Saraj ( mk, , sq, Saraj) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
, the capital of the
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
.
* ''
Saraj'', which means "palace" in
Turkish, is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found.
** It is a rural municipality and it is not part of the urban core of Skopje proper.
Geography
Saraj borders
*
Jegunovce Municipality
Jegunovce ( mk, , sq, Jegunoc) is a municipality in the northwest of North Macedonia. '' Jegunovce'' is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. Jegunovce Municipality is part of the Polog Statistical Region.
Geography
...
to the northwest,
*
Želino Municipality
Želino ( mk, , sq, Zhelinë) is a municipality in the northwestern part of North Macedonia. ''Želino'' is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. This municipality is part of the Polog Statistical Region.
Geography
Th ...
to the southwest,
*
Sopište Municipality
Sopište ( mk, , sq, Sopisht) is a municipality in the northern part of North Macedonia. '' Sopište'' is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. It is located in the Skopje Statistical Region.
Geography
The municipalit ...
to the south,
*
Karpoš Municipality
Karpoš Municipality ( mk, ) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Geography
Karpoš borders
* Saraj Municipality and Ǵorče Petrov Municipality to the west,
* Čuč ...
and
Ǵorče Petrov Municipality to the east, and
*
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
to the north.
History
In the early 2000s municipal boundaries within Macedonia in some areas were redrawn.
During difficult negotiations the governing Macedonian
Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
(SDSM) gave in to the request of its Albanian coalition partner that wanted
Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
within
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
to surpass the 20% population mark by attaching two rural Albanian inhabited municipalities, Saraj and Kondovo.
The municipalities attachment to the capital city raised the Albanian population from 15.30% to 20.49%.
The change was seen as an important win among Albanians, while
Macedonians were concerned with a more visible Albanian presence in Skopje and the increasing fragmentation of the urban population based on ethnicity.
Demographics
According to the last national census from 2021, Saraj has 38,399 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups in the municipality include:
*Albanians = 34,586 (90.1%)
*Macedonians = 1,005 (2.6%)
*Bosniaks = 1,043 (2.6%)
*others.
Inhabited places
There are 23 inhabited places in this municipality.
Twin towns
Twin municipalities
*
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...
,
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
Komuna e Sarajit binjakëzim me komunën turke Uskudar
, INA, 2012-06-01 (in Albanian)
* Kırşehir
Kırşehir, formerly Mocissus ( grc, Μωκισσός) and Justinianopolis (Ἰουστινιανούπολις), is a city in Turkey. It is the capital district of the Kırşehir Province. According to the 2000 census, the population of the distri ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Municipalities of North Macedonia
Municipalities of Skopje
Albanian communities in North Macedonia