Well, the time has come for me to go to China. I am leaving to go to Heathrow airport in an hour to catch my flight to Shanghai, from where I will be catching a connecting flight to my destination, Guilin in Guangxi province. I am feeling a large cocktail mixture of emotions right now. On the one hand I'm very excited to be going as I have wanted to visit China for years. On the other, I am absolutely petrified because it will involve 2 flights to get there with a total journey tme of about 16 hours, and I have never made such a long journey by myself before. I also have no idea what the actual place is going to be like and what the people are going to be like, and I always get stressed when I don't know exactly what to expect. But I am trying to put all that to one side as the programme I am going on looks absolutely amazing and I am sure that I will have a good time.
For those who don't know, I will be travelling to Guangxi province in the far south of China, on the border with Vietnam. I will be visiting the famous city of Guilin and the lesser well known but equally beautiful Yangshuo, which is also situated on the well known Li river. I will also be visiting several traditional Chinese villages, including Zhuang minority villages, who's language and culture is rather different to that of the Han Chinese. (The Zhuang also make up almost 40% of Guangxi's population). Guangxi is also known for its tropical climate and breathtaking scenery, and I am looking forward to some summer heat!
I think that this blogging site is blocked in China, which means that there will be no blog posts until I get back on August 14th. If it happens to be unblocked, however, I will try and make a few posts with updates on what I've been up to. I also have not finished blogging about all the things I want to about Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that will have to wait until I come back. See you all in a months time! =)
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Blagaj, the old capital of Herzegovina
Blagaj is a small town south of the modern city of Mostar. Although it is upstaged by its larger neighbour in modern times, in medieval times Blagaj was larger and far more important than Mostar, which was then a collection of just a few houses and a small fort linked by a bridge across the river Neretva. It was not until the Ottomans decided to develop Mostar in the 1470's that it grew into a settlement of any significance. Though Blagaj was given the status of "kasaba" (castle-town in Ottoman times), it developed more slowly then Mostar and was quickly outshunned by its neighbour, which was to become the modern capital of Herzegovina.
Blagaj was also famous for another reason: it was the capital of medieval Herzegovina before it was formally fused with Bosnia. Without going into too much detail, medieval Bosnia from the early 15th century until the Ottoman Conquest in 1463 was basically an autonomous kingdom which had several leading noble families who's land and assets rivaled that of the king's. These were the Hrvatinić family, who controlled much of west-central and north-western Bosnia and a significant part of the modern Dalmatian coast (including the important modern Croatian city of Split), the Radenović family (after 1416 known as Radenović-Pavlović) who controlled a huge expanse of land in eastern Bosnia, including Vrhbosna (modern Sarajevo)and the Kosača family, who controlled all of today's Herzegovina, plus parts of today's southern Bosnia, western Montengero and south-western Serbia (Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Pljevlja etc.)as well as parts of modern south-eastern coastal Croatia. The king himself controlled roughly all of central Bosnia (Visoko, Kreševo, Jajce etc.) The people in these regions all spoke distinct accents of Serbocroatian and held some of their own local traditions. By the second or third decade of the 15th century, the Kosača family rose to become the most powerful of these three noble families.
The term "Herzegovina" itself arose in 1446 when Duke Stjepan Kosača dropped the title "Vojvoda (Duke) of Bosnia" and adopted the German title "Herzeg", effectively turning his back on the Bosnian king and making Herzegovina an independent state. From then on until the present day, "Hum" became known as "Herzeg's Land" or "Herzegovina".
Blagaj was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1466 and the medieval fortress and court of the Kosača family quickly fell into disuse. Sometimes referred to as "Stjepangrad" , its ruins are located on the outskirts of Blagaj. Below is a picture which I took of it in August 2009. Much of the present structure dates from the 14th and 15th centuries.
