Turkish influence brings a beautiful touch of history
August 19, 2007
There isn't much to see in Skopje. The city has a run down feel, with the parks overgrown and rubbish strewn along the sidewalk. People are friendly though and life is bubbles through in unexpected corners.
The first place we came to was an ancient Turkish bath, which now houses the art museum. It has been converted beautifully, so you can still appreciate the high domed roof and latticeworks, while plain white walls show off the art to its best effect. The exhibits are mainly modern art and sculpture, but there is also a room given over to portraits and one to religious icons. The wonderfull surprise you get is walking into the first room, and thinking you have seen the collection, before spying a door through to another room, opening out into another grand space, and then another doorway and another still. The maze of hidden rooms, typical of Islamic architecture, is as much a delight to discover as the art itself.
After visiting the museum we wondered through the cobbled streets of the Turkish quarter, a welcome relief to the eyes from the grey buildings elsewhere in the city. This leads into the colouful food market, where red tomatoes, dark purple aubergines, green coriander and okra, pale peppers, white home made cheese serverd from buckets and much more are fussed over by market stall owners and appraised by shoppers. It was all wonderful and fresh, and made us both feel hungry.
Walking back to the car, we also passed the amazing post office building. I think I like it becuase it is so ugly. Finished in a dark golden stoneblast , with dark reflective windows and beams out the top like arms, it looks like some strange insect. Wonderful and awful at the same time - maybe a bit like Skopje itself?
The first place we came to was an ancient Turkish bath, which now houses the art museum. It has been converted beautifully, so you can still appreciate the high domed roof and latticeworks, while plain white walls show off the art to its best effect. The exhibits are mainly modern art and sculpture, but there is also a room given over to portraits and one to religious icons. The wonderfull surprise you get is walking into the first room, and thinking you have seen the collection, before spying a door through to another room, opening out into another grand space, and then another doorway and another still. The maze of hidden rooms, typical of Islamic architecture, is as much a delight to discover as the art itself.
After visiting the museum we wondered through the cobbled streets of the Turkish quarter, a welcome relief to the eyes from the grey buildings elsewhere in the city. This leads into the colouful food market, where red tomatoes, dark purple aubergines, green coriander and okra, pale peppers, white home made cheese serverd from buckets and much more are fussed over by market stall owners and appraised by shoppers. It was all wonderful and fresh, and made us both feel hungry.
Walking back to the car, we also passed the amazing post office building. I think I like it becuase it is so ugly. Finished in a dark golden stoneblast , with dark reflective windows and beams out the top like arms, it looks like some strange insect. Wonderful and awful at the same time - maybe a bit like Skopje itself?
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