Prishtina is rarely documented visually before the 20th century. In fact, the first graphic documentation of the city, at least in some form, appears very late in the middle of the 19th century. The earliest view of Pristina comes from , when an English magazine featured a visual fragment of the city.
Moreover, the engraving, which is by an anonymous hand, was probably based more on the correspondent's descriptions than on what the artist's own eyes had seen. The most accurate there should be the portrayal of the two main figures, the Bey of Pristina, who at this time was a certain Hasan Saxhi Ramiz Bey fl. It should be noted that Hasan wears glasses, and has a "modern" appearance, as the author of the text notes.
More or less of the same nature is another engraving from Pristina , this time from , which shows the dancing of a Roma dancer in the living room of a large house in the city. Particularly noticeable is the 'exotic oriental' style with which a bearded pasha is presented, the exotic dancer among the women watching. The engraving appears to have been made from illustrations made locally, as a notice of the volume states.
These are the only two engravings that present any motif from the interior of the city. There is also an undated painting that must be at least from the 18th century at the entrance gate of the King's Mosque in Pristina.
It shows the view of the mosque itself with a relatively wide garden around it, perhaps the earlier view of the surroundings of this mosque. No other buildings can be seen in this drawing. In general, this fragment is preserved in good condition, and it would be very interesting if in the future the specialists could inform us better about the possible date of its realization.
