On July 22, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Mostar, the historic capital of Herzegovina. Situated on the stunning blue waters of the Neretva River, the city is named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who watched over the Old Bridge (Stari Most), one of the most iconic architectural landmarks in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I was traveling with Zerina, my local Balkan Language Initiative program coordinator, and our journey began very, very early in the morning at the Sarajevo train station, where we boarded an intercity train that would follow the Neretva River through the smaller towns of Konjic and Jablanica before stopping in Mostar, after which it continued further south all the way to Croatia. The train ride took just over two hours, offering beautiful views of the mountains, river, and the small towns that we passed through, as well as the chance to chat in Bosnian with fellow passengers, many of whom were also leaving Sarajevo for weekend trips out of the city.
The train ride was also a great opportunity to do some reading—I have started reading a new novel in Bosnian, Zlatni Geler (Golden Shrapnel) by the writer Almir Imširević, which is set in the late 1990s after the siege of Sarajevo during the war. I bought the book after hearing Imširević speak at Bookstan, an annual literary festival in Sarajevo that I attended just a few weeks ago. While I read considerably more slowly than I can read in English, I am pleased that I can comprehend the text fairly easily and only occasionally need to look up words in the dictionary.
View of the Old Bridge from the Koski-Mehmed Pasha Mosque
We arrived in Mostar just after 9:00 am, which allowed us to do some sightseeing before the heat really set in later in the day. We strolled through the pedestrian-only streets of the old town, taking in the Ottoman-era architecture and craftwork from local artisans, and soon arrived at the city’s main calling card, the Old Bridge. Commissioned by Sultan Suleiman I in 1557 and designed by the architect Mimar Hayruddin, the bridge is considered one of the most impressive examples of Ottoman architecture across the Balkans. Though the bridge was destroyed by shelling from Bosnian Croat forces during the war in 1993, it was painstakingly reconstructed between 2001 and 2004 and is now protected as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Next, we visited the Koski-Mehmed Pasha Mosque, built in 1619, and climbed to the top of the minaret, which offers panoramic views of the city. As the temperatures rose, we headed to the nearby village of Blagaj, located at the origin of the Buna River and known for its tekija or Dervish house. Dervishes are a Muslim religious order who have taken vows of asceticism and poverty, with an emphasis on proximity to nature and harmony with the natural world, and exemplified by the tekija, built right alongside the cliff and hanging over the water.
Dervish house in Blagaj
Traveling to Mostar for the day was a wonderful experience, as I got the chance to learn more about the history, architecture, and culture of another city besides Sarajevo. I returned home excited for the final two weeks of the program!
Title VIII Fellowship for Overseas Language Study Recipient
American Councils Study Abroad Alumni Scholarship Recipient
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Summer 2023