A Little Pot

 I don't buy souvenirs. I am decidedly not a shopper. Photos and memories, and some wonderful new friendships are more than enough keepers from any travel. And stories.

With the occasional exception. And that means "something for the house" as mom used to say. I love little bowls and pitchers, so my quick browses through Italian ceramic shops have always yielded a brightly handpainted, useful little container of some sort.

 Then I fell  under the spell of Mostar. In another post I mentioned falling in   love with the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina that we passed   through on our way to the city.

 Once we parked in the Catholic Croat west section of the ancient   city - in the pouring rain - and crossed over the Neretva River to   the predominately Bosniak Muslim east side I was captivated.   We  shuffled on the slippery marble paving stones of the historic Old  Bridge, the Stari Most - and into history. Although our guides   seldom offered much detail on the tragic events of the 'homeland   war' of 1992-1995, I have read that the ethnically rooted war has   left deep scars, about which I am unqualified to comment.

The 'iconic' (for surely this somewhat overused word can be justified here) Mostar bridge has seen a lot of history, and some of it has been difficult. It was first built in the mid-1500s, commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during the Ottoman era, Mostar developing into an Ottoman frontier town during that empire's inexorable move north and westward.  

looking Eastward

The bridge captured world attention, standing amidst the devastation of the 1990s war, until tragically in 1993 it was destroyed. Stari Most was faithfully reconstructed and re-opened in 2004, using as much of the original material as possible.

I have read that most of Old Mostar was badly damaged or destroyed during the war.  The Old Town area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 after contributions from the committee enabled restoration or rebuilding of many of the historic structures. The area and the bridge are symbols of reconciliation. 

This YouTube video takes you along the Old Town main pedestrian street, which our guide called Coppersmiths' Street, ending on the approach to the bridge, heading back west.  You can see the marble pavingstones, the ancient shop fronts, the occasional look over the river. But, sadly, you can also see the reality of life in Old Mostar - tourists.

Which is where I come in. Fascinated by a visit to a simple mosque, an historic Turkish home, and a wander through exotic  squares and lanes, I was captivated by the work displayed along the street. There were numerous studios featuring copperwork classes, and showing traditional and modern forms of copper art, largely relief work. 

My heart fell for a tiny turned and incised copper and enamel-work lidded container, reminiscent of the traditional copper Turkish coffee sets I saw along the street.  It was light as a feather, almost within my budget, and wanted to come home with me. It sits on my window ledge, and every day reminds me of this fascinating and heart-breaking place.