Abstract:

Macedonia, a region in the Balkans, became a part of the Ottoman administration in the second half of the XIVth century. The Ottoman rule on Macedonian lands continued until the Balkan Wars . In 550 years of time, the Ottoman administration, on the one hand, constructed numerous mosques, schools, madrasahs, hammams, fountains and bridges, thus contributing to the Turkish architectural culture across the Macedonian lands. On the other hand, the Ottomans intensified the Turkish identity and presence at various levels across Macedonia by resettling Yoruk Turkmen communities living in different parts of Anatolia. In fact, lands of Macedonia that formed one of the primary parts of the political and cultural geography of the Ottoman Empire kept constituting one of inseparable parts of the Turkish cultural geography after the Balkan Wars. This study reflects upon various aspects of the Muslim Turkish culture in Macedonia from the Ottoman times till this day

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