KEMBARA BALKAN - KOSOVO | 01 PRISTINA : Destinasi Yang Tak Di Rencana

Entry ini bersambung dari kisah senandung kembara di Skopje, Macedonia

Tiba masanya untuk bergerak meninggalkan kota seribu tugu tersebut untuk ke destinasi seterusnya. Memang Skopje bagi aku tak perlu berlama lama. Satu malam pun mencukupi dan aku excited untuk bergerak memasuki sempadan negara yang seterusnya iaitu Kosovo. Negara kedua termuda di dunia buat masa ni.

Perjalanan merentasi Kosovo menuju Pristina

Aku agak mengantuk dan keletihan. Seawal bas bergerak meninggalkan terminal bus Skopje aku terus terlena. Tak sedar apa yang berlaku pada dunia ni. Letih lesu berjalan di Skopje. 

Bila bas sampai sempadan baru aku terjaga. Sebab penumpang bas ni mostly orang tempatan atau rakyat Kosovo jadi immigration macam tak check dia orang sangat. Cuma bila tengok passport pelik macam passport aku baru dia orang check betul betul. Tapi semuanya pantas dan tak de lah tersangkut.

Bila aku tersedar sebelah aku ada minah dengan anak dia yang comel lottey ni.

Mata dia bulat

Since aku duduk sorang dan seat sebelah aku kosong dan minah ni pangku budak kecik tu so aku offer kat dia suruh duduk seat aku tapi dia tak nak. Maybe memula dia ingat aku suruh budak tu yang duduk sebelah aku kat seat tu. Yang lawaknya dia dok ulang ulang.

"No ! Cry............ Cry !!"

Siap buat aksi linangan airmata dengan jari jemari. Kelakar !

Dia takut anak dia melalak kalau terpisah dari dia. Tapi aku offer dia orang berdua yang pindah dan aku yang duduk seat mereka tapi sampai sudah dia tak nak.

Budak ni pulak punya lah buas.

Nama dia Emma. Bukan Emma Maembong....

Tapi budak ni Ok je duduk kat seat sebelah aku. Berdiri. Melompat cuba cuba bercakap tapi aku pun tak faham apa.

Dia teruja tengok aku letak earphone kat telinga. Bila aku letak kat telinga dia, terdiam kejap dia dengar lagu. Lagu apa tu? Bukan lagu Aiman Tino kan???? Hahahah..

So lama gak la dia duduk sebelah aku sampai terlelap. Then mak dia angkut dia balik tidur atas riba. Memang comey sungguh budak Emma ni.

Perjalanan di teruskan lagi menuju ke ibukota negara Kosovo iaitu Pristina.

Pristina (also written as Prishtina) is the capital of the Republic of Kosovo. It is the largest city in the country. The municipality has around 200.000 inhabitants.

Just like many other capitals in the world, Pristina is not the most pristina-by-night-bujargashibeautiful town of the country. But, for sure it is by far the most important place of the young state. Pristina is the central spot for politics, media, student life and the international community. International organizations in Kosovo and embassies are in the Kosovo capital as well.

In comparison with other towns in the country, Pristina has quite a lot of flats that look like former Soviet buildings. But the face of the capital is changing quickly. Many cheerful-looking apartments are being built. Also very attractive is the Mother Teresa Boulevard. The center street is full of restaurants, statues, fountains and the national theatre. Around 12 o’clock, it’s hard to find a spare chair in one of the cafes, when students and (international) governmental workers are having their lunch break.

Kawasan penempatan dikelilingi bukit bukau

Pemandangan agak menarik di belah belah perkampungan desa

Tapi bangunan bangunan banyak menunjukkan keadaan negara Kosovo yang sedikit ketinggalan berbanding negara Balkan yang lain.

Menuju Pristina

Dalam plan aku memang nak masuk ke Kosovo ni tapi bukan la untuk ke Pristina. Dari pembacaan aku, walaupun Pristina ni ibu negara Kosovo tetapi tarikannya agak kurang. Cuma menjadi pusat kota dan pentadbiran kerajaan. Jadi aku memang nak skip Pristina dan terus ke Prizren jer. Sebuah lagi bandar di negara Kosovo ni tapi memang terkenal sebagai destinasi tumpuan.

Tapi jangan tak tau, Dua Lipa penyanyi tu berasal dari Pristina, Kosovo !