On this occasion we visited the actual town of Blagaj and its historic core. Our first destination was the source of the river Buna (a tributary of the Neretva) where the famous Blagaj Tekija (Muslim religious house/monastery) is located. The story goes is that the new Ottoman rulers were so delighted and amazed by the source of the river Buna that they immediately ordered the construction of the tekija. Since the building was (and still is) made largely of wood, it was damaged or destroyed several times by fire, and the present structure dates from about the 18th century, whereas the original was built at the end of the 15th century. Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary piece of Ottoman architecture which is heavily influenced by the local Herzegovinian and Dalmatian styles of building to create a truly well proportioned and harmonious structure. All parts of the tekija are open to visitors, though parts of the upper level is still used as a place of worship and because of this one is required to take off shoes before going upstairs and females are required to cover their hair. The lower level is mainly occupied by a gift shop and a small cafe. Anyway, enough talk, here are some pictures!
The cliffs above the tekija are just as spectacular as the building itself!
This last picture is particularly interesting, for it shows a natural shower-when it rains the water is broken up by the star shaped holes and one can wash!
After a fascinating but alas brief visit (there is only so long you can gawp at the various rooms and their contents, after all) we went outside to one of the restaurants for some food. The specialty here is fish, to be specific trout, which is fished locally from the rivers Buna and Neretva. I can honestly say I have never tasted better Herzegovinian style trout in my life!
The source of the river Buna-just look at that colour!!!
My meal-when I am next back in the area (probably September or October) I will definitely pull all the stops to come here and eat this again!
After lunch, we walked along the Buna and back into Blagaj town. Note the typical Mediterranean landscape and vegetation.
This spectacular Ottoman era bridge was, according to the information plaque next to it, built on the site of a medieval river crossing on the old road to the town of Stolac to the south. It was badly damaged in 1849 and a local rich Muslim woman, Belfe-Kadira, daughter of Ali-bveg Velagić, provided the funds to repair it. It is known as Karadoz-beg bridge, after its original founder.
This is the Caerva Dzamija (Tsar's Mosque), the main and oldest mosque in Blagaj, built in 1520 in honour of the Ottoman sultan Sulejman the Magnificient. After its contruction the historical core of Blagaj rapidly urbanised as neighbourhoods grew around the mosque.
Note the ancient Bosnian Muslim gravestones around the mosque. The modern town is also largely Muslim-current estimates are that at least 80% of the population in Blagaj are Muslim.
The streets in Blagaj are full of old, Herzegovinian style houses such as these. Some have been turned into cafe's and restaurants. Blagaj, unlike large parts of Mostar outside its historic core, retains a medieval-Ottoman feel for it largely escaped development and industrialisation in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The second image shows an ancient water mill. Some damage was inflicted on the town by both Serb and Croat shelling during the 1992-5 War, but much of the damage has since been largely repaired.
At this point, it was getting dreadfully hot (over 35 degrees) and all of us had had enough so we decided to call it a day and go back to the car. Perhaps next time I will venture more around Blagaj and take more pictures, which I will of course share here. Thank you for reading! =)
Blagaj was also famous for another reason: it was the capital of medieval Herzegovina before it was formally fused with Bosnia. Without going into too much detail, medieval Bosnia from the early 15th century until the Ottoman Conquest in 1463 was basically an autonomous kingdom which had several leading noble families who's land and assets rivaled that of the king's. These were the Hrvatinić family, who controlled much of west-central and north-western Bosnia and a significant part of the modern Dalmatian coast (including the important modern Croatian city of Split), the Radenović family (after 1416 known as Radenović-Pavlović) who controlled a huge expanse of land in eastern Bosnia, including Vrhbosna (modern Sarajevo)and the Kosača family, who controlled all of today's Herzegovina, plus parts of today's southern Bosnia, western Montengero and south-western Serbia (Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Pljevlja etc.)as well as parts of modern south-eastern coastal Croatia. The king himself controlled roughly all of central Bosnia (Visoko, Kreševo, Jajce etc.) The people in these regions all spoke distinct accents of Serbocroatian and held some of their own local traditions. By the second or third decade of the 15th century, the Kosača family rose to become the most powerful of these three noble families.
