View source for Old Bazaar, Bitola

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
[[File:Стара чаршија,Битола. 06.jpg|thumb|280px|Streets and shops in the Old Bazaar]]
[[File:Хамам Дебој (Битола).jpg|thumb|280px|The Deboj Hamam]]
The '''Old Bazaar''' ({{langx|mk|Стара чаршија|''Stara čaršija''}}) is a [[bazaar]] located in [[Bitola]], [[North Macedonia]], situated on the northern bank of the [[Dragor River]] in the centre of the city. The bazaar has served as a centre of trade activity for Bitola since the 15th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bitola |author=Jordan Tasevski |publisher=Naša Kniga |year=1970 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozbsAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0+%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0 |page=77 }}</ref> As the third-most important European city in the mid-19th century [[Ottoman Empire]] after Istanbul and Thessaloniki, Bitola had over 2,000 shops with roughly 140 different crafts and professions present.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HpuAAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0+%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0 |title=Folklore macédonien |page=24 |date= 7 October 2008 |publisher=Folklore Institute }}</ref>
The bazaar in its entirety is listed as an Object of Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, while several houses, commercial buildings, mosques, and [[hamam]]s within it are also listed individually.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kultura.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NACIONALEN_REGISTAR_NA_OBJEKTI_KOI_SE_ZASTITENO_KULT_NASLEDSTVO_31122012-3.doc |publisher=Ministry of Culture |year=2012 |title=Национален регистар на објекти кои се заштитно културно наследство |page=1 }}</ref>
==Landmarks==
===Bezisten===
Opposite the [[Clock Tower (Bitola)|Clock Tower]] across the Dragor River, the [[bedesten|bezisten]] is a covered market. Built with the appearance of a fortress, it housed a variety of shops and the studios of the prominent artists of the city.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bitola: Dejstvoto na osnovnite faktori vrz opštestveno-ekonomskiot razvitok |year=1971 |author=Trajče Grujoski |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjwEAAAAMAAJ }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Bitola |author=Jordan Tasevski |publisher=Naša Kniga |year=1970 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozbsAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD |page=21 }}</ref>
===Deboj Hamam===
The Deboj Hamam was built in the 17th or early 18th century. It consists of two main rooms. The hamam was later used as a warehouse for various goods.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bitola |author=Jordan Tasevski |publisher=Naša Kniga |year=1970 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozbsAAAAMAAJ&q=%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0+%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0 |page=75 }}</ref>
===Gazi Hajdar Kadi Mosque===
{{main|Gazi Hajdar Kadi Mosque}}
North of the present boundary of the Old Bazaar, the Gazi Hajdar Kadi Mosque was built in 1561. It features a main dome, a portico capped by three cupolas, and one minaret.
===Ishak Çelebi Mosque===
{{main|Ishak Çelebi Mosque}}
On the western end of the bazaar, the Ishak Çelebi Mosque is across the street from the bezisten. Built in 1506, it is the largest mosque in Bitola.
===Kerim Bey Hamam===
Also known simply as the Old Turkish Hamam, water was brought in from the Dragor with pipes and was heated with wood. Prior to World War II, it was primarily used by the [[History of the Jews in Monastir|Jews of Bitola]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Турската бања во Битола пропаѓа, државата не инвестира |url=https://archive.today/20130703032119/http://www.utrinski.com.mk/?ItemID=E9C606782E06B4498784F81EB9202603#selection-821.0-865.408 |date=3 June 2008 }}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Bitola}}
[[Category:Bitola]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Bitola]]
[[Category:Bazaars in North Macedonia]]