The Dervish House or the Tekke on Buna - We can build and build, demolish and then make again, but those beauties like Blagaj's tekke are not far away. For some it is a health resort for the soul and for others just a fortress, part of the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Either way one thing is for sure and that is that it leaves no one indifferent. After the fall of Herzegovina, Tekija on the source of the Buna was founded under Turkish rule in 1446 at the source of the river Buna and is one of the most valuable buildings in the architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It belonged to the Halvetian dervishes and today it is in the service of the dervishes of the Nakshibendi tariqat.
It served as an inn for dervishes - Sufi travelers. This oriental Bosnian architecture attracts with its the whiteness of the double façade, the first floor and the extended room that looks like a balcony and whose outlines are reflected on the surface of the dark green water of the river Buna. It is recorded that its builder was Ahmed Zijaudin. Next to the tekke there is one turbe with two chests. For one grave they say that Sheikh-Achik-Basha was buried in it and in another Sari Saltuk - the famous Sheikh. The tekke was destroyed many times and its last major restoration took place in 1950.
THE LEGEND OF THE TEKI IN BLAGAJ
There are many legends related to the origin of this tekke, but I will share the most interesting ones with you, dear readers. Legend has it that a terrible dragon lived in the cave of the Buna spring, to which the locals had to bring a young girl as a sacrifice every year. The years passed and it was the turn of the beautiful Milica, the daughter of Duke Stjepan. It was in that period when Milica was handed over to the dragon at his mercy that a pious dervish from Syria, Salih, came to Blagaj. They say that love gives strength, that is exactly what happened to Salih when he saw the beautiful Milica, he gained superhuman power and went into battle to free her. The dragon fought terribly with Salih, struck breaking rocks but under the strong blow of a young dervish, he knelt down and died. Herceg
Out of gratitude that he saved his daughter from the dragon, Stjepan gave her her hand and built him a tekke on the place where the dragon was killed. The people respected him, worshiped him, and he and his Milica lived in the tekke until death separated them. Even today, Salih's grave is located in the tekke at the source of the Buna.
THE LEGEND OF THE TEXI IN BLAGAJ II
After the brave dervish Salih, another of the most interesting legends about the origin of the tekke says this:
An old man with a white beard in green clothes was riding a horse through the Blagaj bazaar, just before dark. He headed for the spring. Aksham (evening prayer) passed and the people who saw him expected him to return. He was not there, so they thought that he was in the musafirhana (guest room) of Bey Velagić. That evening, Buna came so far that the old man could not cross it and the side was so big that the horse could not ride it. They were looking for the old man, but in vain. The next day, when everything calmed down, the people came to the conclusion that the good old man had mysteriously disappeared. In his honor and kindness, they decided to raise a tekke and turbe for him.
Ticket price for Tekija
Regular price: 2 KM
Reduced price: 1 KM - For residents of Mostar and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Author of the aricle
Amila Hasečić - contact: [email protected]
