Author: Ibrahim Kajan:
Blagaj, two thousand years
Only those who
never set off for Blagaj will never arrive there. Turn to face the southern
exit from Mostar and follow the path to the source of the Buna river - 12
kilometres or a 15-minute drive covers a distance 2,000 years long!
I saw the map of
the missing roads, part of the study by Vaclav Radimsky published in the
Journal of the National Museum 125 years ago. It is after these instructions that
the map of the Bišće polje was produced by Hugo Jedlicka.
You see that
Bišće polje begins on the outskirts of Mostar; this is a plain full of secrets
that will not be revealed to just anyone. When you turn off the M17 towards
Blagaj, you are greeted by Mukoša-inn at the crossroads. This is where the road
to Blagaj branches off from that leading to Buna. Radimsky saw the ruins of the
old Roman building with ''sculpted cornices, foundations and heads of the
pillars, all of which probably formed part of a temple."
Situated right
on the north-east side of the Royal vineyards, one enters the extended village
of Gnojnice. The locality inhabited since ancient times: east of the mosque
Radimsky saw one, and west, in a
clearing, two Illyrian tumuli. Rural well Vrba was "walled with fragments of Roman
monuments decorated with reliefs". In a previously unknown Roman
settlement now known as Gnojnice, 27 medieval tombstones were found. Radimsky
headed for the Cross, a secluded round mound in the locality of Dračevice. He
saw at its foot, "above the scattered tumuli" - and on the top: a
prehistoric fort. Towards the slope, moving on to Blagaj, the river-bed of
Posrt meandered. Radimsky crossed the bridge of an anonymous and not
particularly distinguished artisan. There starts Blagaj district Vrač, a place
of luxurious villa owned by the Kosača duchy.
When Radimsky
reached the source of the Buna river, he saw this building " embraced by
both sides of the closed vertical cliffs leaning over it." Next to it is a
tomb, "a modest tomb of Mohammedan saint where pious Mohammedans often
come to pray," he writes to the best of his ability.
He provided a
succinct description of Herzog's medieval castle above the Tekke, the crags -
and the invisible walls and foundations – witnesses of Roman and Illyrian
"architectural hands". From the castle Bišće is in plain view and
figurines of people can be seen, along with a mosque, in the centre of Blagaj.
Below the mosque, Buna flows, and over the Buna there is bridge composed of
five arches. Radimsky still did not know that it was built by Karađoz bey in
the 16th century. But he found the stone tablet with letters stating that it
was renovated in 1849 by Belfe Kadir, the daughter of Ali bey Velagic.
Crossing the
bridge to the other side, they took the hard path around the foothill of the
stone Matere plateau, a toponym of Roman origin, towards Kosor. At the foothill
of Kosorska glavica he ''found ruins of approximately 15 buildings lined up
next to each other,” apparently streets, "some lined with sand and some
with dry running." With joy they added to that the "remains of Roman loamy vessels, iron
nails" and all sorts of ancient "trinkets": the pocket money of
a hollow pocketed Roman legionnaire.
Furthermore,
they found "a medieval object" - the stone chair of Herzog Stjepan,
where he sat and tried serfs and slaves of Hum. Jedlička drew it immersed into soil, tilted as
intoxicated bride. He also drew the chairs’ background, the letter by letter in
our Bosančica: ‘’Take a look at this stone/
To whom it used to belong/ to whom it belongs now/ to whom it will never belong
‘’. That Herzog's chair can be found in National Museum of Bosnia and
Herzegovina in Sarajevo.
The biggest
"Roman" monument of stone that was found was "ancient" Kosorski bridge "extended over seven shafts, wide 2.6 to
6.5 m, and length together with ascents
57 meters with wideness of 4 meters ..." The dispute about the origin of
the bridge seems to be continued to this day.
Moving away from
Kosor to Buna, the duo climbed to Kičin-forest, a mythical place full of
secrets to this day. They came across peaks, remains of round houses,
fortresses - maybe, Roman and pre-Roman date "rearranged" by human
hand.
In the place
named Buna, with access to the main road M17, the southern side of the
triangular Bišće-fields is closing. No more further. "Small miracles"
that were hidden, and smashed into fragments by not so gentle history, are the
only signs of good that we inherited as unloved heirs of the corresponding part
of the world.
Translated: Amina Imami
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