Skopje’s Old Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest marketplaces in the Balkans, with trading activity recorded in the area from at least the twelfth century. It developed most strongly under Ottoman rule, when Skopje became an important commercial centre and the bazaar filled with mosques, inns, shops and hammams. It’s been a bit bruised and dented by the 1555 earthquake, the 1689 fire and 1963 earthquake, but it’s all still there. I’m not sure that it felt entirely historic when walking around, but it was heavily reconstructed after the 1963 earthquake and I’ll meander around some more of it today. Anyway, some photos….
