Ottomans had left numerous valuable works of architecture on the lands within the borders of todays’ “Republic of Kosovo” in Balkans. Many of these works had either been destroyed or demolished, while some others could survive to the present day.
This paper aims to introduce the main entrances of mosques from the Ottoman period (15th-20th centuries) in the cities of Prishtina, Prizren, Gjakova and Peja in the Republic of Kosovo. Our objective is to document and evaluate these entrances within the realm of portals in Ottoman art and architecture.
Portals which are emphasized either with a frame or other decorative means on the facade have been selected and evaluated by means of their location on the facade, architectural form, material, ornamentation, and the elements they consist of. The courtyard or garden gates of the mosques are excluded from the scope of the research, only the main entrances providing access to the prayer halls have been considered within the scope of this study.
Most of the portals at the mosques are located on the same surface with the façade and have a frame marked with profiles. The main entrances are considered modest in terms of the ornamentation program. The main decorative feature on the portal is the plastic effect of the profiles.
Paper also aims to study these main entrances as artefacts produced in the periphery of the Ottoman Empire and compare them to Anatolian examples. In this context, portals in Kosovo are studied, whether they contain similar architectural elements as Anatolian examples, and how these elements evolved over time.
Keywords: Kosovo, Balkans, Portal, Door, Ottoman Architecture