1591 Lorenzo Bernardo: Journey of the Venetian Ambassador

Thursday, May 23, 1591
We left Zoposco along a good road in the first hour after sunrise. At 19 o'clock we arrived at Monasterio (Bitola). We ate lunch at a spring where there was a rundown water mill. Bitola is a town in Bulgaria with a large population. They say there are 1,500 houses of which 200 are of Jews. There are no walls around the town, nor is there a sanjak bey. It has a timar of the Grand Vizier who receives from Bitola an income of 20 loads of aspers. It has a kadi and is abundant in grain. It is also a trading post for wax, wool and hides. There are good Muslims here because it is a place of learning and, as such, there are men here capable of administering justice. For this reason, they are sent as kadis to various parts of the Turkish Empire. It is abundant in water and fountains, and through the town flows a river called the Macofro (15). When it rains in the winter, the town is flooded and with the water come huge boulders, causing great damage. Bitola has a covered bazaar, beautiful mosques and a good caravanserai for horses, though not for men.

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