{"id":379,"count":3,"description":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nJust 12 kilometers from Mostar, on the Buna River, lies the enchanting town of Blagaj, a medieval city of the Humska state, from which modern-day Herzegovina emerged in the mid-15th century. From the ruins of the old city or the Tower of Herceg Stjepan (the ruler of these lands before the arrival of the Ottoman Empire in 1465), which was strategically positioned on the cliffs above the source of the Buna River, you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the Neretva Valley. The view justifies the one-hour climb to the top of these ruins.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":8878,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img class=\"wp-image-8878\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bike.herzegovinabike.ba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/heritage-2530029_1280-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Blagaj\" \/><\/figure>\r\nIn the vicinity, you can find the Velagic House (a beautiful example of Ottoman residential architecture from the 17th century), the Mosque of Sultan Suleiman (built around 1520), the Kara\u0111ozbeg Bridge, built on the Buna River, dating back to 1570, and a Hamam built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. On the right bank of the river, in a stunning setting that only nature can create, is the Tekija, a 16th-century dervish house that seems to float between rock and water; for centuries, it has been a place of prayer and meditation. Inside the building, there are rooms for learning, prayer, a guest room for travelers, a kitchen, and a hamam. Near the Tekija is a chamber (turbe) that preserves the memory of the dervishes Sari-Saltuk and A\u010dik-pa\u0161a. The Tekija, open to visitors year-round, is one of the most significant examples of sacral-residential Islamic culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Blagaj, with its \u0160\u0107epan town, magnificent landscape, and the spectacular source of the Buna River, is one of the treasures not to be missed when passing through this region. Take the opportunity to enjoy trout in one of the restaurants near the source.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<strong>What to see in Blagaj<\/strong>\r\nBefore we get started, it is important to clarify that Blagaj is the name of a town, where Blagaj Tekke (the monastery) is located.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nIt probably goes without saying but the most important thing to see in Blagaj is the monastery, so let\u2019s see why:\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\n<strong>Blagaj Tekke, the most unique monastery in Bosnia<\/strong>\r\nBlagaj Tekke is a Dervish monastery that dates back to the 16th century. The Dervish are members of the Sufi religion, which is a mystic branch of Islam known for their dancing or whirling form of practice. You may have heard of this religion if you have visited Turkey and seen one of the Dervish dances where they whirl in circles dressing in white long clothes while praying (and if you haven\u2019t yet, add it to your bucket list cause it is worth it!).\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nThe Blagaj Dervish monastery is one of the best examples of Ottoman-style architecture around. It is actually formed by a complex of buildings with a beautiful courtyard.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nOne of the things I found most amazing is that the Blagaj monastery is still active to this day. It was abandoned for several years when Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of Socialist Yugoslavia, but the Dervish monks returned to Blagaj in the 80s. The Monastery was fully restored in 2012 and has since become one of the main tourist attractions of the region.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nTickets to visit the inside of Blagaj Tekke cost 5 EUR (10 KM). The visit can be quite short, in about 30 min you are able to check all the rooms but you can stay as long as you need. It is important to know that you should wear appropriate clothes for going in (women are asked to cover their shoulders and given a cloth for covering their hair).\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":8879,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img class=\"wp-image-8879\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bike.herzegovinabike.ba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Blagaj-Destinacija-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Blagaj\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<strong>The best angle to photograph the Blagaj monastery<\/strong>\r\nIf you have been researching Blagaj or Bosnia in general, there is a high chance you have already seen incredible pictures of the monastery in a perfect reflection in front of the river, like the pictures above. To get to the place where these pictures were all taken, you first need to cross the bridge to the other side of the river.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nBehind the restaurants, there is a small path that goes a bit above the hill and then down right in front of the monastery. This is the best angle to take pictures of the Blagaj Tekke and where you can fully take in its beauty with the surroundings.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nThis is also the best spot to see the cave that is located in front of the monastery. During the high season, you can buy a quick boat tour that enters the cave so you can get closer to the source of the Buna River.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":8880,\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img class=\"wp-image-8880\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bike.herzegovinabike.ba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/002-Buna-1-1024x667-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Blagaj\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<strong>Visiting Blagaj Tekke: Infrastructure<\/strong>\r\nThe highlight of the visit is the monastery itself, but the locals have built a whole area based on the tourists that visit every year.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nBy the river, you will find a lot of restaurants. These are very tourist-oriented places so you can expect quite inflated prices.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph -->\r\n\r\nOn the path leading to the monastery, you will also have small tents with locals selling souvenirs. Besides the traditional magnets and postcards, there were also some handmade items being sold when we went.\r\n\r\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","link":"https:\/\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\/en\/tour-destination\/blagaj\/","name":"Blagaj","slug":"blagaj","taxonomy":"tour-destination","parent":0,"meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Arhiva Blagaj - HerzegovinaBike<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just 12 kilometers from Mostar, on the Buna River, lies the enchanting town of Blagaj, a medieval city of the Humska state,from which modern-day Herzegovina\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\/en\/tour-destination\/blagaj\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arhiva Blagaj\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just 12 kilometers from Mostar, on the Buna River, lies the enchanting town of Blagaj, a medieval city of the Humska state,from which modern-day Herzegovina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\/en\/tour-destination\/blagaj\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HerzegovinaBike\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/heritage-2530029_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"721\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"CollectionPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\\\/tour-destination\\\/blagaj\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.herzegovinabike.ba\\\/tour-destination\\\/blagaj\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arhiva Blagaj - 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