The Stone Bridge

The Stone Bridge is one of the most important landmarks in the city of Skopje. With its length - approximately 220 meters and width - about 6 meters, it is one of the most important urban marks in the city. As noted by the famous travel writer Evliya Çelebi, it was built in the second half of the XV century, during Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror’s (1451-1481) reign, although there are some indications that it dates back to the first half of the XV century during the reign of Sultan Murat II (1421-1451). Lidija Kumbaradzi-Bogoevic argues with great certainty that the Stone Bridge was built by Huma Shah Sultan, who was of royal descent and lived and died in Skopje. She had a large waqf in Skopje, gifted for the needs of the school and the zawiya that she built next to the bridge. The tomb of this person was located in the türbe, in the immediate vicinity of the Burmali Mosque, next to the Stone Bridge. 
The construction of the bridge was positioned on 13 pillars in the river and on two coast walls. 
Over the centuries, the bridge has suffered more damage as a result of the Vardar floods, earthquakes etc. which is why specific efforts to repair and renovate it were required. It is known that the bridge was damaged by the great earthquake of 1555 when four vaults were destroyed or severely damaged, and were later made of wood. Evliya Çelebi wrote that parts of the bridge were repaired by the voluntary citizen’s work in 1579/80. 
The plates with the date of construction, placed on the right and left side of the pillar - mihrab, which is located in the middle of the bridge, were removed by the Austrian armies after conquering Skopje in 1688/89.
In 1817-18, during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839), a new intervention, which according to the data costed 28.816 groschen and 2 asprons, was realized. Interventions for maintenance of the bridge were made throughout the years. During Salih Asim's presidency with the Skopje municipality and at a time when Hafiz Mehmed-pasha was the mutasafir (manager of the sanjak) of Skopje - 1888/89 the destroyed part of the bridge which was at somepoint repaired with wood, was built from the ground up, this time made of stone, and the arches were lined with brick. This was accomplished at the expense of the municipality. 
In 1895, the bridge was once again, hit by the strong flooding of Vardar, so in 1896 and 1897 protective walls were built on the quay, as one of the measures to regulate the rivers flow in that part. 
Up until 1909, the bridge had stone fences. A stone slab positioned on the bridge that remained there until 1963, but is now lost, and whose engraved text has been transcribed and thus preserved, reveals that the bridge was widened with the help of metal consoles, carrying sidewalk on both sides of the bridge, for the visit of Sultan Mehmed V Reshat's in 1909. 
The expansion of the pedestrian sidewalk made of concrete was carried out in 1910/11.