Havzi Pasha's Konaks

In the first half of the XIX century, Hivzi Pasha was thee rule (nazir) of the Skopje Sanjak. He built a çiftlik (ranch) – ‘Bardovci’ with lodgings and a village settlement, probably between 1824 - 1845, while on duty. The konak was a special settlement organized for the master's and his whole family’s life, alongside with the staff and all necessities to match the way of life and social status he enjoyed. The konaks in Bardovci were for resting and enjoyment, whereas the konaks on Skopje's Kale served as an administrative center. The buildings of the complex were fenced with 5 meters high walls, including 8 towers placed along the walls for guarding and possible defense. The enclosed space consisted of three parts, intertwined with walls. The pasha and the male part of the family stayed in the building located in the middle. Moreover, a forge and a bakery were included in the konak. The harem, housing the women and children was positioned on the east side (on the right of the yard). A service building and one kitchen were positioned in the yard of the harem. A weapon tower and treasury storing the pasha’s wealth and weapons, was positioned between the selamlık (housing the men) and the haremlik (housing the women). Moreover the tower served as a final defense mechanism in the event of an attack, and at the same time connected the main buildings. It was linked to the haremlik and the selamlik trough a closed wooden bridge, allowing intimate connection between the buildings. The economy section, as well as the cavalry and the trough were located on the west side, to the left of the main part. The main buildings - the selamlak and the haremlak, were identical, with a ground floor and a first floor. Unlike the selamlak, there was a small tower positioned on the roof of the harem serving as a terrace (in this case - a room with a view through the walls). The konak’s compartments were symmetrically placed around an oval hall both on the ground floor and on the first floor. Their arrangement was typical for the wealthy Muslim houses. The interior was decorated with painted decorations walls and carved ceilings. 
The konaks in Bardovci represented the most perfect Ottoman profane architecture on the Balkan Peninsula since the early XIX century. Compared to many similarly lodgings built in Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia, this one surpassed them both in size, and style and decorations. The Hivzi Pasha’s konaks suffered during Balkan Wars, the First and Second World Wars. In 1958, the Yugoslav People's Army took over the konaks and demolished the remains of the main and auxiliary buildings a few years later, and built various buildings for its own purposes.
The stone walls with the the eight towers that enclosed the entire complex are the only part of the building preserved to this day. This monumental complex is managed by the Ministry of Culture, which since 2009 works on a project for reconstruction and restoration of the lodgings where the National Film Fund and the Cinematheque of Macedonia would be located.