ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: POČITELJ + MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

August 8, 2015
Počitelj
I scheduled a day trip to Mostar for the Saturday that I was in Dubrovnik. The first stop on the tour was to Počitelj, a traditional Ottoman village. It is located on the left bank of the Neretva River to the south of Mostar in the Capljina Municipality.

Počitelj was the administrative center and center of governance for Dubrava Župa during the middle ages. It is believed that the town and its settlements were built in 1383 by Bosnia's King Stjepan Tvrtko I. The town evolved during the 16th to 18th centuries, adding both medieval and Ottoman architecture to the ancient streets.

Počitelj had strategic significance during the time of the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus [1463-1471], and then developed under the Ottoman Empire. Mosques, schools, markets, baths, etc were built, while military conflicts occurred in more remote areas. Počitelj lost its strategic importance during the Austro-Hungarian rule, which helped preserve the originality.

Like many other towns and cities in the area, Počitelj was badly damaged between 1992-1993 during the war and in 1996 it was named one of the world's 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites.

It is a great place to spend some time when traveling to/around Mostar. Our stop was brief, but I was able to walk around the ancient streets and get a look at a few points of interest.

Počitelj

Ignore the cars

The roof of the Hamam

Fort of Počitelj in the distance

Šišman Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
Classical Ottoman style
Built in 1562-3 AD
Blown up in 1993 and restored

Mostar
Mostar was established in the 15th century and is known for its Turkish houses and Old Bridge [Stari Most]. The city, located between Hum Hill and Velez Mountain, originally had only two small towers and the original Old Bridge [dated 1459], which spanned both sides of the Neretva River. Mostar was developed as an Ottoman frontier town during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries.

'Architecture here presented a symbol of tolerance: a shared life of Muslims, Christians and Jews. Mosques, churches, and synagogues existed side-by-side indicating that in this region, the Roman Catholic Croats with their Western European culture, the Eastern Orthodox Serbs with their elements of Byzantine culture, and the Sephardic Jews continued to live together with the Bosniaks-Muslims for more than four centuries.' [UNESCO]

The conflict during the 1990s took a large toll on the city, destroying most of the historic town and Stari Most, which was designed by mimer Hajruddin based on the design of his master-teacher mimer Sinan, the famous chief Ottoman architect and civil engineer for several sultans. Stari Most was a solid piece of engineering and managed to support the passage of Nazi tanks during WWII before it was destroyed in 1993 by a Croat artillery attack. I read that over 60 shells hit the bridge before it crumbled into the river. The reconstruction of the bridge was built in 2004 and while much of the old town has been rebuilt, it is still undergoing restoration today. Events and festivals are common in Mostar, such as the recent 'Red Bull Cliff Diving Series' where participants jumped off of the Old Bridge into the river, around 24 meters below.

The tour I booked allotted for 3 hours to peruse the city and eat lunch. I opted out of the tour that the trip included so that I could see more than the two items on the agenda as well as to leave some time for sketching.

Mostar is relatively small. One side of the river, mainly the right bank, holds the more Christian/Jewish sights [churches and synagogues] while the other side has more of the Muslim sights. I found a nice spot where I saw the locals swimming and headed in that direction. It was the perfect view of the bridge and the water felt nice on such a hot day. I even got a free show watching the locals jump off the bridge for money [tourists are kindly reminded not to do so as the water is relatively shallow].

I found a great little lunch place tucked away off the main path but still overlooking the water. The main road, Onescukova, which is filled with shops and coffee/gelato places is actually quite a pain to walk through when there are so many tourists so I tried to find the paths less taken. I wanted to see the Koski Mehmed-Pasha's Mosque so I headed over the bridge to the other side of the river. Beware, the bridge can be very slippery.

Stari Most with the Neretva River

Stari Most

The water felt nice, but was moving quickly

Stari Most with the local jumpers

Stari Most

Watch your step!

Koski Mehmed-Pasha's Mosque was rebuilt in 1618 and has a simplistic interior and a beautiful courtyard with a fountain, tea-stall and garden area. One of the best parts of the Mosque was the fact that they allow you to climb the minaret, which was the first time that I have seen that offered. Luckily it was not call to prayer time, or my ears would have been blown off.

The views from the top are amazing. The bridge is in clear sight, and the surrounding hills and mountains form a great backdrop to the river. A giant cross [the Cross over Mostar] can be seen resting on top of Hum Hill, while church spires and minarets line the landscape. The cross intrigued me because I could not imagine everyone being happy about it. After looking into it, it seems that discussions about the cross and other religious symbols [of all of the different religions] have been ongoing since 2000. [Side note: Since 1996 Mostar has been governed by two political leaders, one for the Croats and one for the Bosniaks. No one person controlled the whole city, which never really worked out well. I did see that in July of this year, Bosnian-Croats and Muslims held their first joint city council session and appointed one mayor and one deputy mayor].

Koski Mehmed-Pasha's Mosque in the distance

Koski Mehmed-Pasha's Mosque

Stari Most from the minaret

Hum Hill in the distance [where the cross sits]

Hum Hill

Wandering through the streets reminded me of places like Old Bazaar Skopje, Istanbul and the eastern side of Sarajevo [three must-see places when traveling]. Every corner opened up to unique streetscapes and views, if only I had more time…

Abandoned buildings woven into the city fabric

Franciscan Church

Onescukova

Bullet holes still exist in many buildings

Onescukova

Kujundžiluk

Abandoned buildings woven into the city fabric

Braće Fejića

Taking a break from the heat

Synagogue site

My time in Mostar was too short lived. I would have been better to have at least one full day but sadly three hours had to suffice. There are lots of museums to see, as well as abandoned buildings from the war such as the Snipers Tower and the old Airport hanger [two places I wanted to try and find].

Other sights
- Biscevic's House
- Hamam [Turkish Bath]
- Kajtaz House
- Karadjoz-bey Mosque
- Franciscan Church
- Aslant Bridge [Crooked Bridge]
- Old Bazaar
- Orthodox Church
- Clock Tower
- Old Orthodox Church
- Gymnasium
- Partisan's Memorial Cemetery
- Tekija [Muslim Monastery] in Blagaj
- Basilica in Cim
- Town Baths
- Cathedral
- Tabacica Mosque

The drive back to Dubrovnk was long but the views were great: