Novi Pazar [key], town (1991 pop. 51,749), SW Serbia, on the Raška River. It is an agricultural trading center with a well-developed textile industry. Known as Raška or Rashka in the 9th cent., it was the capital of Serbia from the 12th to the 14th cent. It was captured by the Turks in 1456 and became an important trade center and the seat of the Turkish sanjak [district] of Novibazar (an older spelling). The sanjak of Novibazar was occupied by Austria from 1879 to 1908, but remained under Turkish civil administration until 1913, when it passed to Serbia. It was part of Yugoslavia from World War I until its disintegration and reconstitution. The region, still known as the Sanjak or Sandžak, is now divided between Serbia and Montenegro and remains home to many Muslims. The town retains much of its Turkish architecture.
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