The third attack through Gostivar was in the period of Sultan Yildirim Bayezid. Ottomans conquered these places in 1390s. Thousands of distinguished Turkish families from Anatolia were settled in his area aroun Gostivar and Polok valley in the time of Sultan Murat II and Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror. Gostivar is first seen in the Bath Declaration of Serbian King Milutin, which was announced in 1313 or 1318. The city also is seen the documents of 1331 and 1340. Serbian Tzar Dushan mentioned the city in his speech at the opening ceremony of Hagia Maria Monastery in Kalkandelen. Ottomans recorded the city and its surrounding as Upper Caunty in cadastral books. Turkish families were settled in Raptistah, north and south Banitsa, Zudunya, Debrese, Pirgos, Dobridolu, Forina, Cegran, Turcan, Cayle etc. This settlemens continued until 1912. It is recorded on pages 101, 102 and 103 that there lived 12 or 18 Muslim families in Gostivar in 1452. Gostivar was recorded as a village at the census in 1455b We see Gostivar also in the decision document of Court. It writes, by the road going to Gostivar , and, by the road going from Cegran to Gostivar and Vardar
Gostivar is recorded as Kostvar in the cadastral book in 1467/68. Then it changed again as Gostivar in cadastral registration book in 1595. There are two important historical documents about Gostivar. The first one is about a beautiful mosque built by Mehmet Pasha in 1659. There were a school, bath, bazaar and caravanserai around this mosque.
The second document was about building a mosque, a school and many shops in the place where there is e clock-watch today. We cannot see Gostivar in any document belonging to 18th century. Social, economic and cultural life was spoiled because of Turkish Austrian war. Commercial activities stopped. Turkish people suffered from economical difficulties. Gostivar was a very small village in this time.
German traveler Grizenbach visited the region in 1837 and only mentions about Kalkandelen in his memories. French traveller Ami Boue also visited the region a couple of years later and mentions Kalkandelen as a town and Gostivar as a village. When we came to 19th century, we see that Gostivar became a small town according to two valuable documents.
Documents of Hagia Yovan Bigorski and Hagia Anastasya Monasteries tell that Gostivar was a small town in the 19th century. German Ethnolog of Slav origin K.Gersin, Bulgarian writers Vasil Kinchov, D. M. Brankov, D. Yaranov and all Turkish and European historians call the city as Gostivar. Macedonia was a country, which stayed most within Ottoman borders. There seen the traces of Ottoman-Turkish atmosphere in the region.
Gostivar has an important geographical position since it is on the connection point of routes between Uskup-Debre-Tiran-Dırac, Uskup-Ohri, Uskup-Manastır-Selanik, Prizren-Kalkandelen-Manastır-Selanik, Prizren-Kalkandelen-Debre-Tiran-Dırac etc.
Until the end of 19th century, 20% of Turks were farmers in Gostivar where as 8% dealt with livestock, commerce, handicraft etc. They went to other cities to work. They mostly went to Selaniko, Istanbul, Symirna, Edirne and other big Ottoman cities. Gostivar Turks were in the work of jewellery, carpentry, sericulture and guns. After the crisis in 1875 there seen an increase in the population of Gostivar Turks. There opened new bazaars, markets, shops in this period. Thus the economical and social situation of Upper County started to change.
The city became an important craft, agricultural and commercial center of Polok valley in the last years of Ottoman period. But Balkan Wars and World War I affected the economical life as in other regions. Some of the Turks were killed by Bulgarian revolts. Some of them migrated to Istanbul and Anatolia. But the rest stayed home wretched.
To be continued