, where the altar and the synthronon were located, confirms the episcopal character of the church. The very fact that the temple was located in the heart of the old city of Strumica speaks volumes of its great significance and role in spiritual enlightenment.

Data point related to the Seyyid Muhamed Nur Mosque located in Strumica. This element is categorized as Mosque,Religious Building in North Macedonia, and the coordinates are 41.4290 (North), 22.6409 (East). Improve the page of Seyyid Muhamed Nur Mosque, we need your experience as a traveler, culture expert, photographer or local expert to get some information about Seyyid Muhamed Nur Mosque in Strumica, North Macedonia. Currently open to receiveBlog posts which talk about Seyyid Muhamed Nur MosquePictures of Seyyid Muhamed Nur MosqueNews articles about Seyyid Muhamed Nur MosqueVideo related to Seyyid Muhamed Nur MosqueHistorical facts/events about Seyyid Muhamed Nur Mosque

The Yeni Mosque (Macedonian: Јени џамија, Albanian: Jeni Xhamia, Turkish: Yeni Cami) situated in Bitola, North Macedonia, was built in 1558 by Kadi Mahmud-efendi. It is well known for its exquisite decorative ornaments and stalactites. The glazed decorative features found on the Yeni Mosque are the only examples of their kind in the country. Today, this mosque houses an art gallery. Yeni means 'new' in Turkish. According to local legends, the mosque was constructed upon a site where once a church dedicated to St George had existed. This was confirmed in archaeological excavations in 2004-2010 under Gordana Filipovska Lazarovska which unearthed foundations of four basilicas and an older mosque on the foundations the Yeni Mosque was built. The now-standing mosque was constructed during the reign of Sultan Suleyman I in 1558/59 by the order of the judge Mehmed Effendi. Its architecture resembles that of the main mosque of Bitola, the Ishak Celebi mosque and represents a transitional phase between the Early Ottoman Style and the Classical Ottoman style.

The Ishak Çelebi Mosque (Macedonian: Исак џамија, Albanian: Xhamia e Isak Çelebiut, Turkish: İshakiye Camii) is the largest mosque in Bitola, North Macedonia. It is situated along the north bank of the Dragor River. This area was known as Bit-Pazar in the quarter of Emir Bey or Eyne Bey, also known as Ishak Çelebi mahalle. Popularly known as Ishakkiye, this mosque was named after its founder, Judge Ishak Çelebi, son of Isa Fakıh and was built in 1506. The marble plaque and the inscription is written in eight verses divided in eight equal fields. The date is given as a chronogram and is written in Nesih:Help (is coming) in the name of Allah, the Merciful,the Compassionate the old house was beautified by the chronogramHis noble Ishak ibn Isa, may his happiness last,May His honor increase in ParadiseHe built the mosque, fortunately for us.By that he acquired the Omniscient’s mercy.Afterwards, inspired, he dictated a chronogram:He arrived in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the compassionate.