History of Novi Pazar

bishopric, the Eparchy of Ras, was founded by 871 after the Christianization of Serbs during the rule of Prince Mutimir. In 1427, the remnant of Ras (known as Trgovište) was held by Serbian despot ĐurađBranković (r. 1427-1456); one of the markets was called "despotovtrg". The region falls into the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1439, but is retaken by the Serbs in 1444. In the summer of 1455, the Ottomans took Trgovište, which name they translated into Turkish, calling it Eski Bazar (Old Market). It was the seat of the RasVilayet until its disestablishment in 1463 following the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, then it became part of the JelečVilayet.

Novi Pazar was formally founded as a city in its own right in 1461 by Ottoman general Isa-Beg Isaković, who was a born Orthodox Christians with the name IsakHranić. He decided to establish very new town on the area of Trgovište in much better living condition between rivers Raška and Jošanica, where at first he built a mosque, a public bath, a marketplace, a hostel, and a compound. He was also the founder of other cities, among most notable is the city of Sarajevo. The first written document which mention Novi Pazar dates back to the 15th century, and describes the decision of Ragusan Council to appoint a consul in this town. That reinforces the idea that the town was already developed back then, thanks to its outstanding geographic position, as it was at the intersection of important roads leading