Skopje Walks

Stands on the highest hill in the Skopje valley and offers great views over the city. The oldest section of the fortress is within the present-day fortifications. It was built in the Opus Quadrum style (huge stone blocks on the outside and small stones inside) by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I who was born in the village of Tauresium near Skopje. After the great earthquake of 518 when ancient Scupi was destroyed, Justinian decided to build Justiniana Prima on the site of present day Skopje. However, most of the present day fortifications originate from the 10th and 13th centuries. It was reinforced during the Turkish rule when the number of towers was up to 70 (today there are just a few standing) and the fortress went down to the river. The small gate from the side of the Old Bazaar is the only gate still standing and it was built in 1446. There are active excavations taking place within the fortress.

At the entrance from Centar to the Old Town. Across the Stone Bridge from Macedonia Square and the colossal statue and fountain of Alexander the Great, Karpoš's Rebellion Square has an equally massive statue and fountain of Philip II. Having received a major facelift in the Skopje 2014 project, it also now contains many monuments. Smaller monuments include those of Sts. Naum and Clement of Ohrid, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, "Horses", "Lions", and "Mothers of Macedonia."

The centerpiece of the square is a 15-m (49-ft) statue of Philip II placed on top of a 13-m (43-ft) pedestal. The figure raises a clenched fists in the air toward the monument of his son across the river.

This church has been in existence since perhaps the 17th century, but got its present appearance after a renovation in 1896. The church also has a bell tower beside it. In 2012, it received media attention after the frescoes inside reportedly returned perfectly to their original colour miraculously.

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.

Skopje’s clock tower, built in 1572, was the first in the entire Ottoman Empire, showing the importance of Skopje as a trading center. It takes 105 steps to reach the top of the hexagonal tower. It has more Islamic appearance than most other clock towers in North Macedonia. The clock on the clock tower was brought from Szeged, Hungary but it disappeared during the chaos after the 1963 earthquake and today is in a clock museum in Switzerland. It is located near the Sultan Murat Mosque.