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Dervish Tekke

16.12.2015. | Interesting news from tourism
Only 12 km far from Mostar, on Buna River, there is one of the most mystical and the most beautiful places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the medieval town of Blagaj.
Perhaps some of you will not agree with me but I am sure that those who have visited it, will. What makes it special is fascinating nature, the Buna River spring and historic ambience of a 600 years old Dervish Tekke. The Tekke, house of dervishes from the 15th century, which seems to float between rock and water, has been a place of prayer and meditation for centuries.
It was built in the close vicinity of Buna spring, one of the largest and most beautiful springs that spouts out beneath 200 meters high cliff, and attracts with its beauty tourists from all over the world during the whole year.
Like a fairy tale, a number of cobblestone pavements, wooden doors and an old house, Dervish Tekke amongst the rocks, besides an ice-cold river Buna. In the Tekke, through the window we can only partially see the tomb of Sari Saltuk, Sufi scholar and Achik-Pasha.

They more have a monumental function because it is assumed that both graves are empty.
The Sari Saltuk is exceptional, almost mythical figure in the Sufi tradition. Around the world there are at least 8 locations that claim it is the place of his resting place on Earth. According to a folk tale people saw Sari Saltuk riding a horse through Blagaj and going to the place where Tekke would be erected. Later, they found his clothes, horse and guns at that place, but not his body. That's why the people built there the Tekke and a tomb.
Another grave of Shaikh (chief) of Monastery, Achik-Pasha, is probably also empty because it is known that the Achik-Pasha was buried in the yard of Sultan Suleyman Mosque in Blagaj. Blagaj and its surroundings are actually abundant with numerous folk tales.
The hero of one of them is a giant Bunjo with three heads: the head of an eagle, a wolf and a man who lived hidden in the cave out of which a clear water - a Buna River -broke out when he came. In order not to run out of water the villagers had to sacrifice a young girl each year until the arrival of the hero who saved them from the bad temper of this giant!

Though everything in Blagaj is mostly linked to the Tekke on Buna River, it is a very important and old Herzegovinian town that was the capital of Herzegovina and the seat of Stjepan Vukšić Kosača before the arrival of the Ottomans and, due to that, it was named Stjepan town.
It is a real treasury of history and nature, the old Bosnian culture and green river. A medieval structure of Stjepan town was actually a Town Palace, encircled with the hard walls with jaggy peaks that may be seen even today.
There is a legend which says that Herzeg Stjepan allegedly buried his treasure there, so the town got its name from the treasure of Herzeg Stjepan - Blagaj.

In Blagaj there are 11 monuments of national value, but we will write about them some other time.

As always, so as today, Tekke with its fairy-tale atmosphere is open to all visitors throughout the year and those who want to enter the Dervish house must be properly dressed, visitors have the opportunity to see replicas of the original rooms and furniture here, such as Turkish bath - hamam, prayer room, the dining room and so on.
Slowly sipping homemade coffee or tea, with a view to the Buna spring, almost equals with spiritual ritual. Clear green water and its roar are a real pause for the soul. Like everything bad disappears down the fast icy water of Buna. Worries of this world disappear.

written by Alisa Gluhovic
translated by Jelena Slipičević

AUTHOR: Alisa Gluhović
SOURCE: I Travel Bosnia, written by Alisa Gluhovic
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