The Mark’s Towers

When you are in Prilep, a visit to St. Mark's Towers is something you should not miss. St. Mark's Towers are a place of great importance, both for the history and for the culture and tradition of Prilep. The palace of kings Vukasin and Marko was located here. According to historical findings, this fortress was defended by only 40 soldiers until the second half of the 13th century, and even later. In the 14th century, this part served as a temporary refuge for the surrounding inhabitants from the Ottoman invasion. After the death of King Mark, in 1395, this settlement was occupied by the Ottomans. This led people to take refuge in a nearby area. Thus, at the foot of Marko's towers, a settlement called Varoš was created, under which name it still exists today. Today, Varoš is part of Prilep, the only former village around Prilep that is inhabited.

Until the beginning of the 11th century, there was no data from written sources about Prilep. In the Byzantine "Sigilionum" of Emperor Basil II (976-1025) from 1018, Prilep is first mentioned as the fortress of Prilapon. The city and the fortress are also mentioned in the short history of the contemporary Emperor Samuel, which was written by the Byzantine writer Jovan Skilica. During the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century, through the discovered archeological findings, one can follow the migration of members of non-Slavic groups to Prilep from different parts of Byzantium, which causes the mixing of the newly arrived population with the natives. That was the reason for the first beginnings of „Byzantinus“ Prilep to appear during the 12th century.