Maraš Mahala in Prizren (Metohija)

In the next few post I'll put a series of pictures of an extraordinary city in southern Metohija: the city of Prizren. Here a few pictures of Maraš Mahala an old district that should be preserved.

Already known in roman times as the city of Teranda, Prizren was developed between 6th and 9th centuries and can be considered the historical and cultural capital of the Kosovo and Metohija region. After 830 it belonged to the Bulgarian Empire, Byzantin Empire and Serbian Empire.
During the 14th century Serb Emperor Dušan raised the city to an important trading and cultural center that was called Serbian Constantinople.
During the Turkish reign from 1460 to 1912 the town on the river Bistrica develops a new urban structure by shaping its center (carsi) and quarters (mahala) and with constructing monumental Ottoman edifices.





One of this quarters is the Maraš Mahala (Мараш Махала)

Situated in the bend of the river Bistrica, the Maraš area has kept a village identity with its Maksut Paša Mosque, its cemetery, its mill (recently destroyed) and its fountains.



The houses in Prizren belong to the Balkan traditional style of a ground and oreal first floor buildings with carved ceilings, facades painted in bright colours, with neatly arranged gardens and cobblestoned patios through which water gutters passed.



Here a newer part of Maraš area where a river side walk leads to recrational area at the Bistrica River following a line of bars and coffee shops.

(follows....)