Stunning Blagaj and Buna

Blagaj & Buna

An easy day trip from Mostar, pretty Blagaj village hugs the surreally blue-green Buna River as it gushes out of a cliff-cave past a historic Tekija (Tekke) (Sufi-dervish spiritual house), several enticing restaurants and an Ottoman-era homestead that earned a place on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

This region is characterized by the diversity of its above-ground and underground waters. The source of the Buna is one of the largest and most beautiful in Europe.

It is the finest example of an underground karst river. It flows out of a 200m cliff wall and single-handedly creates the Buna River. Unsurprisingly, the Ottoman sultan was impressed, and ordered a tekke to be built right next to it. This 16th century house/monastery was built for the Dervish cults and is still one of the most mystical places in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the silence of the Dervish house’s garden, cooled by the freshness of the wonderful Buna, you understand why Blagaj was the focus of interest of historical personalities, Roman nobility, Ottoman viziers and kadis, Austro-Hungarian officers and many travelers searching for the freshness of the water, warmth of sun and blue skies.

The historic site of the Old Blagaj Fort (Stjepan grad) – Unlike other fortifications serving as residences in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Blagaj fortress is located on a natural level area above steep cliffs to the south, west and north.