Mostar was bombed repeatedly and heavily during the Balkans War, between 1992 and 1995. There are still bullet holes in its buildings, and buildings that were demolished in the war and never rebuilt. Guidebooks describe Mostar, in the 1990s, looking like Dresden, Germany, after World War II. But Mostar is also a charming, happy city these days, with a bustling market selling all kinds of great food, from ice cream and baklava to the distinctive Balkans snack, "burek." We had a great time exploring Mostar on May 12, 2026.
One of the most memorable museums we visited on our Balkans trip was the War Photo Museum in Mostar. The walls of the small museum were filled with photos by New Zealand photojournalist Wayne Goddard of the suffering during the Balkans War.
On our walking tour of the city, our guide pointed out walls with remaining bullet holes and entire buildings that had never been repaired following the bombings of the Balkans War.
The symbol of regeneration after the war is, of course, the Stari Most, or old stone bridge in Mostar, connecting the Muslim and Orthodox sections of the city. The bridge was bombed during the war but rebuilt afterwards.
The city, itself, is beautiful, with quaint houses and minarets on the banks of a green river.
Dave and I love ethnic food, and Mostar had great varieties. Burek is a baked pastry consisting of rolls of filo dough wrapped around meat or cheese and spices. It is as popular as pizza in the Balkans.
After hundreds of years of Ottoman occupation, Turkish baklava is also a popular treat, served in many varieties.
Dave's and my all-time favorite snack/dessert/entree was ice cream, in wondrous flavors like Dubai chocolate and forest berry. Ice cream shops were on every street of the bazaars.
We took a side trip to Blagaj, a pretty Muslim town on the turquoise Bune River. We walked down to a cave near a historic tekke, or half-timbered Dervish house with Oriental rug-overed floors, carved doorways, curious niches, and a bathroom with star-shaped glass set into the ceiling. The Dervishes follow a mystical strand of Islam, in which the peaceful contemplation of nature plays a part. It was for that reason the Dervish house was positioned above the cave's mouth, from which the Bune River's surrealistic blue-green waters flow out.
"Ethnographic museums" are as common in the Balkans as pagodas in Thailand. They are usually located in Turkish-style houses from many decades or centuries ago, decorated beautifully with artifacts from former times. In Mostar we visited a home once owned by beloved philanthropists, pictured above. How very Turkish the man's outfit is!
No comments:
Post a Comment