Saat kula - The Clock Tower

It is not known when the clock-tower was built, although according to the written sources it was mentioned already in the 16th century, but because of the lack of any description, it is not clear if it is about the same clock-tower. According to some, the clock-tower was built in the same time with the church St.Dimitrija in 1830. Nowadays still exists the legend "that the Turkish authorities of that time collected from the Bitola county villages around 60 000 eggs and used them in the construction together with the mortar, in order to make the walls more resistant and strong."
 

The Clock tower has rectangular base and it is about 30 meters high. On the upper part-by the very top there is a terrace in rectangular form and it is fenced with iron fence. On each sides of the fence there is iron console construction which holds the lamps for lighting the watch.

The Clock tower is divided in three levels and in the upper one the mechanism of the watch is installed. The first (old )mechanisam was replaced in the time of the second world war. Due to the effords of the City of Bitola, to maintain the old german graves from the first world war, the german nazi regime gave them a new still functioning clock mechanisam as a present.

By its architecture, the Clock tower is massive construction and it is composed of walls, massive spiral stairs, wooden mezzanine constructions, pendentives (triangular pass from square to cupola) and cupola. During the construction of the clock-tower the façade is simultaneously decorated with simple stone plastic.

The conservation and restoration that has been recently undertaken did not change the original look and today the clock-tower is one of the most representative monuments of culture of the Islam art.

Click on an image to enlarge

 By Goran Popcanovski