Blagaj, with its Dervish Monastery and the Source of the River Buna, is a nice excursion from Mostar |
Vineyards along the road to Blagaj |
Welcome to Blagaj |
Ruins of a church welcomes visitors to Blagaj |
Church ruins with a reconstructed bell tower |
War ruin with a large tree growing out of it |
Entering the town of Blagaj |
Blagaj tourism marketing |
Mountains overlooking Blagaj |
Mountains overlooking Blagaj |
Foot bridge across the Buna River near its source |
Riverside dining at the Source of the Buna, Blagaj |
Cascade at the Source of the Buna |
Cascade at the Source of the Buna |
Riverside dining, Blagaj |
Stone house along the fast flowing Buna River |
Horseshoe waterfall just downstream from the Source of the Buna |
Buna River, Blagaj |
Stone roofs, Blagaj |
Stone roofs, Blagaj |
Buna River, Blagaj, with restaurants on both sides |
The first glimpse of the Dervish Monastery, Blagaj |
Waterfall on the Buna River, Blagaj |
Dervish Monastery, Blagaj |
Dervish Monastery (Tekija) built in 1520 at the source of the Buna River |
During my visit, the monastery itself was not open for visitors |
Amazingly, all the water flowing down that river emerges from the cave at the base of the mountain |
Dervish Monastery (Tekija), Blagaj |
A full-sized, fast flowing river emerges from this cave, the Source of the Buna, Blagaj |
The source of the Buna is at karstic spring |
Dervish Monastery and the Source of the Buna, Blagaj |
Tekke - gathering place for for a Sufi brotherhood |
Detail of the Dervish Monastery, Blagaj |
Detail of the Dervish Monastery, Blagaj |
Dervish Monastery at the source of the Buna River, Blagaj |
The Buna River, Blagaj |
Mountains around Blagaj |
Mountains around Blagaj |
Ruins of Blagaj's medieval castle, the Fortress of Herceg Stjepan |
I tried to drive up to the castle, but the dirt road is a bit much for a normal car |
Fortress of Herceg Stjepan, Blagaj |
Serbian Orthodox Zitomislic Monastery |
Zitomislic Monastery (1606) is along the main road between Mostar and the coast |
Zitomislic Monastery looks peaceful among the vineyards but it was destroyed by the Croats in 1941 and again in 1992 |
Zitomislic Monastery was rebuilt again 2002-2005 |
Zitomislic Monastery - Serbian Orthodox Church |