The Yeni Mosque (, , ) situated in
Bitola
Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, was built in 1558 by
Kadi Mahmud-efendi.
It is well known for its exquisite decorative ornaments and stalactites. The glazed decorative features found on the Yeni Mosque are the only examples of their kind in the country. Today, this mosque houses an art gallery.
''Yeni'' means "new" in
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
* Something related to Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire
* The w ...
.
History
According to local legends, the mosque was constructed upon a site where once a church dedicated to
St George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...
had existed.
This was confirmed in archaeological excavations in 2004-2010 under Gordana Filipovska Lazarovska which unearthed foundations of four
basilicas
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East ...
and an older mosque on the foundations the Yeni Mosque was built.
The now-standing mosque was constructed during the reign of
Sultan Suleyman I in 1558/59 by the order of the judge Mehmed Effendi. Its architecture resembles that of the main mosque of Bitola, the
Ishak Celebi mosque and represents a transitional phase between the Early Ottoman Style and the Classical Ottoman style.
See also
*
Mustapha Pasha Mosque
Mustafa Pasha Mosque (; ; ) is an Ottoman-era mosque located in the Old Bazaar of Skopje, North Macedonia.
History
The structure stands on a plateau above the old bazaar, built in 1492 by Çoban Mustafa Pasha, who later became vizier on the cour ...
References
Ottoman mosques in North Macedonia
Buildings and structures in Bitola
Tourist attractions in Bitola
Mosques completed in the 1550s
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1558
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