Blagaj Tekke, a Sufi Monastery in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a site that I was so happy to experience thanks to Deny, the owner of the hostel we stayed in while in Mostar who brought us here.
The Dervish House on the Buna River is absolutely picturesque. It sits beside a cliff with a spring running by it, that serves as the mouth of the Buna River. Where the spring water actually originates from is such a mystery that when a team of French geologists went on an expedition to explore the caves, they were not prepared for the freezing temperatures as one member died from the extreme drop in temperature and aborted the exploration. For now, the exact origin of the spring stays a mystery.
The spring water is a deep turquoise blue and sits absolutely still until just past the Dervish house where a waterfall begins. It’s beautiful. The Dervish house is beautiful as well with its Ottoman-Mediterranean architecture.
While the house was inhabited, it was divided as required in Sufi custom for men and women who were not married to live separately, so they each had their own quarters. Within the monastery there is a mausoleum, prayer rooms, bath house and living quarters like a bedroom and living room.
Visitors must also follow some customary rules. Women must wear headscarves and have their shoulders covered, and men and women must cover their legs so if you are wearing a shorts or a skirt they will provide you with a wrap and shawl so that you can enter.
I have a couple of favorite features of the house. The people who designed and constructed the Dervish house paid close attention to detail. They were true artists and I suggest for anyone who is looking for simplistic and spiritual inspiration for design to visit this heritage site. They incorporated the surrounding nature in the design elements such as stars carved through the ceilings in the bathhouse and delicate wooden framing to accent the hallways.
Another feature that I really loved was outside the house. They had constructed stairs leading right to the spring so that someone could easily collect water. They had a traditional copper bowl there for us so that we could easily scoop water out of the spring and drink from it.
I was really happy that the Dervish house was one of the stops Deny brought us to because he gave us a background on the region and its cultural significance. This is where the name Herzegovina comes in to the name of the country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name confuses a lot of people into thinking it’s two different countries.
According to Deny, Herzegovina was a wealthy prince who lived in the area and owned acres and acres of vineyards. So while the name of the country may be confusing, Herzegovina represents the Mediterranean climate that is agriculture ready year round and Bosnia represents the mountainous regions that endure cold winter climates.
To get to the Dervish House in Blagaj, you would drive 12 km outside of Mostar. There are also buses that make stops in Blagaj that you can board across from the main bus station in Mostar.
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