The term "Herzegovina" itself arose in 1446 when Duke Stjepan Kosača dropped the title "Vojvoda (Duke) of Bosnia" and adopted the German title "Herzeg", effectively turning his back on the Bosnian king and making Herzegovina an independent state. From then on until the present day, "Hum" became known as "Herzeg's Land" or "Herzegovina".
Blagaj was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1466 and the medieval fortress and court of the Kosača family quickly fell into disuse. Sometimes referred to as "Stjepangrad" , its ruins are located on the outskirts of Blagaj. Below is a picture which I took of it in August 2009. Much of the present structure dates from the 14th and 15th centuries.
On this occasion we visited the actual town of Blagaj and its historic core. Our first destination was the source of the river Buna (a tributary of the Neretva) where the famous Blagaj Tekija (Muslim religious house/monastery) is located. The story goes is that the new Ottoman rulers were so delighted and amazed by the source of the river Buna that they immediately ordered the construction of the tekija. Since the building was (and still is) made largely of wood, it was damaged or destroyed several times by fire, and the present structure dates from about the 18th century, whereas the original was built at the end of the 15th century. Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary piece of Ottoman architecture which is heavily influenced by the local Herzegovinian and Dalmatian styles of building to create a truly well proportioned and harmonious structure. All parts of the tekija are open to visitors, though parts of the upper level is still used as a place of worship and because of this one is required to take off shoes before going upstairs and females are required to cover their hair. The lower level is mainly occupied by a gift shop and a small cafe. Anyway, enough talk, here are some pictures!
The cliffs above the tekija are just as spectacular as the building itself!
This last picture is particularly interesting, for it shows a natural shower-when it rains the water is broken up by the star shaped holes and one can wash!
After a fascinating but alas brief visit (there is only so long you can gawp at the various rooms and their contents, after all) we went outside to one of the restaurants for some food. The specialty here is fish, to be specific trout, which is fished locally from the rivers Buna and Neretva. I can honestly say I have never tasted better Herzegovinian style trout in my life!
The source of the river Buna-just look at that colour!!!
My meal-when I am next back in the area (probably September or October) I will definitely pull all the stops to come here and eat this again!
After lunch, we walked along the Buna and back into Blagaj town. Note the typical Mediterranean landscape and vegetation.
This spectacular Ottoman era bridge was, according to the information plaque next to it, built on the site of a medieval river crossing on the old road to the town of Stolac to the south. It was badly damaged in 1849 and a local rich Muslim woman, Belfe-Kadira, daughter of Ali-bveg Velagić, provided the funds to repair it. It is known as Karadoz-beg bridge, after its original founder.
This is the Caerva Dzamija (Tsar's Mosque), the main and oldest mosque in Blagaj, built in 1520 in honour of the Ottoman sultan Sulejman the Magnificient. After its contruction the historical core of Blagaj rapidly urbanised as neighbourhoods grew around the mosque.
Note the ancient Bosnian Muslim gravestones around the mosque. The modern town is also largely Muslim-current estimates are that at least 80% of the population in Blagaj are Muslim.
The streets in Blagaj are full of old, Herzegovinian style houses such as these. Some have been turned into cafe's and restaurants. Blagaj, unlike large parts of Mostar outside its historic core, retains a medieval-Ottoman feel for it largely escaped development and industrialisation in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The second image shows an ancient water mill. Some damage was inflicted on the town by both Serb and Croat shelling during the 1992-5 War, but much of the damage has since been largely repaired.
At this point, it was getting dreadfully hot (over 35 degrees) and all of us had had enough so we decided to call it a day and go back to the car. Perhaps next time I will venture more around Blagaj and take more pictures, which I will of course share here. Thank you for reading! =)
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Sarajevo,our capital city
Miljacka Bridge and river, Sarajevo. Note the typical Sarajevan neighbourhood in the background and the neighbourhood mosque.
This was my first visit to Sarajevo for many years; 11 years, to be specific. At one point we were practically partly living in Sarajevo as my stepfather was stationed there and me and my mother would be going up every week. It has thus remained a very special place for me and I was very keen to visit when the opportunity arose earlier this year.
