Mystical Bosnia and Herzegovina

Radimlja near Stolac, the largest necropolis of wonderfully preserved tombs, testifies about the particularities of "kind Bosniaks" as the inhabitants of Bosnia were then called. Bogomilism, and even the church of Bosnia, as the most widespread religion of the middle ages, had their own characteristics. They are found on the tombs which survived to this day.
At one time, in ages past, a girl asked for in marriage always asked her future husband: - Can you lapidate me? This meant, if he could, in case of her death, cover her with a stone both her length and width, i.e. can he place a tombstone on her grave. This data speaks of the importance of tombstones to our forefathers. Messages were written on tombstones which carried inscriptions about the life of the deceased, about unrequited love or pride and dignity of the people back then. One of the more famous epitaphs from a tombstone claimed: When I die burry me standing up, since I kneeled sufficiently during my life!

Tombs are full of written feelings, religious symbols, poetry and protection from evil forces. Radmilja is the most famous necropolis of tombs, it is located in Vidovo polje (Vidovo field), 3 km west from Stolac, it is held to be a mystical area - 133 stone tombs, created during the 14th century. There are stone tombs weighing over 30 tons.

The shape of the tombstones vary: from stone slabs, coffins, gabled tombstones and crosses, all the way to children tombstones.
Ornaments on the tombstones, skilfully carved by the hand of a master, presented various symbols such as: spirals, fire symbols which was supposed to protect the deceased from demon attacks, and crosses which are differentiated and which belong to various cultures Latin, Maltese, Greek and even tau crosses, which are tied to the Asiatic area. Besides religious and church symbols, one could see astral elements on tombstones, such as rising sun, stars and moon, or staffs which represent symbols of the Bogomil priests - Didovi (Grandfathers). Some of the ornaments are tied to the ancient period of Bosnia and represent elements of Illyrian cults of nature; in Radmilja one can see plant ornaments, animal figures, human figures, but also motifs from everyday life, swords, spears and even heraldic symbols of noble families of this region.

Radimlja kod Stoca, najveća nekropola odlično očuvanih stećaka, svjedoči o posebnosti "dobrih Bošnjana" kako su tada nazivali stanovnike Bosne. Bogumilstvo, pa i Crkva Bosanska, kao najraširenija religija srednjeg vijeka, imale su svoja obilježja. Upravo ona se nalaze na stećcima koji su preživjeli do danas. Nekada, u davnim vremenima, isprošena djevojka obavezno se pitanjem obraćala budućem mužu: - Možeš li me kamenovati? To je značilo, da li je može, u slučaju njene smrti, prekriti kamenom onoliko koliko je duga i široka, odnosno da li joj može postaviti stećak na grob.
Ovaj podatak govori koliko su kameni spomenici bili važni našim dalekim precima. Na stećcima su se ispisivale poruke koje su nosile zapis o životu pokojnika, o neuzvraćenoj ljubavi ili ponosu i dostojanstvu tadašnjeg naroda. Jedan od poznatijih epitafa sa stećka glasi: Kada umrem pokopajte me stojećki, jer dovoljno sam za života klečao!
Stećci su puni zapisanih osjećaja, vjerski simbola, poezije i zaštite pred zlim silama. Radimlja je najpoznatija nekropola stećaka, nalazi se u Vidovu polju, 3 km zapadno od Stoca, važi za čaroban i mističan kraj - 133 kamena spomenika, nastala krajem 14.vijeka. U njoj se nalaze kameni spomenici teški preko 30 tona. Oblici stećaka su različiti: od kamenih ploča, sanduka, sljemenjaka (sljeme krova) i križeva, do dječijih nadgrobnih spomenika.
Ukrasi na stećcima, vješto isklesanih rukom majstora, predstavljali su razne simbole poput: spirala, simbol vatre koja je trebala i nakon smrti čuvati pokojnika od napada demona, i križeva koji se razlikuju i pripadaju različitim kulturama latinskoj, malteškoj, grčkoj pa i tau križeva, koji se vezuju za azijatsko područje. Pored vjerskih i crkvenih simbola, na stećcima se mogu uočiti i astralni elementi, poput izlazećeg sunce, zvijezda i Mjeseca, ili štapova koji označavaju simbole svećenika Bogumila - Didova.
Neki od ornamenata vezani su antički period Bosne, i predstavljaju elemente ilirskih kultova prirode; u Radimlju se može vidjeti i biljna ornamentika, životinjski likovi, ljudske figure, ali i motivi iz svakodnevnog života, mačevi, koplja, pa i heraldički simboli velikaških obitelji ovog kraja.

