Tucked away at the bottom of
Eastern Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country worth visiting. Little did I know how powerful my short visit
would be or how much more I would want to stay and explore. It gave me insight into the most horrific war
since WWII and opened my eyes to this very charming new culture. Sharing the same language with Croatia, I was
very much expecting great similarities, much like just visiting another city of
the same country. However, I was
pleasantly surprised.
Mostar
When we arrived in Mostar, it was
not at all what I was expecting. The
area surrounding the Old Town looks like a normal city – square buildings, concrete
paths and bitumen roadways; very much a Hungarian influence in building
designs. However, head into Old Town and
it’s like you’ve entered another world.
Little cobblestone paths, market shops everywhere, selling anything from
jewellery to bags to lanterns and little café shops surrounding the Mostar
river and famous Stari Most (meaning old bridge). The Old Town has a large Turkish influence –
vibrant colours, shishas, Turkish hats, baklava – you name it. The locals are friendly, with gently banter
and you can’t help but feel happy to be there!
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| Market stalls in Mostar |
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| Colourful markets |
The history of Mostar is also
incredible. Based in the Herzegovina
part of the country, Mostar faced a lot of hardship during the 1991-1995 war
against Serbia. In 1993, everything in Herzegovina was without electricity,
water and military; it was like a desolate city. The Stari Most was bombed as were surrounding
areas. Everything was under fire, no one
felt safe. Once a place popular with
tourists, became a pile of concrete, stone and despair.
I enjoyed visiting the Old Town
mosque (Koski Mehmed pasa), where I learnt about different traditions. There was a beautiful birdbath area outside
the mosque where it was customary to clean yourself, ready for prayer. Inside the mosque, there is a design of a 6
point star, meaning “believe in your own, but respect others”; which I thought
was a powerful statement to live by.
Another interesting fact was that there were many rolls of carpets and
rugs in the mosque. Our tour guide told
us that these were all made with at least one mistake in the pattern, as the Bosniaks
(Bosnian muslims) believed that God is the only one that can make something
completely perfect.
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| Inside Koski Mehmed pasa Mosque in Mostar |
Sarajevo
Arriving into the capital of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, the impression was very similar. In the very middle of the old town, there is
a division of white stones. Look East of
this line and again it is a very Turkish influence; look West and you have
classic Austro-Hungarian architecture. This contrast is attributed to the
different periods of ruling in Bosnia and shows how versatile to different
cultures the country really is. Sarajevo
is one of the only European cities to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox
church and synagogue all in one place and is therefore known as religiously and
culturally diverse. The first building
to be built was a castle in the field (which is where the name Sarajevo is
derived), followed by a mosque for the Bosniaks in the East of the town. It is said the further East of the town you
go, the further back in history you will go.
In the centre of town is a water
fountain; said that if you drink from it, you will return. Here it will give you your bearings for the
rest of the town. All the streets in the
Old Town are named after what you can find in that street, i.e. copper
street. It is a rich and interesting
place to roam around, get lost and easily find your way back.
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| Water Fountain, Sarajevo |
The war time affected Sarajevo greatly. When you roam the streets, you will often
miss the red splashes of paint on the ground.
However, these splashes actually mark sites of massacres. Where more than 9 people were killed, the red
fills up the holes in the ground left from the bombs/bullets and serves as a
memorial of sorts for those lost. These
are called Sarajevo Rose and are simple but powerful. The large National Library that you see in
Sarajevo today was completely destroyed in 1992. It has only been completely re-built last
year and is a significant sight to check out when visiting the city.
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| A snapshot of Sarajevo Rose - marks massacre site |
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| View over Sarajevo City |
The city’s brewery became the
most important building during the war time.
Not as we would think, because of the beer, but because the brewery sat
on the largest spring water supply to the city.
This is where everyone used to come for water, risking their lives to
bring some home to their family. As such,
this area was heavily protected by the Serbs and many didn’t return home.
Srebrenica
Heading to Srebrenica, moods were
mellow. Hearing about the 1995 genocide
was horrible enough. Actually seeing the
memorial and standing inside the same area where the UN had refused most
refugees safety, was another story. The
history of Srebrenica is a horrific one; a story that I hope will never be
repeated; a mistake by the United Nations that cost over 8000 lives.
In April, 1993, Srebrenica was
declared a safe zone by the UN. To counteract the constant desire by the Serbs
to overrule and provide “ethnic cleansing” (removal/killing of Bosniaks), the
UN had a 400-strong army of Dutch soldiers to protect the area. However, when the Serbian military leader,
General Ratko Mlavic ordered his team to enter Srebrenica in July 1995, not one
UN bullet was shot. They gave up. This resulted in mass murder by the VRS (Army
of Republic Serbia) over a period of 3 days in Srebrenica and surrounding
areas.
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| Names of those lost in the 1995 genocide |
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| Entry to the memorial site |
Our tour guide told us, while choking
back tears, how he managed to escape in the woods up to the Bosnian protected
border of Tuzla. His father and twin
brother were not so lucky. He pointed
out their graves in the memorial yard.
Unfortunately for many remaining Bosniaks, closure is still not
possible, with many more mass graves to be uncovered and bones to be identified
through advanced DNA testing. Only a
quarter of those who died in the 1995 genocide have been positively identified
and finally buried to rest. Almost 20
years on, the discovery, recovery and identification is still continuing. Let’s hope there’s some closure soon for the
thousands of Bosniaks still suffering today.
While the stories of Bosnia and
Herzegovina are powerful and heart-breaking, the country has a beautiful charm
to it. The locals are ridiculously friendly
and always welcome a chat. It is a
country scarred with many bullet wounds, but one that has banded together to rebuild
and become a must-see tourist stop in Europe.
Read about my Med Experience –
Bosnia Adventure tour I did here.
xxx
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