The historic town of Mostar, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, developed in the 16th is the UNESCO site of cultural heritage. The most recognizable mark of Mostar is the “Old Bridge”. The Mostar Old Bridge is in the world’s 10 top most beautiful bridges. The “Old” as often referred among people has been serving the people of region for centuries as bounder not just of two sides of the river but also as the bounder of East and West, Orient and Oxidant. And here is to story of Old Bridge.
At the time when Ottomans conquered Mostar, near the present-day Old Bridge, there was a wooden bridge on the chains. The wooden bridge from the 15th century was not able to meet the needs of the Ottomans. The locals from Mostar asked for approval and support to construct a bridge from quality materials.
According to the project Hayruddin, students of the famous Sinan, the great Ottoman architect of the 16th century, the bridge project was done with span 28.70 meters with a height of 21 meters bow of the summer water level and 4.5 meters wide. The bridge was built of cut stone called “tenelija”, which is extracted from quarries in mucus, about 5 km south of Mostar. The structure of the bridge is built over 456 stone blocks of stone, but the exact number could not be calculated because the middle of the bridge is covered with plaster.
The bridge was built by craftsmen from Dubrovnik and from the surrounding fields Popovo who were famous stonemasons and bricklayers. The old bridge was completed and opened to public in July or August 1566. At the abutment side of the river there is an inscription in Arabic (Kudra KEMERI- Power vault).
About the bridge were written and sung many songs, and the famous traveler and writer Evliya Çelebi says: “… When the bridge looked from a distance, it looks like a round arch, which has just crashed out of arrows. Architecture, precision, elegance, which is keyed into this beautiful stone creation, showed an expertise and excellence. Since it was built viziers, leaders, dignitaries and people all over Empire coming to Mostar just to see it. While these travelers sitting in caffee corner – “čardak”, they look at how many brave children of the town stand ready on the edge of the bridge. And jump off a bridge, dropping down into the river and flying in the air like birds, making each of them, acrobats … ”
About the Old Bridge and its construction and builders were told many stories and legends. Some of them say that Architect was sentenced to death if the arch ever fell apart. There is no data that Hayruddin – architect of the bridge ever seen its creation. Instead Hajrudina, the contractor building the bridge was a local man, Mehmed Karađoz whose mosque still stands on plateau of the Old Town.
The shape of the bridge also has its own story, it is said that it is a life … the arch of bridge represents one half of the life circle, and its reflection in the water is the other half of circle and the overall picture represents life.
Ehh, if the “Old” could talk many hidden stories would be reviled.