Čair Municipality
Template:Infobox Municipality in the Republic of Macedonia
Čair (Macedonian: Чаир, Albanian: Çairi) is one of the 10 municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Skopje's old town is located in Čair.
Geography
Čair is located along the eastern bank of the Vardar River, opposite the modern city center. It borders Centar municipality to the south-west, Karpoš municipality to the west, Butel municipality to the north, and Gazi Baba municipality to the east.
History
Skopje's old town, or Stara Čaršija, had been the city's main center at least since the 12th century. The Turkish influence is dominant in the Stara Čaršija. When the Ottomans took over, they built many Islamic buildings here, such as Mustapha Pasha Mosque. The old town has not changed much over time; it is still filled with narrow cobblestone walkways and most of the Ottoman monuments are still standing.
Demographics
According to the last National census from 2002 Čair has 64,773 inhabitants. [1]
Ethnic groups in the municipality include:
- Albanians = 36,921
- Macedonians = 15,628
- Turks = 9,500
- Roma = 3,083
- Bosniaks = 2,950
- others.
