Donja Mahala

Do you have any travel plans this year? After having a trip of lifetime past summer I decided to plan something different this year. The plan is to move forward with my Bucket List and to explore this side of the ocean this summer. This is the shot from my last big trip and the city in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s known for the iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge), medieval arched bridge that was reconstructed back in 2004. The original bridge dated back to 16th century and it was destroyed in 1993 during the civil war. This edit is way overdue but I enjoy going back and forth with my editing. What do you think?

Stari Most (literally 'Old Bridge'; also known as Mostar Bridge is a rebuilt 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croat paramilitary forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it; the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004.

The bridge is considered an exemplary piece of Balkan Islamic architecture and was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. It was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of architect Mimar Sinan who built many of the Sultan's key buildings in Istanbul and around the empire.

Earlier I posted a view of the famous Mostar bridge, taken from the opposite side, from the terrace of the mosque. This view is taken from another bridge, and is the more classic one, but the growing shrubbery is encroaching on the view and reflection. As a result I believe the other one works better, however this one has the benefit of the included minaret. Here is the former one so you can see the difference: www.flickr.com/photos/adelheids-pictures/39911420475.

The original bridge was destroyed during the Bosnian war, but after the war the bridge was proudly rebuilt using stones from the same quarry and only techniques as they had been used before. It remains a UNESCO world heritage site.