Top places to visit in Tetova

Xhamia e Larme, (Macedonian: Шарена Џамија; Albanian: Xhamia e Pashës; Turkish: Alaca Cami) meaning Decorated Mosque in English but also variably translated as Painted Mosque, is a mosque located near the Pena River in Tetovo, North Macedonia. The mosque was originally built in 1495 by Ottoman sisters Hyrshide and Mensure Hatun, which tomb lays next to the mosque. It was later reconstructed and redesign in 1833 by Abdurrahman Pasha. Unlike other mosques of the Classical Ottoman period, the Decorated Mosque is more characteristic of traditional mosques in Anatolia, as it was constructed before the conquest of Constantinople, when Byzantine-influenced mosque domes became the standard design.

The Arabati Baba Tekḱe (Macedonian: Арабати баба-теќе, Albanian: Arabati Baba Teqe, Turkish: Harabati Baba Tekkesi) is a bektashi tekḱe located in Tetovo, North Macedonia. The tekke was originally built in 1538 around the türbe of Sersem Ali Baba, an Albanian Bektashi dervish. In 1799, a waqf provided by Recep Paşa established the current grounds of the tekke. The finest surviving Bektashi lodge in Europe, the sprawling complex features flowered lawns, prayer rooms, dining halls, lodgings and a great marble fountain inside a wooden pavilion.

Due to its striking architecture, the Arabati Baba Tekke has become an iconic symbol of Tetovo, and is featured on its municipal coat of arms.

The Tetovo Fortress (Macedonian: Тетовско кале, Albanian: Kalaja e Tetovës) is a ruined fortress and archaeological site in Tetovo, North Macedonia. Because of its location on a hill called Baltepe, it is also known as Baltepe Fortress. The fortress was built beginning in 1820 under Abdurrahman Pasha, who also reconstructed the Šarena Mosque. The fortress was built with a guest house, a dungeon, a kitchen, a dining hall, and a fountain. Water did not flow from the fountain, reportedly, until Abdurrahman Pasha was summoned to Istanbul in 1843 from Ottoman council regarding his conflicts with his brothers. He left to never come back. After his departure from Tetovo, the fortress fell into ruin. It is believed that three escape tunnels were built from the fortress: one to the city center, one to the upper part of Tetovo, and one to the village of Lavce.