Atas sebab tak de tiket terus dari Skopje tadi ke Prizren maka aku kena ke Pristina dulu. Banyak bas dari Skopje ke Pristina ni tak macam ke Prizren, tapi sebab Prizren dengan Pristina ni kira dalam negara Kosovo so local bas lebih banyak berulang alik.

Ada juga kawasan kawasan baru yang dibina

Selain daripada kawasan yang masih terbiar mungkin kesan dari perang saudara bekas Yugoslavia yang dahulu

Rumah rumah kediaman

Perjalanan dengan bas dari Skopje ke Pristina ni memakan masa 3 jam walaupun jaraknya cuma 80 KM je. Keadaan jalan yang tak sempurna memang buat bas bergerak slow motion.

Aku memang tak de banyak masa, kalau ikutkan hati, sampai Pristina je aku nak terus ambik bas ke Prizren. Tapi bila fikir balik, dah alang alang sampai, aku usha la bandar ni kejap. Tapi aku memang tak de study apa apa pasal tempat ni. Nasib baik ada print out wikitravel Pristina yang sengaja aku print in case kalau aku perlu dan offline maps me.

Lainnya, redha dan tawakal je lah !

Central Bus station Pristina

Waktu sampai di central bus terminal ni, benda pertama ialah aku check dulu jadual bas ke Prizren. Memang banyak tapi last bus akan bergerak jam 6 petang. Tak de bus malam. So aku dah boleh bajet sejam dua je kat Pristina ni sebelum bergerak ke Prizren sebelum petang.

Pastu aku simpan luggage aku kat situ. Bayar 1 Euro. Kosovo masih menggunakan matawang Euro lagi so agak senang tak payah nak tukar  ke mana mana currency.

Dari station bus tu aku agak agak tapi tak pasti nak tuju ke mana. Cuaca dah la panas gila. Beli air dulu. Memang murah barang kat Kosovo ni, air tin pun cuma 50 sen euro je.

Berbelah bagi gak nak tuju arah mana, last sekali aku ikut je orang ramai yang berjalan dalam panas terik tu menuju ke kawasan yang banyak bangunan bangunan yang tak berapa menarik mana.

Panas

Blok blok kediaman

Sebagai negara termiskin di Balkan, memang nampak Kosovo agak ketinggalan dari segi pembangunan. Bangunan bangunan pun macam tak siap dan terbiar. Kalau ada pun banyak yang rosak dan tak dibaikpulih.

Aku memang jalan ikut kaki je. Cuaca panas gila. Banyak kali gak berhenti henti.

Mother Theresa Cathedral yang sedang di bina

Kawasan penempatan dan ada cafe cafe di pinggir jalan.

Cathedral Mother Theresa yang masih belum siap

Kalau nak di ikutkan, central place untuk Pristina yang selalu menjadi rujukan adalah bangunan Grand Hotel, Pristina.

Bangunan hotel yang menjadi bangunan penting sebagai pusat kota di Pristina

Dekat kawasan Grand Hotel tu ada kawasan lapang dan pedestrian street yang menjadi laluan penting di sini. Banyak kedai kedai dan cafe cafe sepanjang jalan. Macam kawasan dataran yang menjadi tempat warga tempatan berkumpul dan bersantai santaian iaitu Sheshi Zahir Pajaziti.

Aku jalan je laluan ramai orang berjalan kaki tu sampai ke penghujungnya.

Statue Zahir Pajaziti. Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Kawasan riadah

Bangunan di Pristina

Kawasan  Sheshi Zahir Pajaziti

Ada info center tapi kosong. Macam dah jahanam je tempatnya

Kiosk kiosk jualan di Sheshi Zahir Pajaziti

Barang jualan. Banyak barang barang ciplak di jual di tepi tepi jalan ni.

Swiss Diamond Hotel

Orang jual spec mata

United Colors of Benetton. Bangunan asalnya adalah Hotel Union yang bersejarah

Rasa ni macam panggung wayang

Skanderbeg Statue

Bangunan kerajaan yang baru

Statue

Masa kat hujung jalan tu aku perasan nampak ada macam masjid. Sedang elok boleh singgah nak solat. Memang kawasan tu kiranya kawasan Old Quarter dan banyak historical monuments termasuk lah masjid masjid. Maybe boleh cari tempat makan jugak. Aku pun lapar.

