Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar

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Our passports were checked as we left Dubrovnik and entered Bosnia-Herzogovina.  Asians these days are a welcomed travelers and passing through the checkpoints was a breeze.  It was a rainy day but our hearts were not dampened by the weather and we ventured into the Old city with our young guide who started the tour in the old Town.  We saw some remnants of the ravages of war like large holes through buildings and destroyed mosques but the town was completely rebuilt out of the original materials.  Even the cobblestone streets were patterned from its prewar appearance.

An interesting place we visited was a mosque where traditionally one is allowed to wear shoes inside.  This is the only mosque in the whole world where this was once done.  It was a tanners mosque and being smelly and dirty, they were allowed to wash their bodies inside the prayer area where there was once a free running stream.  Unfortunately after the post war rehabilitation, the stream was gone.  

The Old bridge area was teeming with people and was daunting to traverse in the rain, where one could easily slip.  This was also completely destroyed during the Bosnian war and with the help of the United Nations and donor countries was rebuilt using original materials.  This was a symbolic bridge among the Bosnian people, a centerpiece of peace.

We were able to buy Bosnian costumes for our kids and I got an authentic Ottoman coffee grinder aside from the usual magnet souvenirs and replica of the bridge.
Location: Mostar 88000, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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