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Photo: Oliver the Macedonian1, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
The Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia, formerly and still unofficially known as the Museum of Macedonia, is a national institution in Macedonia and one of the oldest museums in the country. It is located in the Old Bazaar in Skopje, near the Skopje Fortress. The Museum of the Republic of Macedonia was created by joining three museums in one. The three museums that were unified were the archaeological, historical and ethnological museum, of which the archaeological museum was the oldest one; it was opened in 1924 and that date is considered as an establishing date of the national museum. During the existence of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, the museum was known as People's Museum of Macedonia.
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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.
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.
Безистен
The most precious goods, like silk, spices, jewelry and perfumes were sold in the bedesten, a covered market within the Old Bazaar with gates which were closed in the evenings so the goods would be protected. Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, who visited Skopje during the 17th century, wrote that only Damascus had a bigger and more beautiful bedesten than Skopje's at the time. The first market here was built in the 15th century, but, after various fires and disasters, it got its present appearance in 1899. It is now smaller but still has plenty of atmosphere. It has five short streets, small shops, and four gates.
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.
Црква „Св. Спас“
The most important church in central Skopje. The church is small and has a pleasant courtyard which contains the sarcophagus of North Macedonia's greatest national hero, Goce Delčev. There is a small museum about him in the buildings around the courtyard. The Ottoman Turks usually didn’t permit the building of new churches during their occupation, but as the empire weakened in the 18th century they began issuing permits to appease the population. However, there were many rules to be followed: the exterior had to be without decorations and the floor of the church had to be at least one meter below ground so the church wouldn’t dominate the city skyline. St Saviour Church is example of one of these churches. It was built in the early 1800s on the site of a church destroyed in the 1689 fire (upon entering, on the right are remains of the frescoes and the level of the earlier church). While the exterior is rather simple, the church is famous for its interior and wood carving. The iconostasis is the work of Petre Filipovski-Garkata and Marko and Makarie Frčkovski, the best woodworking artists in the 19th century in North Macedonia. The beauty of it is that it is a deep wood carving from whole wood boards (the figures are not attached to each other), and it is not covered with golden paint, as it is tradition in Orthodox churches, so the game of light and dark shades is quite dramatic. The iconostasis was made from 1819 to 1824 and is 10 m long and 7 m tall. There are scenes from the Old and New testaments. The figurines are each 7 cm tall. Look for the creation of Adam and Eve on one of the columns next to the doors of the altar and the dance of Salome, where she dances for king Irod so he would give her the head of St John the Baptist. On the far right are self-portraits of the artists, presented as they are working on the iconostasis. The icons are some of the best of the Byzantine revival.