The first impression of the visitor to Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, is invariably the same: it is a new and modern city. This is true, but it is also true that Skopje is a very old city , too. Skopje Old Town is the most attractive section of the city. It comprises about 1,000 shops, grills, restaurants, and pastry shops.

The Old Town is also the location of the Church of the Holy Saviour with its unique iconostasis executed in masterful woodcarving (18-l9th centuries). The yard of this church houses the sarcophagus with the body of the ideologist of the Macedonian national liberation movement, Goce Delcev (1872-1903).

Kursumli An (l6th century)

Clock Tower (l6th century),

Mustapha Pasha Mosque (l5th century)

Also to be found in the Old Town are the Kursumli An (l6th century) and the Suli An (l5th century) caravanserais, and the Daut Pasha Baths (l5th century) with its two large and eleven small domes, now housing the Art Gallery. Other buildings which may be found here are the Hjuncar Mosque (l5th century), the Clock Tower (l6th century), the Isak-Bey Mosque (l5th century) and the Mustapha Pasha Mosque (l5th century). The old Skopje fortress, called Kale (10-l2th centuries), is situated directly above the Old Town.

Skopje is the political, economic and cultural centre of  also the major centre of the metal-processing, chemical, timber, textile, leather and printing industries. Industrial development has been accompanied by an intensive development of internal and external trade and banking, as well as activities in the fields of culture and sport.

You can reach Skopje by train, car or air. The firsi train to arrive in Skopje was from Salonica in the distant year of 1873.

FOOD & DRINK: Macedonian dishes show extensive Turkish and Greek influences. Different varieties of kebab can be found almost everywhere, as can dishes such as moussaka (aubergines and potatoes baked in layers with minced meat). National specialities are gravce na tavce (beans in a skillet) and the delicious Ohrid trout. 

SPECIAL EVENTS: The following is a list of special events held in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1999. For full details contact the Embassy (see address section). 

Mar-Apr 'Skomrahi' International Meeting of Drama Students, Skopje. May May Opera Evenings, Skopje; International Book Fair and Libro Graphic, Skopje. Jun-Aug Skopje Summer Festival. Jul Balkan Festival of Songs and Dances, Ohrid. Jul-Aug Ohrid Summer Festival. Aug Struga Poetry Evenings, Struga. Oct Skopje Jazz Festival. 

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS: Handshaking is the common practice on introduction. Local business protocol is fairly informal, but things go very slowly or not at all owing to the local bureaucracy and the more recent general socio-economic collapse in the Republic.