Day Trip to Prizren

Yesterday the entire MU group took a day trip to Prizren. This old city is known for its small businesses, museums, and historical monuments. Our first stop of the day was the Prizren Castle. Below you can see the view from this former Ottoman castle that sits on top of the hill to rule all of Prizren. We hiked up the mountain on an almost-paved path that gets almost 45 degrees at some points. Once we finally stood atop the destroyed walls the view almost knocked us off the edge. The pictures can do the describing for me…

The Prizren Castle overlooking the city.

Walking up to the castle.

The view from a guard tower. See other views in the gallery below.

Our next stop was the League of Prizren Museum. The museum was once Albanian homes but they were destroyed by NATO bombings in 1999. They were finally restored to as close to their original condition as possible. (I was not allowed to photograph)

Third was a famous Turkish Hamam. A hamam is a public bath, and this one was the most famous in Prizren. It was under construction to restore it, but we all got a good feeling of what it was once like. The innovation from the 1400s is unbelievable. We were able to see the tunnels that ran under the large bath that allowed steam to travel through and heat the bath. Google “Turkish Hamam” to get a feel of what it was like.

Next we stopped at the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the most important of all mosques in Prizren. It was the first mosque I have ever been in so it was exciting for me. The girls covered their hair and we all took off our shoes as we were blown away by the beauty. Prayer had just gotten out, so we got to see some locals doing their daily rituals. The mosque was built by the Ottomans with eggs and goat skin. The building was the biggest of its kind during the time it was built, and in order to achieve that feat the walls were built 2 meters thick. The pictures below show some of its beauty.

50+ windows line the walls and ceiling.

The separate worshiping area for the women is because of the pure, clean focus that needs to be achieved within the mosque. The segregation still raises some questions in my mind about how, in some ways humans are stuck in the traditions of hundreds of years ago.

The dome ceiling.

We finished the day by stopping at a Saraçhane Tekke. Basically this is a place for a denomination of Islam called Soshi to worship. Unfortunately we were not allowed in, but we got a feel from the outside. We got a view of the outside fountain as sen below.

A local Albanian man peers through a window of the Tekke. Inside this particular window is the mausoleum where bodies of the most important Tekke leaders rest. He struggled on his cain across the city to get just one peek of people so important to both his history and his religion.

All in all, besides the flash rain storm, the day was fun. We got to see this historic city all day and explore every nook and cranny. During our free time we did things such as explore the cobblestone streets and get a horse and carriage ride through the city. See all the pictures from the day in the gallery below, or in my photography tab.

 

Walking up to the castle.

The view from a guard tower. See other views in the gallery below.

The separate worshiping area for the women is because of the pure, clean focus that needs to be achieved within the mosque. The segregation still raises some questions in my mind about how, in some ways humans are stuck in the traditions of hundreds of years ago.

The dome ceiling.

50+ windows line the walls and ceiling.

A local Albanian man peers through a window of the Tekke. Inside this particular window is the mausoleum where bodies of the most important Tekke leaders rest. He struggled on his cain across the city to get just one peek of people so important to both his history and his religion.

The Prizren Castle overlooking the city.