Carshia Mosque

Ada kereta zaman P Ramlee

The Carshi Mosque, also known as the Bazaar Mosque and the Taş Mosque (literally, the Stone Mosque) (Albanian: Xhamia e Çarshisë), is the oldest building in Pristina and it marks the beginning of the old town. The basement of this mosque was laid out in 1389 during the rule of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I and its construction was continued during the reign of Sultan Murad II in the 15th century.

The Carshi Mosque was built to celebrate the Ottoman victory of 1389 in the Battle of Kosovo.  Over the years, the mosque has undergone through several restorations. However, its stone-topped minaret has survived for over six centuries (hence, it is often referred to as the Taş Mosque, or the Stone Mosque)

Ingat nak solat tapi sebenarnya tak leh masuk. Ada macam reconstruction kat situ. Tapi tak jauh dari situ ada satu lagi masjid iaitu Jashar Pasha's Mosque.

Sebelum ke masjid tu, ada National Muzium of Kosovo.

 Museum of Kosovo

The Kosovo Museum was once the seat of the vilayet of Kosovo, while now is housed in an Austro-Hungarian architecture yellow building.  It was built by the Austrian occupants for the Turkish Army in 1898.   From the 1950s and onwards, it underwent through different changes and served different purposes prior to becoming a museum.  In this context, from 1945 to 1975 it served as the base of the Yugoslav National Army. In 1963, it was sold to the Museum of Kosovo and from 1995 to 2002, it was used as the main office for the European Agency for Reconstruction.

The museum is full of rich collections of the prehistoric era. One of the most prominent piece is a small (no more than 30 cm tall) statue called “The Goddess on Throne”.  The object is believed to be 6000 years old and was found in a site called “Tjerrtorja”near Pristina.  in 1956  Just before the onset of the Kosovo War in 1998, the statue was unwillingly taken to Belgrade along with 1,247 other artefacts.  In May 2002, by the intervention of the UN, the “Goddess on Throne” was returned to Pristina.

Aku gi usha usha je tapi tak masuk. Then jalan terus ke masjid yang satu lagi.

 Jashar Pasha's Mosque.

The Jashar Pasha Mosque, located in the historic centre of the city of Pristina, is a remarkable and notable part of Ottoman cultural heritage in this part of the Balkans. It was named after Jashar Mehmet Pasha, a wealthy citizen of Pristina and mayor of Skopje in 1842. Inscriptions found inside the mosque led to the conclusion that it was built in 1834.  Jashar Pasha Mosque is a typical architectural monument for old cities with Ottoman heritage. It symbolizes a sacral building of ‘Kosovar style’ with an acknowledgement of oriental influence. Its aim was to speed up the acceptance of Islam among the citizens of Pristina. It is composed of a hall for prayers, hayat and a minaret. The mosque is disguised by a cupola supported by four pendentives.

The original portico was torn down to give way to an expansion of the neighboring street. Currently, the building is in danger of being damaged as a result of humidity coming from the cracks in its walls. The particular characteristics of this monument and the attributes of the historical area where it is situated constitute the main components for the development of cultural tourism.

Malangnya sama macam tadi, bangunan masjid ni tak leh di masuki. Maybe struktur dia dah tak berapa selamat.

Jalan terus sampai ke Jashar Pasha's Mosque.

Clock Tower. Salah satu historical monument di Pristina.

The Clock Tower was built in the 19th century by Jashar Pasha. It served as a means of informing the town during the Ottoman Empire rule, in order to let people know when to pray as well as the traders closing their shops. The 26-meter high hexagonal clock tower was made of sandstone and bricks. The original tower was burned in fire and its bricks were used for reconstruction. 

The authentic bell was brought from Moldova and had the inscription “This bell was produced in 1764 for Jon Moldova Rumenin” However, the circumstances of how the bell was brought to Pristina are not clearly known; its theft in 2001 is even more unclear The same year, French KFOR troops assisted in installing a new clock by changing the old clock mechanism with an electric one.[

Dan tak jauh dari masjid yang ke dua tu baru lah ada masjid besar sikit iaitu Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque.

