The stone arch
24 metres above the river.
Philippe Salgarolo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · lienyuan lee — CC BY 3.0 · Mark Ahsmann — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vikiçizer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Halfmonkey — Public domain · Waterwall — CC BY-SA 3.0 · trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0 · MoserB — Public domain
The symbol of Mostar and the best-known landmark of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a single-arch Ottoman bridge over the Neretva river. Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned it in 1557, and it was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student of Mimar Sinan. The city takes its name from the bridge keepers (mostari). The bridge is hump-backed, 4 metres wide and 30 metres long, and rises about 24 metres above the water, guarded by two towers: Halebija to the northeast and Tara to the southwest. It has no foundations; its arch springs from limestone abutments tied into walls along the rocky riverbanks. The bridge was destroyed during the war on 9 November 1993. It was rebuilt with Ottoman techniques and local tenelija limestone, and divers recovered original stones from the river; work began on 7 June 2001 and it reopened on 23 July 2004. In July 2005 UNESCO inscribed the bridge and its immediate surroundings on the World Heritage List. Leaping from the bridge into the cold Neretva is an old tradition for the town's young men; a formal competition has been held every summer since 1968 at the end of July, and since 2015 the bridge has been a stop on a world cliff-diving series. Crossing is free; the stone surface is slippery, so wear good shoes, and early morning and evening are the best times, before and after the tour groups.
24 metres above the river.
A summer tradition since 1968.
Halebija and Tara.
Old town, over the Neretva river
Kujundžiluk Old Bazaar, MostarMostar's old bazaar, a cobbled lane along the east bank of the Neretva up to the1 minute walk4.7
Koski Mehmed Pasha MosqueAn Ottoman mosque on the east bank of the Neretva near the Old Bridge, built in 2 minutes walk4.3
Crooked Bridge (Kriva Ćuprija), MostarA small stone bridge over the Radobolja stream, just west of the Old Bridge. It 2 minutes walk4.9
Bišćević House, MostarAn Ottoman family house built in 1635, one of the best-preserved houses of the p5 minutes walk4.5
Karađoz Bey Mosque, MostarOne of the largest and finest mosques in the region, completed in 965 AH (1557 o6 minutes walk4.8It was destroyed during the war on 9 November 1993, rebuilt with Ottoman techniques between 2001 and 2004, reopened on 23 July 2004, and inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage List in July 2005.