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Photo: Nikolina Hristovska, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The museum has a collection of 4,800 artworks, out of which 1,760 are gifts from artists from 61 countries, including Picasso, Aleshinski, Leze, Sulaz, Lui Can, Hartung, Gaitis, Buri, Millares, Kemeni, Kalder, Vasarely, and others. All these artists donated their works to the city after the earthquake in 1963 for the new art museum. The building itself, in the modern style, is a gift from Poland. Around 1,600 works are from Macedonian artists. With all of this, Skopje actually has the most complete and biggest collection of contemporary art in Southeastern Europe. It sits peacefully on the same hill has the fortress, which also makes it a good place for a view of the city.
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Музеј на Македонија
Divided in three departments: Archaeological, Historical, and Ethnological. The ethnological department in particular is worth a visit: it has about 70 original national costumes from different parts of North Macedonia, all decorated with highly stylised patterns. Look for the wedding dress from Mariovo, it weighs 40 kg, and the wig that brides had to wear for a month after their weddings as a symbol of their virginity. Also different customs are explained and there is also a good presentation of traditional architecture through models and photographs. The archaeological section has a rich collection of objects from 5000 BC through the 7th century. The highlights are the Tetovo Menada figurine (from the 6th century BC) and the prehistoric figurines of the Great Mother. Unique are the 6th century terracotta icons from Vinica (icons like this have been found only in Tunisia and North Macedonia). The historic department is not as interesting, but it does present copies of the best frescoes from in North Macedonia (which is good if one is interested in Byzantine art but doesn't have time to travel around). The museum also has a Gallery of Icons, holding icons from the 10th to the 19th centuries, but the Ohrid collection is still much nicer and more valuable.
Мустафа-пашина џамија
Standing on a plateau above the Old Bazaar, this mosque is one of the most beautiful Islamic buildings in Macedonia. It was built in 1492 by Mustafa Pasha, vizier on the court of Sultan Selim I. The mosque is elegant and intact; no additions have been made through the years. It has a dome, a tall minaret, and a three-domed portico. The interior is beautiful, simple, and spacious. The courtyard is quite peaceful and has a türbe (tomb) where the daughter of Mustafa Pasha is buried. The mosque provides good views of the rest of the bazaar.
Џамија Дуќанџик
On the northern periphery of the Old Bazaar is this mosque built in 1550. It features one main dome and then twin domes capping the portico above the main entrance. The mosque has one minaret which mostly survived the 1963, though the rest of the structure did not fare as well. The mosque was reconstructed in 2004.
Стара турска пошта и Вилаетски конак
These neighboring buildings with preserved late Ottoman architecture are located right between the fortress and Mustafa Pasha Mosque. They were built in the 19th century and are yellow-ish in color. The Old Post Office housed the city's first telegraph. Today, it houses International Balkan University. The Vilayet Building was built to house administrative functions in Skopje, which was the capital of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire until its fall in 1912.
Сули-ан
Like the Kapan Han, it was built in the 15th century by Ishak Bey. It is the second-biggest of the three caravansaries and has two floors. It has housed the Old Bazaar Museum since 1983, exhibiting pieces on archaeology, ethnology, fine arts, and history. It is also home to the Arts Faculty of Sts. Cyril and Methodius University.
Куршумли-ан
The Kurşumli Han (Turkish for "Lead Inn") is the largest and the most beautiful of the three remaining Ottoman caravansaries. It was built in 1550 by Mula Musledin Hoca, the son of a scientist on the court of Sultan Selim II. Both the ground and the first floor are made of stone and beautiful arches line the courtyard. The han has two courtyards, the second one was used to house the horses and the goods of the merchants and the guests, while the rooms around the first courtyard both on the ground and the first floor housed the guests. There is a water fountain in the middle of the first courtyard. The roof was covered with lead, and that is how the han got its name. Today, the Kurşumli Han is part of the Museum of Macedonia and houses the lapidary.