Mostar. I’ve had a good few days in Mostar. I caught up on video my editing, had a day doing absolutely nothing except reading my kindle, caught up with my laundry and drink lots of tea in the shade. I’ve also done some touristy stuff, visiting some mosques, museums and the Blagaj Tekke.
I also visited the Genocide Museum in Mostar, which is very sobering. Using the testimonies of survivors with artifacts and everyday items, the museum describes the sheer horror of those years in graphic detail. It also brings it home to you just how precarious life can be when civilisations fail. It really is something you need to see if you are visiting. The town is small and very peaceful, and when you walk around the backstreets, there is still lots of evidence of the conflict, with many buildings still having bullet-holes. In the ‘Old Town’ there are still many of the old buildings on either side of the narrow winding streets, all containing busy shops, Pride of place in the old town is the old bridge, which was re-built during the 1990’s. It really is a spectacle to see. During the daytime the area is very busy and its hard to get a picture without lots of people – but – if you walk the streets between 6 and 7am in the morning the Old Town is completely deserted and you can get some excellent pictures of the bridge.
About 30 minutes ride form Mostar is the Blagaj Tekke Monastery. Built around 1450 by Sufi monks, the building has survived well. The buildings were renovated around the 1890’s and stand as a testament to the ancient history of this area. Originating in Baghdad around the 9th century, the Sufi’s were Muslims, but preferred a more enlightened and simpler existence – Sufism. The Blagaj Tekke is built against a steep mountain with an adjacent cavern which is the source of a light blue river. The water feeds into the river which runs though Mostar, and the water looks clear and icy cold. There was even a fish farm further down the river, though I’m not sure what kind of fish.
