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History of the City Fortress in Novi Pazar

Have you ever had the opportunity to visit the Novi Pazar fortress? This building represents a medieval Turkish fortress, built by Isa-beg Isahović in the 15th century, during the founding of Novi Pazar. The fortification was purposely built at the crossroads of caravan roads, which connected Bosnia, Dubrovnik and the southern Adriatic with Constantinople and Thessaloniki. After the Turkish defeat in front of Vienna and the Austrian invasion of Skopje in the 17th century, the Turkish authorities began the extension and fortification of the former building, so that the reconstruction of this fortress continued until 1750. During the reign of Sultan Abdul Aziz in the 19th century, a lot of work was done. Then: 2 new towers, a warehouse for storing weapons and ammunition, a smaller mosque and a new barracks were built.

City Fortress in Novi Pazar - appearance and characteristics
If you decide to visit this important building soon, know that you will find it only partially preserved. There is no longer a mosque located inside the fortress, nor a tower near the northern bastion. Also, the entrance gates, verandas, auxiliary facilities, as well as the Austrian chapel have disappeared. Despite that, the Novi Pazar fortress is worth visiting, since it is an important historical and cultural monument. On the basis of the remains of ramparts, bastions and half-buried trenches, its former appearance can be concluded - the triangular base of the fortress, which was formed by 3 corner bastions, bastions and polygonal bases. What is relatively well preserved is the tower known as the Old Scout or Watchtower. It is located along the northern rampart.

How to get to the fortress?

Novi Pazar Fortress is located in the city center, on the right bank of the river Raska. From Belgrade you can reach this place in less than 4 hours by car (highway A2 and Route 22).
If you can get to Novi Pazar by bus, then you can reach the City Fortress on foot from the bus station, in about 10 minutes of easy walking (across Osmog Marta Street).
If you do not want to get tired, you can also call a taxi service. We recommend Yellow cab maxi taxi: 020 333 333, Alfa taxi: 062 424 242 or ABE taxi: 064 134 2565.

Additional information
The city fortress in Novi Pazar suffered great destruction in numerous wars, but it still stands in the same place, proving its fighting spirit and indomitability. Renovation of the walls and archeological works inside this fortress were carried out in 2013.