Tetovo

The Albanian minority of Macedonia is the majority in Tetovo. As a consequence, several mosques can be found in the city besides the usual churches.

One of the most beautiful mosques in Macedonia is the Sarena Mosque, also called Colorful Mosque, Painted Mosque, Pasha Djamija (Prince’s Mosque) or Motley Mosque. Allegedly 30,000 eggs were used to produce the paint. The mosque was built in 1459 and the two women who paid for it are buried in a turbe (grave) on the site. The mosque was renovated in 1833 and 1991.

The bath house (aman) on the other site of the river Pena used to be part of the complex of the Sarena Mosque. The bath house now houses the Tetovo Art Gallery.

Just about 100m from the Sarena Mosque you will find this old stone bridge over the river Pena.

 Arabati Baba Tekke

A bit further south-east there is the Arabati Baba Bektashi Tekke (N42° 00′ 14.2″ E20° 57′ 25.0″). A tekke is the Muslim equivalent of a monastery. It is considered one of the best conserved tekkes in Europe. The present structure is from the late 18th century but the site dates back to 1538. It is a walled complex with an impressive gate. A nice place to to escape the busy traffic of Tetovo for a moment, although part of the complex seemed to be used as a car parking.

On a hill above Tetovo is an old Ottoman fortress (kale) from the year 1820. It is not so well known as the Kale Fortress in Skopje or Tsar Samoil’s fortress in Ohrid, and it is certainly in a worse state. But efforts are undertaken to renovate the fortress. At the moment of visiting (August 2009), a museum was being build on the site, which should be finished by now. The fortress and the mosque that used to be there were damaged in the 1912-1913 Balkan Wars. There used to be a tunnel system leading to the Ottoman houses in the town, allowing the defenders of the fortress to get behind enemy lines if the kale was besieged. There’s also a little shop that sells drinks on the site.

Quite typical are the walled houses that you can find in Tetovo.

The Church of St Nikola is found in the north-west part of Tetovo, north of the river Pena and on the way to the village Lavce and the Tetovo Kale Fortress.

The Church of St Bogorodica lies in the north-west part of Tetovo, south of the river Pena.

While you are in Tetovo, do not miss the Monastery of Leshok. Leshok is a village a few kilometers northeast of Tetovo.

The nearby mountain village and ski-resort Popova Shapka, 30 minutes driving from Tetovo, offers good hiking possibilities.