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Bitola (Macedonian Битола, Bulgarian Битоля, Albanian Manastir, Turkish Manastır, Greek Μοναστήρι, Serbian Bitolj/Битољ) is a city in Republic of Macedonia. It is located in the southwest part of the country and is close to the border with Greece.

The Slavic names of the town are transliterated from a Cyrillic alphabet and pronunciation with no analogues in English, and so have been variously rendered as Bitola (from the Macedonian).

Bitola is the second largest city in Macedonia and is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia Valley. The city is dispersed along the banks of the Dragor river at an altitude of 2,019 ft (615 m) above sea level under Baba Mountain. Spreading on an area of 1,798 sq. km. and with a population of 122,173 (1991), Bitola is an important industrial, agricultural, commercial, educational, and cultural center.

Bitola is an important junction that connects the South of the Adriatic Sea with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe, and is located only few miles from the Greek frontier border.

Baba Mountain overlooks Bitola from the east. Its magnificent Mount Pelister (2601 m) is a national park with exquisite flora and fauna, and a well-known ski resort.

The second Macedonian university is located here. Bitola has one of the oldest and most prestigious theaters in the country.

Traditionally a strong trading center, Bitola is also known as the city of the consuls. At one time during the Ottoman rule, Bitola had consulates from twelve countries. During the same period, there were a number of prestigious schools in the city including a military academy that, among others, was attended by the famous Turkish reformer Kemal Ataturk. Bitola was also the headquarter of many cultural organizations that were established at that time.

History

It was known in ancient times as Heraclea Lyncestis, which was said to have been founded by Philip II of Macedon. It continued with its prominance and was a major city in the Roman Balkans, lying as it did on the Via Egnatia. During Byzantine times it was known by the Greek name Monastiri (monastery). In the 6th and 7th centuries the region around Bitola experienced a demographic shift as more and more Slavic tribes settled in the area. The name of the city since then has been reported in many sources as Obitel (Old Bulgarian word meaning a monastery), Bitel, Bitolia and Bitola. The city was one of the residences of the Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria who had a palace in the city.

In 1395 Bitola was captured by the Ottomans, who turned the city into a major military and commercial center. It later became the terminus of a major railway line and the largest city in western Macedonia. It was also a key city in the Ottoman Empire's Balkan provinces After the Expulsion of 1492, Spanish-speaking Jews arrived in waves from the Iberian peninsula, (Spain and Portugal) and other lands influenced by the Inquisition.

The city has a very influential place in the history of Albania. On 14 November 1908 Albanian linguists called the Congress of the Alphabet where the present day Albanian alphabet was determied for use. The host city for the congress was chosen to be Bitola. In that time, the Club Of Manastir was charged to create the Federation of the Albanian Clubs of Albania and the diaspora.

Bitola was also a key city in the movement for independence of Albania. The "Bashkimi" (Unity) Society was based in the city. Bitola was at the time the designated city for printing and publishing of Albanian literature, curicullum texts and press.

Due to the outomes of the Congress of London of 1913, Great Powers, with enormous pressure from Russia, annexed the city together with the current West Macedonia to Serbia.

Bitola is the second largest city in the country. It is located 169 km from the capital Skopje and from the nearby city Prilep, which is just 41 km away, while Ohrid is 66 km away. The city lies on an altitude of 600 meters above the sea level, at the foothills of the mountain Baba and it has 80,386 inhabitants, while the entire Bitola municipality counts over 100,000 people. It is the regional, economic and university center of the south-western part of the Republic of Macedonia.

Today's city was founded after the arrival of the Slavs in these areas, near the ancient city of Heraklea Lynkestis. Because of the numerous churches and monasteries which existed in the city, and its surrounding, the city was named Obitel, which is the origin of the present name, Bitola. During the reign of Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria, the city was included within the Bulgarian state and was the seat of Bitola's bishop. From this period originates the first written record of Bitola, from 1014, when the city was first mentioned in the historical sources. Until the conquest of the Turks, Bitola represented a significant center of trade in Pelagonia. After 1382, the city fell under Turkish rule. It retained its role as a developed trading center for goods from Greece, Albania and the surrounding locations. It also became an important Islamic religious center, and a religious high school existed in the city, until the end of the 17th century. According to the notes of the writer Evliya Çelebi, in this period in the city 70 mosques, several cafe-tea rooms, bezisten (old turkish market) with iron gates, and 900 shops were built. Bitola exceeded the attractions of Skopje, with the developed trade, the beauty of the river Dragor, and its green areas.

After the Austrian-Turkish wars, together with the other Macedonian cities, the trade development and the overall thriving of the city was stifled. In the second half of the 19th century, however, again, it became the biggest city in Macedonia, after Thessalonica and resumed the role as the main center for trade. The shops were filled with goods from Leipzig, Paris, Vienna, London and many of other European cities. The city is also known as "city of consuls", because Bitola used to be a diplomatic center with 12 consuls during the period 1878-1913. In 1913 Serbian forces occupied Bitola (Manastir) and incorporated it into Serbia.

Historical buildings

The Ajdar-kadi (Turkish judge) mosque is one of the most attractive monuments of the Islamic architecture in Bitola. It was built in 1561-1562, as the project of the famous architect Mimar Sinan, ordered by the Bitola kadija Ajdar-kadi. The mosque was abandoned and over time, it was heavily damaged, but, the recent restoration and conservation works, have restored, to a certain extent, the original appearance to the mosque.

The Jeni mosque is located in the centre of the city. It has a square base, topped with a cupola. Near the mosque there is a minaret, 40m high. Today, in the rooms of this mosque are permanent and temporary art exhibitions are held.

The Ishak mosque is the inheritance of the famous kadi Ishak Çelebi. In the spacious yard of the mosque, there are several tombs, attractive because of the soft, molded shapes of the sarcophagi.

The Bezisten (the old Turkish market) is mentioned in another description of the city from the 16th and the 17th century. The present Bezisten in external appearance does not differ much from the original one. The Bezisten had 86 shops and 4 large iron gates. The shops were used for selling textiles, and today they are being used for selling food products.

The Bath Deboj (Turkish bath=hamam). The period of construction is not known. This hamam over time was heavily destroyed, but, after the repairs were made it regained its original appearance: beautiful facade, two large cupolas and several minor ones.

Bitola (After the Ottoman dominion)

Many important events in Macedonian and Balkan history took place in and around in Bitola. The first motion picture made in the Balkans was recorded by two Vlachs, the Manaki brothers in Bitola in 1903. In their honor a yearly Balkan film festival "Kamera 300" is held every year in Bitola. Throughout its history, Bitola was a key economic center in this part of the Balkans. In 1945 the first Gymnasium using the Macedonian language was opened here.

Bitola is the main economical and industrial center in the western part of Macedonia. Many of the largest companies (such as : REK, IMB, Kvasara, Shekerana, .. ) in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are situated in this city.

Also, Bitola is the main cultural centar in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with many theatres, music festivals, country music groups, and film festivals. The most important events are the Bitola Cultural Summer ", "Mal Bitolski Monmantr", and "Braka Manaki". The name "Bitola" comes from the old slavonic word "Obitel" which means monastery.

External links

• Bitola Municipality Official Page
• Radio Stari Kraj Macedonia
• Bitola Babam Bitola

• Cities in the Republic of Macedonia