Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

On Wednesday evening I walked eight kilometers up the Miljacka River and visited an old Turkish bridge known as the Goat Bridge. When I returned to my hostel that evening, the owner, Salem, was in a talkative mood, so we sat together and drank beers all night, and he told me about the war and the seige of Sarajevo.

On Thursday morning I took a train from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, to Mostar, the capital of Herzegovina. The train ride was spectacular (in spite of my hangover) as we climbed over the Bjelašnica Mountains and came down the Neretva River gorge on the other side.

The Neretva River is, without question, the most beautiful river I have ever seen in my life. The water is emerald green! I don't know if it is the color of the water that makes something common uncommonly visible, or if it is the rock formations beneath the water, but the bright green water swirls in the most mesmerizing patterns. You can sit and stare at the river for hours, and people do!

The Neretva River runs right through the heart of Mostar, with its pristine (reconstructed) old town and famous Turkish bridge connecting the two river banks. Outside of the old town, Mostar is not as charming. This city suffered more damage to its buildings than any other town in the former Yugoslavia. I am staying near the former front line, where every building has been destroyed beyond repair, and yet no effort has been made to demolish these horrible reminders of the hatred that divided (and divides) the city. Most local residents still don't cross the front line, and the EUFOR soldiers in Mostar are armed (with unloaded, holstered sidearms, but armed nonetheless) and on patrol. In this regard, it is very different from Sarajevo.

I spent yesterday and today(Thursday and Friday) wandering around the old town, visiting the tomb of the Sufi Sheikh Juju and the mosques of Karadžozbeg and Koski Mehmed Pasha. I also visited the Museum of Herzegovina and watched their extremely disturbing film about the destruction of the Old Bridge by Croat forces in 1993. (The reconstruction of the bridge was completed in 2004.)

It was interesting to watch the old men heading to their Friday prayers today. Bosnia-Herzegovina is a very secular country, which is a large part of why I like it so much, but ethnic identity is determined entirely by religion here, so there are a certain public displays of religiosity that do occur. In Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, the old men don their best suits and khaffiyas for Friday prayers (otherwise you don't see a lof them wearing khaffiyas), while here in Herzegovina, the men don their best suits and their little black berets. I don't know why, but that made me really happy to see. They just looked so darn cute!

(Image from Internet: "Roman Bridge at Mostar", by Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar)
(Photos by Eric: Roman Bridge at Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina)