A full-day exploration of the Herzegovina region, taking you necropolis Radimlja, a famous site of medieval tombstones, stećci, where your guide will teach you all about the fascinating pre-Ottoman Bosnian history (Illyrians and bogomils and their resistance to Roman Catholic Church, meanings of symbols on tombstones, independent Bosnian Church, that was considered heretical by both the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox hierarchies). The story of the Bosnian bogomils, called “krstjani” (“christians”), has been oversimplified by those who see the period from the 13th to the 15th century as a glorious time in which the dualist church and state worked together and prospered. In fact, the krstjani efforts to replicate early Christianity and follow an apostolic path were often obstructed by churchmen and politicians in Rome and Hungary who mounted crusades against them, such as the crusades of 1235-39, when Bosnia was devastated and thousands were either burned at the stake or led away into captivity

Our next stop is town Blagaj, the crib of Islam of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina and the seat of Herzegovinian noble family Kosača. Your guide will take you to a Derwish house Tekke (1520), which was built by a famous Turkish sheik and derwish Sari Satluk by the spring of river Buna, a strong karstic spring, emerging from a huge karstic cavern beneath a high vertical cliff.

Lastly on our schedule is the famous Mostar, one of the most beautiful towns of Balkan Peninsula. The Old Bridge (monument under the protection of the UNESCO) built by Mimar Hayruddin is the symbol of this town on the Neretva river. We will learn more about history of the Old Bridge and famous tradition of jumping from it. Afterwards we proceed to Koski Mehmed pasa Mosque and/or museum of Herzegovina, Goldsmith Street, first Ottoman bridge in Mostar, the Crooked Bridge, old tanner’s quarter Tabhana.