Stari Most
Simple though it seems, the arch of Stari Most, with no supports, is seen as a masterpiece of Turkish building technique. Guarded by two fortified sentinels, the Halebija and Tara towers, at each end, it stretches over 78 feet high and 95 feet across the Neretva River. Crossing the bridge is somewhat of a trek in of itself, as you climb shallow stone steps up the arch and back down to the other side, greeted at each end by a colorful, bustling arena of cobblestone streets, quaint old houses, and fervent shopkeepers selling handmade gifts, local art, and souvenirs. As you maneuver across, you'll likely see several young men in swimsuits perched on the edge of the bridge, taking donations to take the plunge into the icy river below. Jumping off Stari Most is a tradition in the area, and a diving competition is held every year. Lively as it is today, Stari Most has seen its share of history — and tragedy — watching over the birth, growth, and turmoil of the area over hundreds of years.
The city of Mostar (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina) started in the 15th century as a small settlement clustered around an old wooden suspension bridge over the Neretva River. It owes its name, however, to another, now iconic, bridge — Stari Most, or "Old Bridge." The name Mostar has been said to be derived from either stari most ("most" meaning bridge and "stari" old) or the Slavic term mostari, or "bridge keepers." In 1557, Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the construction of a new bridge over the river. Designed by mimar Hayruddin, student of famed architect mimar Sinan, the bridge was completed in 1566 and made of local limestone (and allegedly mortar made from egg whites). Legend says that the sultan promised to execute Hayruddin if the bridge collapsed, and the terrified architect fled on the day of the bridge opening and began digging his own grave. He needn't have worried — the bridge stood strong for over 400 years and helped turn Mostar into a bustling, multiethnic city. Yet even as the bridge became a symbol of civic pride, it was also a token of Muslim Ottoman rule. During the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, the bridge was targeted by anti-Muslim forces and was destroyed on November 9, 1993. After the war, a joint effort organized and funded by UNESCO and several other international organizations and nations reconstructed the bridge using original stone salvaged from the river and the same local limestone and Ottoman building techniques as the original structure. Completed in 2004, the revived Stari Most now stands as a symbol of reconciliation, peace, and international cooperation.
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Image courtesy of Mahir Uysal.
Image courtesy of Atlas Obscura.
Image courtesy of Silvan Rehfeld.