I still remember Sarajevo vividly from my early days. We would drive for two hours along the river Neretva, which is coloured in the most amazing shades of deep green and blue, through high mountains covered in lush yet forbidding green forests before finally arriving at our destination. The city itself was so different to my hometown, Mostar. While Mostar is hot and dusty with very dry air and surrounded by almost bare Mediterranean mountains and scenery, Sarajevo is set among lush green mountains and I remember it as always being cooler and fresher than Mostar.
Back then, the city was in a bit of a state. Virtually every other building was damaged or destroyed due to the notorious Siege of Sarajevo (1992-5) and people had barely begun to rebuild their lives. But now, Sarajevo is barely recognisable. Many buildings have been restored or re-built, and a sizable number of brand new, 21st Century buildings have gone up. It seems that much has changed in a good way, and I was very pleasantly surprised.
The restored "twin towers" in Sarajevo, now housing a major business centre in the region where people from all parts of the world congregate to talk business.
Photo showing the historic Bascarsija-the oldest and most famous part of contemporary Sarajevo, first built in the late 1400's when the country was under the occupation of the Ottoman Empire
We spent a good chunk of our time walking through the historic Bascarsija neighbourhood. During the years of the Ottoman occupation (1463-1878) this was the core of Sarajevo. Merchants from areas such as Ragusa (Dubrovnik), Venice, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Poland and of course the Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey) would come here to trade and sell their wares. Most of the buildings and shops date from that time, though in contemporary times they sell mainly food and tourist related products and souvenirs. The city was also on the main road between Rome and Constantinople (modern Istanbul, giving it significant strategic importance. This area was severely damaged by Serbian shelling in the 1992-5 war, but has since been completely repaired and restored. Today, locals as well as tourists come to enjoy this area and the magnificent Bosnian food which it is famous for.
The famous grilled mixed meat platter served in Bascarsija. This style of cooking came with the arrival of the Ottoman Empire and has been fully intergated into modern Bosnian cuisine, which was originally based on soups, stews, cereals and bread.
This is a typical street in Sarajevo, with many buildings dating from the period of Austro-Hungarian occupation. In many ways Sarajevo is just like any other modern European city.
I could not leave this entry without mentioning this. This is the site where the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated along with his pregnant wife, Sophie, in 1914. The Duke decided to come to Sarajevo and ride in an open topped vehicle and with few guards on duty despite being warned that he may expect a hostile reception, for by this time the Bosnian people had had enough of foreign rule. After several assassination attempts by members of the Black Hand, who were opposed to Austrian rule, Gavrilo Princip shot dead the Archduke and his wife on this spot after their car abruptly stopped in front of him. As Princip and many other members of the Black Hand were Bosnian Serbs and had connections in Serbia, Serbia was widely blamed for the assassination by Austro-Hungary and these events led directly to the First World War. Watch this entertaining video for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE8552joxfE
This is the Eternal Flame, built in the late 1940's to commemorate all those who fought and died against the Nazi's to liberate Sarajevo.
These three buildings for me represent Sarajevo's ethnic and religious diversity.
The first building is the Sarajevo Croat Roman Catholic Cathedral and the seat of the Archbishop of Vrhbosna (which covers roughly central and eastern Bosnia). The number of Roman Catholic Croats numbered at about 7% in the 1991 census. It was completed in the 1880's. The second is the Serb Orthodox Cathedral, completed in the 1860's and since then it has been the main place of worship for the Orthodox Christian community in Sarajevo. The number of Orthodox Christian Serbs was at 30% in the 1991 census. The third building is one of the oldest and most charming mosques in Sarajevo, the Hajji's mosque, completed in the mid 1500's. It is built mainly of wood, except for the stone minaret. It is also a perfect example of a Bosnian neighbourhood mosque: small, compact and very charming while not being the least bit intimidating. The Bosnian Muslim community stood at 45% in the 1991 census. It is unknown what the statistics are in the present day, but due to the Bosnian War many Serbs left the city while many Bosnian Muslims, themselves expelled from Serbian occupied parts of Eastern and Northern Bosnia, settled in the city, causing a large demographic shift. It is therefore widely estimated that the city is now no less than 70% Muslim.
