Raven, Gostivar

Raven Raveni
Village
Равен
Raven Location within North Macedonia
Coordinates: 41°47′N 20°51′E / 41.783°N 20.850°E / 41.783; 20.850Coordinates: 41°47′N 20°51′E / 41.783°N 20.850°E / 41.783; 20.850
Country	North Macedonia
Region	Polog
Municipality	Gostivar
Lowest elevation	661 m (2,169 ft)
Population  (2002)
• Total	1,615
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Car plates	GV

Raven (Macedonian: Равен, Albanian: Raveni) is a village in the municipality of Gostivar, North Macedonia.

Mosque of Raven^[1][]

Raven Mosque is located in the southeast of the village, for the year of construction of the mosque and for its founder we do not have accurate data.  Based on oral sources and its simple form, we assume that the mosque was built around 1830, in the first part of the 19th century.  Based on the same sources, the mosque was originally built in a simple form, with a wooden minaret and a thatched roof.  The appearance that the mosque has today, has gained after performing interventions that have been done in different periods of time.

In 1913, the mosque was engulfed in fire in which the need arose to intervene on the thatched roof, covering it with tiles (tiles), and in 1975 the minaret was built.  Although the mosque has undergone many changes, intervening in different parts of the mosque its original form, and most of the structure is preserved.  This mosque functioned until 2003, when the new mosque was built.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MOSQUE

The mosque is rectangular in shape and consists only of the upper and open ground floor.  The constructive system of the mosque is traditional, which means that the foundations and walls are made of stone, the roof structure is made of wood.  The roof lay out in the four corners of the façade covered with tiles.

Vertical emphasis is given to the mosque by the two-sheriff minaret which is located in the southwest corner of the mosque, which is presented in the quadrangular base and continues with the octagonal body, which is characterized by elegance performed with stalactite decoration under the sheriffs.  The final element of the minaret is presented in a pyramidal shape which is made of galvanized sheet metal.

On the northwest side of the mosque is the porch (porch), which is used for prayers and supplications (in cases when there is no place inside the mosque or the believers arrive late) and from this part enters the mosque.  The interior of the mosque is illuminated by windows arranged in different levels with a pronounced rhythm, while the murals are not decorated on the wall surfaces.

MAHVILI

It takes place on the northwest side, above the entrance to the prayer hall in its entire width, it is made entirely of wood which stands on three pillars.  The mahvil is reached via the minaret stairs located on the west side of the mosque.

mihrab

On the east side towards the Qiblah is placed the Mihrab, this element is deepened in the wall in a conical shape in the upper semi-conical part, with a plastered frame.  On the right and left side of the mihrab are painted arabesques.  Guided by the mihrab, the imam and the believers offer joint religious prayers.

"MIMBER"

located in the western corner of the mosque built of wood, is equipped with many stairs and a small door.  It is used for religious sermons, where on Fridays and in the first two days of the two Eids, the imam holds special sermons.

Inside the mosque we do not encounter decorative elements.  The floor of the mosque is paved with planks, while the ceiling is flat made of wood finished with plastering.  The interior walls are dominated by white and green.  Also on the exterior facade we do not encounter decorative elements painted in white.

In architectural terms, this glass preserves a large part of the characteristic elements from the time of construction.

History[]

etymology:

The name appears to be another variant of the albanian phrase “to fall in place” as seen in Tirana and Theranda (modern day Prizren) as most Albanians that came in the village were from mountainous areas that “fell” into the village

Raven as a village is very old, based on oral sources, the village Raven in Illyrian times existed as a town of the same name, at that time ruled by the Roman Empire.  The existence of Raven as a city is evidenced by the traces we encounter to this day, such as the castle which is located on the south side of the village, which at that time was the base of the army then, and the monastery, the cemetery which  are distributed in three parts of the village.  As a result of constant wars and the spread of various diseases, the city and its people disappear.  Later the place became overcrowded by settling on fertile lands, where they built the village together with it and life by developing agriculture, livestock, handicrafts, etc., which were also the main professions of the inhabitants at that time.[1]

During the National Liberation War, an episode was recorded in which Raven's villagers held partisan Macedonians and Albanians in their arms, shouting: "Long live the brotherhood of Macedonians and Albanians."[2]

Demographics[]

According to the last census in Macedonia from 2002, the village has 1615 inhabitants.  ^[2]

Below is a table of the national population structure:

Tribes and Families

Raven is an ethnically Albanian village.

According to research from 1948, tribes in the village included: ^[3]

Donët (24 families) natives.  They converted from Orthodoxy to Islam at the beginning of the 19th century.  One of their ancestors was called Toze (Svetozar)

Matijan (32 families) Immigrated from the Mati area in northern Albania.

Reç (14 families) immigrated from the village of Reç in Lumë, northern Albania.

Lusha (20 families) immigrated from the Mati area in northern Albania.

Krenjët (12 families) Is originally from the village of the same name in Mati in northern Albania.

Smoç (2 families) immigrated from northern Albania.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raven, Gostivar.