Scutari (Italian or Levantine form of the Turkish Üsküdar), (1) a town of Asiatic Turkey, on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, immediately opposite Constantinople, of which it is considered a suburb. It is built on the slopes of a hill, and bears a great resemblance to the Turkish capital, though its streets are wider. It contains several handsome mosques, bazaars, and baths, a royal seraglio, and a college of howling dervishes, and manufactures silks and cotton fabrics and leather goods. It has long been famed for its extensive cemeteries, adorned with magnificent cypresses, the chosen resting-place of many of the Turks of Constantinople from attachment to the sacred soil of Asia. The population is variously estimated at from 40,000 to 60,000. During the Crimean war the enormous barracks built by Sultan Mahmud on the southern outskirts of the town were occupied as barracks and hospital by the English troops, and formed the scene of Miss Nightingale's labours. On the cliffs bordering the Sea of Marmora stands a marble obelisk marking the site of the densely-filled English burial-ground. A white tower (90 feet high) near the shore, now used as a lighthouse, is known as Leander's Tower (see HERO). Scutari is the rendezvous and starting-point of caravans and travellers for the interior of Asia Minor. It occupies the site of the ancient Chrysopolis; and about two miles to the south lies the village of Kadiköi, the ancient Chalcedon.
(2) A town of European Turkey, situated at the southern end of the Lake of Scutari, in Northern Albania, 16 miles from the Adriatic, with which it is connected by the river Bojana. It is overlooked by an old Venetian citadel on a commanding height, has manufactories of arms and cotton goods, and carries on a considerable trade, especially in wool and skins. Pop. 25,000, of whom one-third are Greek Christians. They have here a cathedral and a bishop.