On this day in 1557, the Old Bridge in Mostar began construction

The first works on the famous Old Bridge in Mostar began on this day, October 24, 1557, writes the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

According to records from that time, 456 stone blocks and 300,000 akçe (the currency of the Ottoman Empire at the time) were needed for its construction. The bridge was built from "tenelija" stone, which was likely obtained from a quarry located about five kilometers south of the city.

The Old Bridge is a bridge over the Neretva River in the center of Mostar, which connected the left and right banks of the Neretva, and initially had no other role. However, five hundred years later, it not only became a symbol of the city of Mostar and Herzegovina, but after its reconstruction in 2004, it was included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

The bridge project was entrusted to Mimar Hayruddin, an Istanbul architect and student of the famous Mimar Sinan. According to legend, Hayruddin fled Mostar the day before the scaffolding was erected, fearing Suleiman the Magnificent, who had threatened that Hayruddin would be sentenced to death if the bridge arch ever collapsed.

However, according to other sources, there is no record that Hayruddin ever saw his bridge. Instead of Hayruddin, the construction contractor for the bridge was a local man, Mehmed Karađoz.

The workers who built the bridge were mostly from the vicinity of Dubrovnik and from the Popovo kadiluk, who were known stonemasons and stonecutters. Its construction was completed nine years later, in 1566.

During the aggression against BiH (1992-1995), the Old Bridge was first damaged by Serbian forces, and in November, members of the HVO completely destroyed it. It was rebuilt in 2004, writes NAP.