Today is

By: Ikedi Ani-okoye

GOSTIVAR

Gostivar spreads itself wide in the clear, clean air of the flatlands at the immediate foot of the Sar Planina, Macedonia's most important mountain region. It sits astride the rushing headwaters of the Vardar River, Macedonia's biggest, which rises close to the city but reveals nothing of the mighty stream it becomes 3BB km (243 mi) later at Thessaloniki. The river has contributed a lot to Gostivar's importance as the trade centre of the upper Polog region: the Roman historian Livy records the settlement (then called Drau-Dak) being attacked by a force of 10,000 during the third Macedonian War, so it was obviously worth the effort. Today you can still see why.

Though Gostivar shares with other Macedonian cities a long chronology of conquest and re-conquest by Serbs, Bulgarians, Ottoman Tirrks, Italians and Albanians, it has followed each cycle of destruction not by replacement, but by modernization. Full Macedonian independence has given the city new impetus - the dusty main square is a green and pleasant park where people sit and chat or drink coffee in the caf6s. Dowrr-at-heel l8th and 19th century buildings have recovered their upper-storey charm, and steel and plate-glass wndows at street level showcase Gostivar's success in marrying history to its trading future.

It's stili a southern European market tornm, with the sounds, smells, flavours and sights of its multi-ethnic cultural and religious history. On Thesday market days, the whoie city fllls with the villagers and produce of the local hills and valleys. The flashing colours, music and dancing that follow are evidence of Gostivar's leading role is keeping folkloric traditions alive, while still providing the modern infrastructures that enable visitors to see its regional treasures. Within Gostivar itself, the minarets and Orthodox church towers, wonderful 19th century Ottoman mansions and old streets, sit in harmony with the city's new sense of modern scale, space and materials.

POPULATION: HALIFAX

81,000 (2002) WHEN TO GO: May to September for regional summer delights; December to March for the local skiing and the winter mountain wonderland.

DON'T MISS: HALIFAX

The 1566 Ottoman, octagonal, stone Clock Tower commanding the heart of the city. The 1688 Beg Mahala Mosque. The dramatic Vrutok Gorge just outside the city, source of the Vardar River. The herbs and feta cheese from the Sar Planina, the summer'ocean of grass' which forms the largest, compact mountain pasture in Europe. You have to try the cheese. The Monastery of Lesok near Brezno village towards Tetovo - including the 1326 Church of the Holy Virgin, an excellent example of the best of Byzantine architecture.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: HALIFAX

The Sarplaninec, one of the world's great sheepdog breeds, originated in the Gostivar region.