Architectural activities in Novi Pazar during the Ottoman period

This dissertation focuses on Novi Pazar in southwestern Serbia, tracing its development during the Ottoman Empire's reign. The study delves into the period of Novi Pazar's founding under Ottoman rule, spanning from the mid-15th century to 1912. Novi Pazar was established as an open Ottoman settlement, located about 11 kilometres away from the Serbian old capital Ras. So Novi Pazar as an Ottoman settlement was formed by reshaping an earlier Serbian medieval settlement. Ottomans implemented the wellknown Islamic urban organizations. The convergence of these two cultures within a bustling commercial hub produced distinct patterns, dynamics, and architectural features that coalesce into a cohesive whole. For a better understanding of Novi Pazar's development, in this thesis is studied through geography, topography, and historical characteristics, as well as its connection with the Ottoman capital and other major centres in the region. The commerce and residential space in Novi Pazar developed over the five centuries of Ottoman rule is explained as a product of various economic, political, social, and cultural conditions that influenced the town's growth. By examining the architectural features that were implemented in the forms of markets, squares, commerce and religious buildings, and residential districts with dwellings, it is shown that local traditions, conventions, and codes disabled this town, located at a crossroads, to produce "great architectural works." As a result, the architectural style known as "capital style" used at the beginning of Ottoman rule was evident in Novi Pazar's building activities until the 20th century. On the other side, the diversity of architectural forms and the urban space shows direct answers to temporal and spatial transformations. Following the functional components of the maden buildings, it is concluded that Novi Pazar during Ottoman rule managed to be a unity of different identities that coexist but do not mix.