Blagaj Fortress or Old Town of Blagaj ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Stari grad Blagaj'', sh-Cyrl, Стари Град Благај; ), locally known as ''Stjepan-grad'' (Стјепан-град), or ''Stipan-grad'', in classical times ''Bona'' (Бона), is a town-fortress complex near the town of

Blagaj Blagaj is a village in the south-eastern region of the Mostar basin, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the edge of Bišće plain and is one of the most valuable mixed urban and rural built environments in ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. The old Blagaj Fort was built on a high, inaccessible karst hill, at an elevation of above sea level and above the

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

of the river Buna. Blagaj Fort is above sea level.

History

The archaeological material scattered above the slopes of Blagaj hill indicate that settlements existed here during the prehistoric and Roman periods. Remains of fortifications were discovered on each of the summit's highest points: On the north-eastern summit, there are the remains of a Roman or late antique

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

(''specula,

burgus A ''burgus'' (Latin, plural ''burgi '') or ''turris'' ("tower") is a small, tower-like fort of the Late Antiquity, which was sometimes protected by an outwork and surrounding ditches. Darvill defines it as "a small fortified position or w ...

'') known as Mala gradina, while on the south-eastern summit the contours of a prehistoric

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

can be discerned. The south-western summit contains the remains of the present day Stjepan grad, a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

or Ottoman period fort. The shorter sides of the triangle are bordered by a gorge through which a river once flowed, and on the longer and only accessible side the remains of massive ramparts are visible, enclosing a fortified town complex of more than in area. It is possible that this complex consisted of two parts in the

early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

period – the Old Fort (Stjepan grad) and Mala gradina, and that this twin settlement lasted at least until the mid-tenth century. The earliest indirect source in writing on the Zahumlje forts, including Blagaj, is the "Treatise on Peoples" by the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

and writer

Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Ka ...

, dating between 948 and 952, in which two forts are referred to – Bona and Hum. After the 10th century, Blagaj played an important role in the development of

Hum Hum may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sensation ...

Zahumlje Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia ...

. A major influence on its development was the proximity of a major route linking the

Adriatic sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

with the Bosnian hinterland via the Neretva valley (“via Narenti”). Turbulent political events, particularly after the tenth century, did not have any essential impact on the economic development of the town besides the occasional ramparts. The prince of Hum, Miroslav, held court in

(Orbini, II Regno, 350). During his time in the church of SS Cosmos and Damian was built. A plaque with an inscription in Cyrillic, found in 1912 near the ruins of the local manor in Bišće and the locality Vrači records the construction of the church (Vego, 1957, 15). The plaque is now kept in the

National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Земаљски музеј Босне и Херцеговине) is located in central Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and ...

. By the time of King Tvrtko,

Bosnian rulers This is a list of rulers of Bosnia, containing bans and kings of Medieval Bosnia. Duke (1082–1136) Bans (1136–1377) Kings and queen (1377–1463) All Bosnian kings added the honorific Stephen to their baptismal name upon accession. , ...

were issuing charters in Blagaj, and in May 1404 Blagaj became one of the residences of Duke (vojvoda) Sandalj Hranić, and then of count (herzeg) Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, after whom the people named the fort Stjepan grad. The first written reference to it is a peace accord between Duke Sandalj Hranić and the Venetians, from November 1, 1423, issued “in our town of Blagaj”. It was also mentioned in the 15th century charters of the King of Aragon and Naples, Alphonse V. The Ottomans occupied Blagaj in 1465, and by 1473 references to the kadija of Blagaj already exist. The Ottomans repaired the fort twice: in 1699, when the west tower was repaired, and again in 1827. A garrison was stationed there until 1835, although the fort’s former strategic role had long since been taken over by

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

Fortress complex

Unlike other fortifications that were also rulers’ residences in

, the Blagaj fort is on a naturally flat site above vertical cliffs to the south, west and north. The ground plan of the fort is an irregular polygon adapted to the configuration of the terrain. The approach route, a steep serpentine bridle path wide and long, leads to the entrance in the thickest (east) wall of the forecourt. The walls of in height have remained largely preserved, and range in thickness from , while on the south they are no thicker than . The inner defended space is a relatively small area of about , similar to the Jajce fort. The entrance to the fortified town was protected by an outer forecourt that is now hard to discern, a forecourt (VII, measuring 10 x 11.5 m) and a gatehouse (VII, measuring 10 x 7 m) as the final obstacle to attackers. The walls of the gatehouse are noticeably more solid and higher than those of the forecourt. In the 6th century, most of the walls were increased in height although their dimensions remained the same. During the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the entire mass was considerably increased by these additions, and it is not impossible that some of the lower parts of the tower collapsed. The

breastworks A breastwork is a temporary fortification, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position. A more permanent structure, normally in stone, would be described as a parapet o ...

