The stone minaret
Six centuries old.
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The Çarshi Mosque, the «Bazaar Mosque», also known as the Stone Mosque, is the oldest building in Pristina and marks the start of the old town. Its foundations were laid in 1389 under Sultan Bayezid I, and building continued under Sultan Murad II in the 15th century. It is a fine example of early Ottoman architecture in Kosovo, with a classic square plan: a prayer hall under a dome, a portico and a minaret. Light enters through windows on three levels, and the slim, polygonal minaret is built of regular rectangular stones from base to tip; it has stood for more than six centuries and gave the mosque its nickname. A restoration in 2011 reopened its formerly enclosed portico, now crowned by three small domes. Beside it stands the Shadërvan, a marble fountain that is the only one left in the city of more than fifty that once supplied water for drinking and ablutions. It is an active mosque that welcomes visitors outside prayer times: dress modestly, women cover their hair, and shoes come off at the door.
Six centuries old.
Three small domes.
The ablution fountain.
Start of the old town, near the Kosovo Museum, Pristina
Kosovo MuseumThe Kosovo Museum is the national museum and the largest in the country, set in 1 minute walk4.1
Imperial MosqueThe Imperial Mosque, also called the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Mosque or King's Mosque3 minutes walk4.9
Ethnological MuseumThe Ethnological Museum is housed in the Emin Gjiku complex, an 18th-century Ott4 minutes walk4.0
National Library of KosovoThe National Library of Kosovo is one of the strangest-looking and most photogra12 minutes walk4.5Because its minaret is built of regular stone blocks from base to tip and has stood for more than six centuries.