Strolling through Mostar today, among the ruins and rebuilding, one can spy stones with the message "Don't Forget '93." They are reminders of despair of the past and hope for the future. Mosques, churches, and neighborhoods were razed, and atrocities became commonplace. The arch of the Old Bridge, which had connected Muslims and Christians for centuries, was broken. The Old City was devastated by the Croat-Bosnian War of 1993-1995. The city hosts the music festival Melodies of Mostar every year. The Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, built in 1617, is open to visitors. The Bazaar Kujundziluk, named for its goldsmiths, still operates by the Old Bridge. The Cejvan Cehaj Mosque of 1552 is the oldest mosque in Mostar. One can find plenty of such examples in the Italianate Franciscan Church, the Ottoman residences of the mahallas, and the mosques and madrassas. Mostar architecture covers foreign themes merged with native styles. ![]() It became part of the newly independent Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. Mostar became part of Yugoslavia after 1918. Then the Austro-Hungarian Empire took the reins. Destroyed in the Bosnian-Croatian War, it was completely restored by 2000. Its graceful sky-reaching arch lasted 427 years. In 1566 Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the "Old Bridge" to be built in stone. The Ottoman Empire absorbed Mostar in 1468. The bridge over the Neretva River was vital. ![]() Mostar was strategically located between the Adriatic Sea and the rich hinterland of Bosnia. It called the residents "Mostari" which means "bridge-keepers." The name Mostar was derived from a document dated 1474. ![]() Remains of fortified encampments, cemeteries, and Roman foundations have been discovered beneath present-day Mostar. Settlements by the Neretva River, between Mount Hum and Mount Velez, go back to prehistoric times.
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