Skopje clock tower
The Clock Tower of Skopje ( Macedonian Саат-кула , Turkish Saat Kulesi , Albanian Kulla e Sahatit ) is a six-story clock tower in the Macedonian capital Skopje . The building, built between 1566 and 1573, is located in the city center in the immediate vicinity of the Sultan Murad Mosque and the Ishak Bey Türbe .
The clockwork comes from the Hungarian city of Szeged . After it was conquered by the Ottomans , it was brought to Skopje. The tower was built on the foundations of an early medieval defense tower . Originally the clock tower was a wooden structure , which was later replaced by a brick structure . The Skopje clock tower can be found in the reports of many travelers, including Hajji Kalfa and Evliya Çelebi .
The tower was badly damaged in a fire in 1689. In 1902 and 1903 the wooden roof of the tower was replaced by roof tiles from Thessaloniki , and the clockwork was also replaced by a newer one from Switzerland .
The clock tower was severely damaged again in the strong earthquake of 1963. It was later restored, but without the clockwork.
Photo gallery
The clock tower with the adjacent Sultan Murad Mosque.
The clock tower on an Ottoman postcard from before 1913.
Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 0 ′ 5 " N , 21 ° 26 ′ 29.6" E