reduced. Ottoman Period Tetovo was founded in the early 14th century as a small medieval settlement around the Sveta Bogorodica (Holy Mother of God) church. At the end of that century, Tetovo and the surrounding area fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. According to the 1455 defter records, Tetovo had an Albanian presence. Official Ottoman statistics of Nahiya Tetovo, in 1452 there were 146 Christian households and 60 Muslim, 1453 the population consists of 153 Christian and 56 Muslim families, and in 1468 – 180 Christian and 41 Muslim families, in 1545 there were 99 Christian and 101 Muslim families (38 were islamicised), in 1568 there were 108 Christian and 329 Muslim (184 islamicised). The 1467 Ottoman defter of Tetovo attests that the Muslim neighborhood of Tetovo was inhabited by 6 heads of families with mixed anthroponyms of Islamic Albanian character, the names being Jusufi, son of Gjon; Hamza, son of Ulkos; Karagja, son of Petro; Murati, son of Domijan; Mustafa, son of Jonça and Hamza son of Mjellku. In the Christian quarter of Tetovo, alongside characteristic Slavic-Christian names, a sizeable part of the population also had anthroponyms of Christian Albanian character, with cases of Slavicisation, such as: Andreja, son of Arbanas; Lazor Shtinar with his sons Gjuro,Jorgji and Viko; Nikolla son of Gjergj; Dimitri son of Prenko; Lazor brother of Tushko, Gjon Arbanas (t.Arnaut); Dula Arbanas (t.Arnaut),Lazar son of Tushala (compound of Tush + Shala) among others. During the Ottoman period, the town was known as Kalkandelen, which means Shield Penetrator, in honor of the local weapon-smiths. Their superior craftsmanship extended to the advent of small firearms and cannons, which were traded all over the Balkans. The small hill above the town, near the present-day village of Lavce, has been fortified since Paeonian times and the Ottomans also built a substantial fortress there, known as the Baltepes fortress. A number of mosques were built, such as The Colored or Painted Mosque (Aladzha or Sharena Dzamija), also known as the Pasha Mosque, was built in 1459 by the Ottoman Turks; and in the 16th century, the Bektashi order also settled in Tetovo, where they remain at the Bektashi Teke. Tetovo under Ottoman tutelage became an important trade center for the local farmers and craftsmen, as well as an important military fortification. Haci Halife in the 17th century noted in his writings that Kalkandelen was expanding at an amazing