Vjetrenica is the largest and most famous cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a protected natural monument and a tourist destination in south-eastern part of Herzegovina. Located 300m east from Zavala, on the western edge of Popovo polje, in municipality Ravno, and 12 km away from Slano on the coast of the Adriatic sea (Republic Croatia), i.e. 80km from Mostar. The length of the cave is around 7000 meters, and because of natural ventilation and wind which goes through it, it received the name Vjetrenica. The wind that greets visitors at the entrance, resembles "faery breath", and contributes to the atmosphere and the mystical experience for the tourists.
Legends about brigands and faeries are tied to this cave, and today Hajdučki stol (brigands table) stone tables at the end of the tourist route are testaments of these stories, Turkish cemetery - grouped stalagmites deposited on a clay surface, which resemble Turkish tombstones with their shape as well as Vilino guvno, a place where the faeries sang and danced.
Stories about faeries from Vjetrenica are what usually stirs people's imagination. Faeries of extreme beauty would steal young men, they would entertain them with song and dance, and then release them with a threat that they should tell no one of their encounter. There were several faeries according to folk belief: faery Oblakinja (cloud) brought forth water and rain into the cave, faery Brodarica (ship operator) was the mistress of the lakes in the caves, faery Vidarica (healer) healed injuries of wounded heroes. Faery Biljarica (herb healer) was in charge for miracles, she returned the power of sight and speech to people, faery Proročica (prophet) guarded the truth and fought against injustice while it is believed that faery Vjetrenica is still present today, she is in the cave when the wind blows through it.

On the rock Kušlat, which rises high above the canyon of the rivers Drinjača and Jadra, on the medieval fort the oldest military mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina is located. One reaches this architectural pearl on foot, whose construction is tied to the period of the initial arrival of the Ottomans to this area. The mosque and fort of strategic importance have for centuries attracted attention of passers-by through the valley through which the highway Zvornik - Bratunac stretches and it left people perplexed due to interesting legends.



Numerous legends and curiosities are tied to the fort and mosque on Kušlat rock which survived in folk and literature. It is believed that the name of the medieval fort stems from the name of the noble Bosnian family Kuršlatović, though the name can be tied to the Turkish word Kuš i.e. bird. This is why the story that the fort got its name because of a "bird's nest" is interesting.
The Bosnian folk has for centuries transferred legends about this ancient place of worship, which is called, because of its specific position, "mosque in bird's nest". Probably one of the most interesting stories is connected to the belief that the mosque was "transferred" and built in a plain by inhabitants of Konjević Polje and Pahljević. On numerous occasions it was built, but every time during the night, the mosque would miraculously disappear from the plain and would appear in the morning on Kušlat rock. There where it apparently always belonged, it shone like a pearl on sunlight. During the military aggression of Serbia and Montenegro on Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) the mosque was, like in numerous other places where ethnic cleansing and genocide were conducted, demolished, but after the aggression it was restored as a symbol of victory of good over evil.

