Blagaj

Blagaj lies beneath a limestone cliff at the spring of the Buna, a tributary of the Neretva in the country of Hum. Above it stands the medieval fortress of Stjepan Grad, its walls and towers following the edge of a rocky height. At the foot of the fort a settlement called Podblagaj was recorded in 1447, where the road from the stronghold met the road to Nevesinje.

Under Ottoman rule the town grew along the Buna, with residential quarters around a bazaar, mosque and inn. The Imperial Mosque was built in 1520–1521, and the Karađoz-beg bridge carried the road to Stolac across the river by 1570. Near the spring, a dervish tekke stood beneath the cliff; channels drew water from the Buna to power nearby mills. Houses, bridges and religious buildings gave the riverside town a character distinct from the fortress above it.