Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the Old Bridge, and construction began in 1557. Mimar Hayruddin, a student of Mimar Sinan, designed it. The work took nine years, and an inscription dates completion to 974 AH, or 1566 and 1567. The article calls it an exemplar of Balkan Islamic architecture. A single arch of local limestone spans the Neretva about 98 feet (30 m), with abutments instead of foundations. The bridge is 13 feet (4 m) wide and dominates the river from 79 feet (24 m). Two fortified towers, Halebija and Tara, guard it.
On November 9, 1993, shelling by Croatian Defence Council forces destroyed the bridge. Reconstruction ran from June 7, 2001, to July 23, 2004, using Ottoman techniques. The estimated cost was $15.5 million.
UNESCO listed the bridge in 2005. Young men traditionally dive from it into the river each summer, and the formal competition began in 1968.
Comments