Džamija na ptičijem gnijezdu

Na stijeni Kušlat, koja se visoko uzdiže iznad kanjona rijeka Drinjača i Jadra, na srednjovjekovnoj utvrdi pozicionirala se najstarija vojna džamija u Bosni I Hercegovini. Do ovog građevinskog bisera, čija se gradnja vezuje za period prvog dolaska Osmanlija na ove prostore, dolazi se pješice.
Stoljećima su džamija i utvrda od strateškog značenja privlačile pažnju prolaznika kroz dolinu kojom prolazi magistralni put Zvornik - Bratunac te zbog zanimljivih legendi ostavljale ljude u nedoumici.
Za Kušlat stijenu, utvrdu i džamiju, vezuju se brojne legende i zanimljivosti sačuvane u narodu i literaturi. Vjeruje se kako naziv srednjovjekovne utvrde potiče od imena bosanske plemiće familije Kuršlatović, mada naziv može imati veze i sa turskom riječi Kuš odnosno ptica. Zbog toga je zanimljiva priča kako je tvrđava dobila ime po "ptičijem gnjijezdu".
Bosanski narod je stoljećima prenosio legende o ovoj drevnoj bogomolji, koju zbog svoje specifične pozicije, naziva "džamija u ptičijem gnjezdu". Jedan od vjerovatno najzanimljivijih predaja vezuje se za vjerovanje kako su tu istu džamiju "premještali" i gradili u ravnici mještani Konjević Polja i Pahljevića. U više navrata su je gradili, ali svaki put tokom noći, džamija bi iz ravnice nekim čudom nestajala i u jutro se vidjela na Kušlat stijeni. Tamo gdje joj je očito oduvijek i bilo mjesto sjajila je poput bisera na sunčevoj svjetlosti. U toku vojne agresije Srbije i Crne Gore na Bosnu i Hercegovinu (1992-1995) džamija je, poput mnogih na područjima gdje se provodilo etničko čišćenje i genocid bila porušena, ali je opet, nakon završetka agresije, obnovljenja kao simbol pobjede dobra nad zlom.

Pećina u kojoj su živjele vile

Vjetrenica je najveća i najpoznatija pećina u Bosni i Hercegovini, zaštićeni spomenik prirode i turističko odredište u jugoistočnom dijelu Hercegovine. Smještena je 300 m istočno od Zavale, na zapadnom rubu Popova polja, u općini Ravno, te 12 km udaljena od mjesta Slano na obali Jadranskog mora (Republika Hrvatska), odnosno 80 km od grada Mostara. Dužina špilje je oko 7.000 metara, a zbog prirodne ventilacije i vjetra koji kroz nju puše, nosi ime Vjetrenica. Vjetar koji na samom ulasku u jamu dočekuje posjetioce, podsjeća na "vilin dah", te doprinosi ugođaju i mističnom doživljaju turista.
Uz ovu pećinu vezuju se legende o hajducima i vilama, a danas o tim predanjima svjedoči Hajdučki stol - kameni stolovi na kraju turističke staze, Tursko groblje - grupirani stalagmiti nataloženi na glinenu podlogu, koji svojim oblikom podsjećaju na turske nadgrobne spomenike I Vilino guvno, mjesto gdje su vile pjevale i plesale.
Priče o vilama iz Vjetrenice, najviše uzburkavaju maštu ljudi. Vile izuzetne ljepote bi otimale mladiće, plesom i pjesmom ih zabavljale, a nakon toga puštale iz pećine uz prijetnju, da o susretu sa njima ne smiju nikome pričati. Vila, po narodnom vjerovanju, bilo je nekoliko: vila Oblakinja je donosila vodu i kišu u spilju, vila Brodarica je gospodarila jezerima smještenim u pećini, vila Vidarica je liječila ranjene junake. Vila Biljarica bila je zadužena za čuda, ljudima je vraćala moć vida i govora, vila Proročica čuvala je istinu i borila se protiv nepravde dok se za vilu Vjetrenicu vjeruje da je prisutna i danas , ona je u pećini kada kroz nju zapuše jak vjetar.