Mostar, Herzegovina
Copyright Timothy Tye
Mostar is a town in the region of Herzegovina, and the fifth largest in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The native name of the town is Mostari, which means "bridge keepers". This name is in reference to the Old Bridge of Mostar, a 400-year-old bridge across the River Neretva which unfortunately was bombed during the Bosnian conflict in 1993. The bridge has since been reconstructed, and has since regained its position as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
I was journeying through Bosnia when I passed through Mostar, and stopped by to explore it for a bit. I find that much of the town has since been reconstructed since the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict. It appears that the two communities - the Catholics and the Muslims - have been able to live peacefully together. I suppose there had not been any true conflict between them, if not for agitation that came from the outside.
Location of Mostar
Mostar is located on the southern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is about 40km from the town of Metkovic in Croatia, right across the border on the E73 (M-17) motorway.
Significance of Mostar
The name Mostar came to world attention at the height of the Bosnian War. The town went through much suffering between 1992 and 1993, when it was under siege for 18 months. During that time, Mostar was bombed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), which proceeded to take control of much of the town. The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Croatian Defence Council responded to force the JNA out of Mostar. The JNA retaliated by further shelling Mostar. As a result, both Catholic as well as Muslim places of worship suffered much devastation. Among the structures destroyed included a Franciscan monastery, a Catholic cathedral, the bishop's palace, the Karadzoz-bey mosque, the Roznamed-ij-Ibrahim-efendija mosque and twelve other mosques.
After the Serbs were driven out of Mostar, Croatia tried to capture Mostar. It resulted in Mostar being divided into two parts. The western part is controlled by Croats while the eastern part of Mostar was controlled by the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina which ironically has its headquarters in a basement in West Mostar. During the ensuing conflict, many of the bridges connecting western and eastern Mostar were destroyed.
Since the end of the Bosnian conflict in 1995, the city has undergone widespread reconstruction. Stari Most, the Old Bridge of Mostar, was also reconstructed, as sympathetic as possible to its original design. It was completed in 2004. At the same time, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the World Monuments Fund embarked on a five-year restoration project to rehabilitate Stari Grad, the old quarters of Mostar. The purpose is to ensure that the old town that surrounds the Old Bridge is conserved in keeping with the bridge.
Stari Most and its surrounding heritage structures were inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in July, 2005.
Some damaged houses from the Bosnian conflict in Mostar
Copyright Timothy Tye
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