Culture and Heritage

This mosque is located in the Old Town (Kastel) , not far from the main (western) gate and city ramparts. It was built of hewn stone and covered with a four-pitched roof in imitation of a dome under eternite. A stone minaret of octagonal shape, 16 m high, was built along the right wall and was one of the most beautiful in Herzegovina. It was built in 1726 and is the endowment of Osman Pasha Resulbegović. The builders were masters from Dubrovnik. There are elements of Mediterranean architecture in its construction. It is famous as the most spacious mosque in Herzegovina. Before the war, it was a cultural monument under state protection. Osman Pasha built a mekdeb and a madrasah near the mosque, which were the first educational institutions in Trebinje. After the construction of the mosque, Osman Pasha was accused in Istanbul of having built a more beautiful mosque than the emperor’s in his own name in Trebinje . Because of this, Sultan Ahmed III issued an order condemning him and his nine sons to death. Osman Pasha Resulbegović went to Istanbul to beg for pardon, but his was refused, and he was executed in 1729.

In the center of the Stolac valley lies the čaršija (Ottoman central town district) and in its own centre the Čaršija mosque with the Great tepa (market square). The Čaršija mosque was built in 1519 and represents the oldest larger building in the čaršija of Stolac. Next to the mosque there was a mekteb (Ottoman religious school) and around the mosque a harem (Muslim cemetery), while the čaršija was fully structured by the shops surrounding the mosque. The most significant building in the čaršija was the han or musafirhana (Ottoman inn) built by Silahdar Husein-paša. The čaršija of Stolac was a central, public town square where imperial orders were read, public trade was conducted and other public communication was carried out, such as reading of court rulings or calls to wars.

Badanj is an important Paleolithic site located near Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was discovered in 1976 and is dated to the late period of the Younger Paleolithic, around 13,000 to 12,000 BC. The site consists of a multi-layered cave where periodic activities of Paleolithic homo sapiens took place. The upper layer revealed 20 cultural and geological layers belonging to the Late Paleolithic – Epigravettian. The fauna and artifacts found suggest that small groups or communities of 10-15 people lived there periodically, engaging in activities such as hunting, tool-making, and food preparation. The most significant discovery at the site is an engraved drawing of a horse, representing one of the oldest art monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Similar engravings are found in other Mediterranean regions, indicating communication and artistic expression during that time.

The area around today’s monastery of St. Apostles Peter and Paul, together with the stećak necropolis, is an area that has been declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina since March 2003. It is located 7 km southeast of Trebinje in Petrovo polje. It includes the remains of the church of St. Peter (IV century), which are located below the present church, built in 1906, and the remains of the church of St. Pavle (V century), renovated in 2007. Today’s church of St. Petra is typical for this climate, with a simple foundation and modest dimensions, with an apse covered with stone slabs, as well as a tiled interior and a wooden iconostasis. Church of St. Pavla is located directly next to the church of St. Petra, on its southern side. According to the available archival materials and archaeological finds, it is believed that this church served as a congregational temple where services were held, while the trikonchos with the baptismal font (discovered in 2001) dedicated to the Apostle Paul was used for baptisms and burials of believers.

Počitelj is dominated by oriental building styles, which with a mixture of Mediterranean style give this settlement a special dimension. It was mentioned for the first time in written documents in 1444, as the seat of the parish of Dubrava. It is assumed that the builder of the fortified city and the founder of the suburban settlement was the Bosnian king Tvrtko I. Kotromanić in 1383. In the coming period, for the purpose of defense against the conquest of the Turks, the Hungarian-Croatian King Matthias Corvin, together with the local nobility, established Počitelj with the financial support of the Republic of Dubrovnik. The Turks conquered Počitelj in 1471, when it became the headquarters of the captaincy. With the Venetian conquest of Gabela in 1694, Počitelj took over the previous role of a border center, which Gabela had, and kept it until the 19th century.

The area between the Podgrad bridge and the Podgrad mosque, known as Mejdan or Little Čaršija, was historically used for trading agricultural goods, clothes, and various products. The mosque, rebuilt and renovated multiple times, had different names like Mejdan mosque, Hadži Salih Bure mosque, Zulfikar-kapetan mosque, or Ali-paša Rizvanbegović mosque. It stands on an island between two Bregava river inlets, featuring three shops with arched entries facing the čaršija. Similar to the Suleymani mosque in Travnik, it is supported by pillars above the shops, a rare characteristic of mosques with integrated shops. The mosque’s construction reflects Mediterranean architectural influences. Opposite to the mosque stood the Muftića han (inn) and various shops for traders and craftsmen, now known as Konak, serving as a hostel and youth club. Across the river, the Turković tower rises, believed to have been built in stages between the XVII and XVIII centuries. Initially a Rizvanbegović family residence, it became part of the Turković family’s dowry, representing a unique blend between a feudal tower and an urban house.