Municipality of Saraj
Општина Сарај
Komuna e Sarajit | |
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Rural municipality
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Flag 
Coat of arms | |
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| Country |  North Macedonia |
| Region |  Skopje |
| Municipal seat | Skopje |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Blerim Bexheti (DUI) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 229.06 km2 (88.44 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 38,399 |
| Official Language(s) | |
| • primary | Macedonian, Albanian |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Website | Official Website |
Saraj (Macedonian: Сарајⓘ, Albanian: Saraj) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Saraj borders
In the early 2000s municipal boundaries within Macedonia in some areas were redrawn.[1] During difficult negotiations the governing Macedonian Social Democrats (SDSM) gave in to the request of its Albanian coalition partner that wanted Albanians within Skopje to surpass the 20% population mark by attaching two rural Albanian inhabited municipalities, Saraj and Kondovo.[1] The municipalities attachment to the capital city raised the Albanian population from 15.30% to 20.49%.[1] The change was seen as an important win among Albanians, while Macedonians were concerned with a more visible Albanian presence in Skopje and the increasing fragmentation of the urban population based on ethnicity.[1]
According to the last national census from 2021, Saraj has 38,399 inhabitants.[2]
Ethnic groups in the municipality include:
| 2002 | 2021 | |||
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| TOTAL | 35,408 | 100 | 38,399 | 100 |
| Albanians | 32,408 | 91.53 | 34,586 | 90.07 |
| Macedonians | 1,377 | 3.89 | 1,005 | 2.62 |
| Turks | ... | ... | 28 | 0.07 |
| Roma | ... | ... | 255 | 0.66 |
| Bosniaks | 1,120 | 3.16 | 1,043 | 2.72 |
| others | ... | ... | 16 | 0.04 |
| Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources | n/a | n/a | 1,450 | 3.78 |
There are 23 inhabited places in this municipality.
| Inhabited Places | Total | Macedonians | Albanians | Turks | Roma | Vlachs | Serbs | Bosnians | Others |
| Saraj Municipality | 38,399 | 1,005 | 34,586 | 28 | 255 | - | - | 1,043 | 1,466 |
| Arnakija | 1.163 | 5 | 1.086 | - | - | - | - | - | 71 |
| Bojane | 2.132 | 1 | 2.070 | - | - | - | - | - | 60 |
| Bukoviḱ | 1.842 | - | 1.769 | - | - | - | - | - | 73 |
| Čajlane | 639 | - | 602 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| Dolno Svilare | 2.172 | - | 2.128 | - | - | - | - | - | 46 |
| Dvorce | 145 | - | 141 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Glumovo | 2.152 | 1 | 2.060 | - | - | - | - | 32 | 59 |
| Gorno Svilare | 845 | - | 830 | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Grčec | 36 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Kondovo | 3.626 | 18 | 3.353 | 9 | - | - | 2 | 66 | 177 |
| Kopanica | 1.790 | - | 1.761 | - | - | - | - | - | 29 |
| Krušopek | 2.017 | 4 | 1.977 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 35 |
| Laskarci | 1.169 | - | 1.127 | - | - | - | - | - | 42 |
| Ljubin | 2.426 | 5 | 1.493 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 859 | 64 |
| Matka | 466 | 156 | 248 | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | 55 |
| Paničari | 130 | - | 107 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 |
| Raduša | 1.533 | - | 1.447 | - | - | - | - | - | 86 |
| Raoviḱ | 79 | - | 40 | - | - | - | - | - | 39 |
| Rašče | 2.835 | 1 | 2.760 | - | - | - | - | - | 74 |
| Rudnik Raduša | 179 | - | 156 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 |
| Saraj | 6.265 | 307 | 5.379 | 11 | 167 | - | 4 | 73 | 324 |
| Semenište | 798 | 2 | 754 | 9 | - | - | - | 5 | 37 |
| Šiševo | 3.958 | 505 | 3.294 | 2 | 87 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 61 |
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Villages in Saraj Municipality
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Municipalities of North Macedonia with an Albanian majority
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The municipality names in italics have an Albanian population of over 50% but below 60%. Names in brackets are Albanian equivalents of the Macedonian names. |
42°00′01″N 21°19′29″E / 42.0004°N 21.3248°E / 42.0004; 21.3248