may not have been built up fully to their original height, but somewhat lower (Basler, 1983, 32). In the late 14th and early 15th century, the walls were reinforced and thickened. About ten meters from the fort yet another wall was added giving that space the impression of a trench. The east wall was badly damaged in the 18th or early 19th century when a large quantity of gunpowder exploded in its middle tower. Repairs were carried out rather clumsily and considerably altered the original appearance (Basler, 1983). Anđelić, who carried out excavations in 1965, writes: “As a detailed result of the excavations, it turned out that the fort had no remains of antique or late antique architecture” (Anđelić, 1965, 179). Among the architectural features discovered, the most significant were the remains of a palace (XV), of irregular rectangular outline. A comparison of the walls' structure enables one to track the various stages of construction and repair - from the earliest beginnings of the fort in the fourth century. The walls of the first stage of construction are of quarry stone laid in horizontal layers (

opus incertum ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

), similar to the palace in Mogorjelo. In the second stage, which lasted between 535 and 600, the walls were repaired and in places built up to a height of , using the technique of stone laid slantwise (

opus spicatum ''Opus spicatum'', literally "spiked work," is a type of masonry construction used in Roman and medieval times. It consists of bricks, tiles or cut stone laid in a herringbone pattern. Uses Its usage was generally decorative and most commonly i ...

). This construction technique is associated with the reign of the

Emperor Justinian Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renova ...

(527–565). Repairs to the central tower of the east wall date to the 6th century. The type and extent of the interventions dating from the 7th to the 15th century are hard to determine because of later repairs, conducted in opus incertum up to the 19th century. After the 16th century, all works on the fort were carried out by local 'dunđeri' (all-round builders who would turn their hand equally to masonry or carpentry), which is ascribed to the abrupt decline in the strategic importance of the fort in the circumstances of the day.

Archaeological research

In 1965, systematic archaeological excavations were undertaken with the supervision of the

. An area of about was investigated, that is, more than one-third of the area enclosed with ramparts. The archaeological layers were generally characterized with considerable thickness (0.50 to 3.50 m) and by the sparsity of art materials. However, in the medieval stratum pottery and small iron items were discovered, along with pieces of glass and charred grain. A large quantity of lead—about —was unearthed in the ruins of the palace. In the archaeological stratum dating from the Ottoman period, the only finds consisted pottery shards and small items of

ironmongery Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

used in construction. As a result of the excavations, it was concluded that Blagaj had no remains of antique and early

mediaeval architecture Medieval architecture is architecture common in the Middle Ages, and includes religious, civil, and military buildings. Styles include pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, and Gothic. While most of the surviving medieval architecture is to be seen in ...

because there was no any archaeological material from that period. However, a few shards of Illyrian

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

and a few small fragments of Roman roof tiles indicate the presence of Illyrians on this prominent site (Anđelić, 1965, 178-180). The

shahid ''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...

s' necropolis in Blagaj located below the fort, near the road, is an old Muslim burial ground known as Šehitluk. Graves and tombstones are almost completely wrecked, although the outlines of several graves can still be discerned and there are eight, mostly damaged nišan tombstones to the left and right of the brook and road. This is most likely the oldest burial ground in Blagaj. reševljaković, Hamdija and Kapidžić, Hamdija, Stari hercegovački gradovi, (Old Herzegovina towns) Naše starine II, Sarajevo, 1954, 9-22. pp [cited February 22, 2012]/ref>

National Monument

The Fortress Stjepan grad was placed under state protection. The historic site of the Old Fort in Blagaj (Stjepan grad) is also on the Provisional List of National Monuments. Stepangrad u Blagaje, sidelni hrad hercegovskych vevodu z 14.jpg File:Blagaj, hrad.jpg File:Stepangrad, nadvori monumentalni zriceniny.jpg

References

{{National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina

External links