Tengok pada saiz dan kawasan confirm boleh solat

The Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque, also known as the Imperial Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Mbretit), is located in the old quarter of Pristina opposite the clock tower.  It was built in 1460–1461 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, also known as al-Fatih or the Conqueror and was named in his honor. Its interior features ornamental decorations and detailed floral designs, as well as a 15-meter dome, which was quite impressive for a 15th-century construction. It was recognized region-wide as the largest construction of this nature. In 1689, the mosque was temporarily converted into a Jesuit church dedicated to Francis Xavier by the Austrian occupants during the Austrian-Turkish wars. 

The Imperial Mosque was restored during the rule of Sultan Mehmet IV in 1682–1683, whereas the present-day minaret is a reconstruction of the original, which was damaged during the earthquake that struck Pristina in 1955. The mosque presently suffers from damage that has been caused over time; moisture is the biggest threat, harming the walls and stones of the construction.

Usha kawasan masjid ni yang ditaja oleh kerajaan Turkey untuk kerja kerja baikpulihnya.

Tempat wuduk

Bahagian luar

Mihrab

Dewan solat

Kubah

Masa kat masjid tu ada sorang dua jemaah tapi masing masing macam tak friendly untuk aku ajak berkomunikasi. End up aku lepak je kat masjid tu kejap then aku terperasan ada nampak macam orang jual jual kat area bawah sikit.

Aku pun gi usha.

Kawasan kedai

Ada macam pasar tani

Kedai kedai pakaian tak berapa nak di buka dan berpelanggan

Jualan di pasar tu. Banyak yang jual buah dan sayuran

Rokok ! Gila banyak dan murah !

Sayur

End up aku beli buah. Buah plum 50 cents euro dapat satu plastik ! Banyak gila. Kenyang makan buah je la aku hari ni.

Dah abis merayap di kawasan Old Quarter Pristina tadi, aku patah balik ikut laluan asal aku datang. Dan rentas pedestrian street tadi sekali lagi. Memang port lepak lepak. Agaknya Dua Lipa pun pernah melepak lepak masa zaman dia tak popular lagi.

Bangunan di Old Quarter Pristina

Statue.  

Statue of Pristina

Ada laporan berita

Skanderbeg Statue

The Skanderbeg monument, also known as Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu, was built where The Mother Teresa and Skanderbeg bulevard meet, in the center of Prishtina, which is a tribute to the Albanian hero who fought off the Ottomas in the fifteenth century. The statue was designed by Albanian artist Janaq Paco in 2001

Then sambung jalan kaki lagi patah balik dari arah aku datang tadi. Masa berjalan tu ada gak lah orang tegur mostly jurujual. Ajak sembang sembang kosong. Aku layan layan macam tu je lah.

Kawasan dan bangunan di sekitar

Orang lalu lalang

Pedestrian street

Mother Theresa Cathedral dari jauh

Sebab cuaca panas abang bomba bersedia memberi perkhidmatan. Orang pakat ambik air untuk minum dan basuh basuh muka. Aku pun ikut sama !

Taxi dia orang pakai Merc oke

Grand Hotel

Bangunan area University of Pristina

Usha jap bangunan library University of Pristina yang kontroversy di sini. Ada orang kata buruk ! Bagi aku memang agak buruk tapi unik.

Abis tu aku rasa nak patah balik ke bus station dah. Penat dah tak larat. Cuaca lak panas gila. Ingat nak pegi kat Newborn Monumen tapi dah malas nak menapak.

Bangunan yang tak berapa nak baru di Pristina

Kedai kedai pun macam arcade je

Tapi banyak cafe cafe terbuka untuk santai dan lepak lepak

Aku ikut laluan lain bukan jalan yang aku memula datang dari bus station tadi tu. Ikut laluan Bill Clinton Boulevard

Dan memang ada statue Bill Clinton di situ

Statue ni di bina sebagai mengenang jasa Bill Clinton yang banyak membantu pembangunan Kosovo selepas perang

Sebenarnya ikut laluan ni lebih dekat nak sampai ke bus station tu.

Sampai. Lega

Beli tiket dan ambik beg

Tunggu bus untuk ke Prizren

Letih lesu dek cuaca yang panas terik. 

Tak sabar nak rest dalam bas dan menempuh perjalanan ke Prizren yang lebih mengujakan !

Pristina bagi aku memang tak de apa yang menarik tapi kalau ada masa, boleh je singgah untuk half day pusing pusing tengok tengok kawasan.

bersambung................