Of the more recent architecture, this is a brand new, very modern shopping centre-one of several built in the city since the end of the 1990's war. For me, it symbolises the growing affluence of Sarajevo and the fact that life here is good and unemployment low, unlike in virtually every other part of the country. Our family friend even joked that if Bosnia and Herzegovina was composed of just Sarajevo that it would be the best country in Europe!
A typical scene by the Miljacka River. Both banks are steeped in history and historic buildings from all periods of Sarajevo's history. The mountains which were the scene of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games are in the background. And this is how I shall leave you with my trip to Sarajevo as for me this symbolises both the man-made and natural beauty of the city and it is how I wish for it to be perceived to the world instead of the reputation of being a war-torn city that it currently holds. Thank you for reading! =)
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Argh, time does fly....
Ok, so its been a month since I promised to make a big update about what I've been up to, and it was an attempt which miserably failed. Time flies by so fast especially when one is busy and doing millions of things, as I have been for the past month or so, and now I understand why some blogs go for months and months without being updated.
So why have I been so busy then? Well, I went to Bosnia and Herzegovina between May 26th and June 11th. And I had a great time. We traveled around to loads of different locations (which I will definitely blog about).
As soon as we got back, I had to prepare to go to the Peterborough International Orchid Show between June 17th and 19th, which I was helping to run. Lots of great things happened there. I have officially been accepted onto the British Orchid Council and will be attending my first judging symposium in the autumn (which is basically like an examination which takes place twice a year, and one has to pass about 6-8 symposiums to qualify, meaning the training in total will take about 3-4 years). In addition, I took lots of pictures of wild Orchids in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which I showed to many people at Peterborough, including the show owner, who was so elated by them that I have been offered my very own picture stand at next year's show! I am absolutely honoured to have this opportunity bestowed upon me as this is the biggest Orchid show in Europe and I will also be the youngest exhibitor there.
And now I am perhaps preparing for my biggest adventure to date: China. Yup, its comign round fast-I depart on July 18th! I am also potentially going to Hong Kong afterwards to stay with a friend there who goes back every summer. If I go to Hong Kong I will be back around the end of August. If I don't, I will be back on August 14th. Facebook and most Western blogging sites (including this one) are blocked in China which means that I will not be able to make updates while there or generally update anyone on what I've been up to, but I will definitely blog about it once I get back home.
A proper blog post (with pictures) coming soon-starting with Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital to begin with I think! :D
So why have I been so busy then? Well, I went to Bosnia and Herzegovina between May 26th and June 11th. And I had a great time. We traveled around to loads of different locations (which I will definitely blog about).
As soon as we got back, I had to prepare to go to the Peterborough International Orchid Show between June 17th and 19th, which I was helping to run. Lots of great things happened there. I have officially been accepted onto the British Orchid Council and will be attending my first judging symposium in the autumn (which is basically like an examination which takes place twice a year, and one has to pass about 6-8 symposiums to qualify, meaning the training in total will take about 3-4 years). In addition, I took lots of pictures of wild Orchids in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which I showed to many people at Peterborough, including the show owner, who was so elated by them that I have been offered my very own picture stand at next year's show! I am absolutely honoured to have this opportunity bestowed upon me as this is the biggest Orchid show in Europe and I will also be the youngest exhibitor there.
And now I am perhaps preparing for my biggest adventure to date: China. Yup, its comign round fast-I depart on July 18th! I am also potentially going to Hong Kong afterwards to stay with a friend there who goes back every summer. If I go to Hong Kong I will be back around the end of August. If I don't, I will be back on August 14th. Facebook and most Western blogging sites (including this one) are blocked in China which means that I will not be able to make updates while there or generally update anyone on what I've been up to, but I will definitely blog about it once I get back home.
A proper blog post (with pictures) coming soon-starting with Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital to begin with I think! :D
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