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.