Gönül (Gunjul) Bektas

This article examines the period of modernization of the city of Skopje
located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula following the 1839 Declaration
of Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire. The focus is on Skopje’s
advances and transformations since that time. Effort was made to
determine how and to what extent the urban texture of Skopje might
have changed under migratory, historical, socio-economic influences and
political structure, and by evaluating the scalable plans that had been
developed at different time periods.
Some of the developments in socialization and urbanization in the city
of Skopje appear to have started in the 18th Century prior to the Ottoman
Reforms.
The development of Skopje continued until mid-19th Century as its
population increased, and it became a center of attraction from social and
economics viewpoints.
With the Ottoman declaration of the Reform Edict (1856) following the
Crimean War (1856), Skopje received increasing requests from various
European markets, which promoted the livelihood in the city to a great
extent, thus starting a new era. Over roughly a 20-year period, very
important initiatives were implemented, such as the establishment of a
contemporary municipality, a telegraph system, a railroad line, and the
appearance of new types of buildings and activities. In addition, very
important steps were taken to promote modernization.
The Bosnian Crisis of 1875 and the 1876-1878 Ottoman – Russia War have
led to restlessness in the region and slowing down of trade, leading to
waves of migration from the lost lands toward the city of Skopje. The
flux of new migrants led to the opening of new settlement areas and new
residential districts, emerging as novel modifying elements in the city’s
texture and living style.
The most significant change in the city took place in 1888, when the City of
Skopje became the capital of the Province of Kosovo. Under the guidance
of two successful administrators, expansive construction projects were
completed involving roads, bridges, imposing new buildings for military,
legal, social, cultural, economics and religious use.
The city of Skopje as the capital of an Ottoman province located in a
sensitive region has clearly benefited to a significant extent from the
constructional development initiatives of the Empire aimed at developing
the region.
The changes in Skopje’s physical structure continued until the Ottoman
Empire abandoned the city in 1912.

MODERNIZATION OF A RUMELIAN CITY: SKOPJE 1839-1912

This article examines the period of modernization of the city of Skopje located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula following the 1839 Declaration of Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire. The focus is on Skopje’s advances and transformations since that time. Effort was made to determine how and to what extent the urban texture of Skopje might have changed under migratory, historical, socio-economic influences and political structure, and by evaluating the scalable plans that had been
developed at different time periods.
Some of the developments in socialization and urbanization in the city of Skopje appear to have started in the 18th Century prior to the Ottoman Reforms. The development of Skopje continued until mid-19th Century as its population increased, and it became a center of attraction from social and economics viewpoints.
With the Ottoman declaration of the Reform Edict (1856) following the Crimean War (1856), Skopje received increasing requests from various European markets, which promoted the livelihood in the city to a great extent, thus starting a new era. Over roughly a 20-year period, very important initiatives were implemented, such as the establishment of a contemporary municipality, a telegraph system, a railroad line, and the appearance of new types of buildings and activities. In addition, very important steps were taken to promote modernization.
The Bosnian Crisis of 1875 and the 1876-1878 Ottoman – Russia War have led to restlessness in the region and slowing down of trade, leading to waves of migration from the lost lands toward the city of Skopje. The flux of new migrants led to the opening of new settlement areas and new residential districts, emerging as novel modifying elements in the city’s texture and living style. The most significant change in the city took place in 1888, when the City of Skopje became the capital of the Province of Kosovo. Under the guidance of two successful administrators, expansive construction projects were completed involving roads, bridges, imposing new buildings for military, legal, social, cultural, economics and religious use.
The city of Skopje as the capital of an Ottoman province located in a sensitive region has clearly benefited to a significant extent from the constructional development initiatives of the Empire aimed at developing the region. The changes in Skopje’s physical structure continued until the Ottoman Empire abandoned the city in 1912.

The object of this study is the establishment of the Skopje Ottoman Theatre in 1906, an event not even many people of Skopje know about. At the beginning of the 20th century, at a time when the power of the Ottoman government was weakening, Mahmut Sevket Pasa-governor of Skopje with a few select intellectuals, built a theatre. At that time, the theatre, its building, its design, as well as theatrical concepts, all represented a novel introduction of Westernisation to city life. Considering the rate of literacy of the period and believing that a theatre could be used as an effective means of communication for societal and cultural change, the bureaucratic elite initiated the foundation of the Ottoman theatre. The capacity of the theatre was 700 people. It was made with limited funds, so that there were no unnecessary decorations: it was a traditional wooden structure, representative of its time, yet also a modern building. There are no similar buildings of that category known to have been built in the Empire at that time. When the Skopje theatre started functioning in 1906, it hosted performances of various travelling groups and of schools in the area, as well as choir concerts and film viewings. Because the audience floor was level, the theatre was also used to hold balls and various spetial functions of foreign consulates. Plays by well-known Istanbul troupes such as Mınakyan, Seferiyan and Ahmet Fehmi, writers like Semsettin Sami Bey, and famous actor Burhaneddin  Bey were put on. The pupils of the Skopje High School performed Namık Kemal's "Fatherland", a play that had previously been banned for a long time.
With the support of the central Ottoman administration and with longterm vision, the Turks living in Macedonia created a theatre that allowed Turks, Macedonians and other peoples to come together and interact, without discrimination and regardlessof social and cultural status.