IDENTIFICATION OF CULTURAL SITE AND ITS PROTECTED STATUS
Historic-artistic analyses of Cifte Hammam in Skopje
Description of site
Different cultures and spheres of influence crossed paths at the territory of the Republic of Macedonia in the past, which legacies have aroused enormous interest in the academic community. Each has left its marks, both in the material and spiritual culture of the Macedonian people. However, it seems that the five centuries of Ottoman presence (end of 14. – beginning of 20. century) have left a special mark and indelible traces in the physiognomy of villages and cities, which experienced their cultural and economic growth in that period. This is a period when a number of buildings of profane and sacral character were built in order to meet the needs of the Muslim population, as a reflection of the cultural and artistic aspirations and opportunities in certain periods. The construction of Ottoman buildings reached its peak in the 15.-16. centuries, when a number of mosques, hammams, roofed bazaars, inns, palaces and other buildings were constructed, magnificent in their beauty and architecture.
The Cifte Hammam is located in the middle of the Old Skopje Bazaar, near the Bezisten, Suli and Murat Pasha Mosque. It was built in mid-15 century and is the second-largest hammam in Skopje from that period. It was built by the third regional leader Isa Bey, stated as patronage in the book of the Isa Bey mosque in 1531. In the records of the renowned writers of travels Evliya Celebi, the Cifte Hammam is also called “a new hammam”.