Ishak Mosque - Bitola
Ishak Mosque, or also known as Ishakia, today is considered the most beautiful mosque in Bitola. This still active mosque is located on the left side of the river Dragor and together with the Yeni mosque and the Clock Tower determined the core, the center of Ottoman Bitola.
The founder of the mosque is the Bitola “qadi” (judge in Islam) Isak Celebi Ibni Asa, who was previously a qadi in Thessaloniki. It was built in 1508/1509, and according to the preserved records, the founder in Bitola built a mosque, a madrasa, a mekteb, 20 mills and 103 shops whose income was intended for the maintenance of this large waqf.
The mosque has a dome about 20 meters high and a minaret of 45 meters. Although with its dimensions similar to the Yeni mosque, it is a monumental object with imposing construction and volumes, it is still a temple of spiritual retreat, i.e it is a temple that was more dedicated to the literary interpretations of the Qur’an by dervishes and religious people than the Yeni mosque which was mosque of mass visits and religious rituals in the context of the daily life of the population.
From the former Turkish cemetery that was located around the mosque, several tombstones are visible today, as well as the tomb of the founder who died in 1512.
