Montenegro: A slice of Muslim history in a Mediterranean paradise

Photo: KOTOR, MONTENEGRO - 22 AUGUST 2015: Aerial view of Kotor. The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor. / photosmatic / Shutterstock.com

Last Thursday, Montenegro celebrated its National Day, a celebration of the moment the tiny Eastern European country was first recognised as an independent state back in 1878. Before that, it had been part of the Muslim Ottoman empire for almost 400 years. Evidence of that rule is most evident in the capital city of Podgorica, which was conquered by the Turks in 1474.

“When I was a boy, this minaret was a dangerous, crumbling structure sticking out of an abandoned building,” explained Mirza, pointing up at the renovated, white, pencil-thin minaret of the Osmanagic Mosque, one of only two remaining ancient mosques in Podgorica’s Stara Varos, the original Ottoman town.

Photo: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO - JANUARY 23, 2016: Osmanagic (Lukacevic) Mosque in Podgorica, Montenegro. Erected in 18th c. by Hadji Mehmed-pasha Osmanagic / Joymsk140 / Shutterstock.com

Built in the 18th century, the mosque is named after the town’s most influential benefactor, Hadzi Pasa Osmanagic, who commissioned most of Podgorica’s Ottoman relics. His mosque suffered serious damage when the city was heavily bombed during its German occupation in World War II.

“Around 1989, the locals came together and decided to repair the mosque,” Mirza continued. “More than one hundred tractor-loads of garbage was cleared from the site.” The mosque and Osmanagic’s tomb underwent further refurbishment in 2011 by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), which takes a keen interest in Balkan Ottoman heritage.

Photo: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO - JANUARY 23, 2016: The Clock Tower (Sahat Kula) in Podgorica, Montenegro. This 16-metre tower was erected in 18th c. by the Ottomans. One of older symbols of the city / Joymsk140 / Shutterstock.com

Like many Eastern European cities, not much is known about Podgorica’s ancient Muslim heritage, and it certainly isn’t the reason tourists make their way to Montenegro. But the Ottoman occupation left a palpable mark on the country: Mirza hails from the community of Montenegrins who converted to Islam during that period, and today they number around 120,000, which is nearly a fifth of the country’s population. Stara Varos, where the young graphic design graduate resides, was once home to the region’s kadija (an Islamic judge) and is still an important place for the nation’s Muslim community. Just down the road, the 15th-century Starodoganjska Mosque is the city’s oldest and the seat of the Montenegrin muftiate. Like the Osmanagic, it is small, square and has a roof of terracotta tiles. It too has undergone major refurbishment.

Photo: A house in Podgorica / Courtesy of Tharik Hussain

Both mosques are surrounded by houses with features that echo the Muslim period. Near the river are the ruins of the city’s Ottoman Fortress, which also dates from the earliest Muslim period. When medieval traveller Evliya Celebi passed through in the 17th century, he saw two of these protecting Podgorica, but today only the foundations of one remains, where the River Ribnica meets the larger Moraca. After the Ottomans left, locals looted the monument for its stonework to use elsewhere. But it is beneath the fort that Podgorica’s most beautiful Muslim monument is to be found: the  Adzi-pasa’s bridge, which spans the smaller Ribnica with a classic, stone, rainbow-arch. Its beauty matched only by Osmanagic’s other stunning legacy, the Sahat Kula, an impressive stone clock tower in the centre of the medieval town.

Photo: PODGORICA, MONTENEGRO - JANUARY 23, 2016: The old stone arch bridge on Sastavci over Ribnica River in Podgorica, Montenegro. / Joymsk140 / Shutterstock.com

In 2016, the town of Kotor, situated close to the coast and the country’s stunning bay area, topped Lonely Planet’s list of cities to visit, and it is easy to see why. While the crowds go to Dubrovnik, those in the know head for Kotor. Like Croatia’s famous walled city, Kotor is a stunning fortified ancient town, except the walls of this town do not stretch out to sea; instead, Kotor’s fortifications climb an impressive 1200 metres up the Lovcen Massif, looking like the spine of a dragon. Those brave enough to make it all the way to St John’s Hill are rewarded with breath-taking views across emerald green bays where little boats with white sails bob up and down beside stylish yachts.

The town itself seems to belong in Italy. Renaissance-style buildings with window boxes in full, colourful bloom are framed by rustic shutters that overlook picture postcard piazzas where people sit and drink coffee, while somewhere a violinist plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Photo: KOTOR, MONTENEGRO - JULY 18, 2014: Tourists walk on the Square of Arms in Kotor Old Town. Kotor it is a very popular travel destination in Eastern Europe / Nightman1965 / Shutterstock.com

That unmistakably Italian feel to this part of Montenegro no doubt stems from its historical relationship with the country it often turned to during the Ottoman occupation. The coming together of these two cultural legacies, combined with Montenegro’s stunning coastal offerings, makes it an ideal destination for Muslim travellers seeking heritage and a little chunk of paradise on Earth.

But hurry: thanks to Lonely Planet, the secret’s already out.

(This article is written by Tharik Hussain. Tharik is a freelance British Muslim travel writer, journalist, broadcaster and photographer specialising in the Muslim stories of Europe. Hussain’s first ever radio documentary, America’s Mosques; A Story of Integration, has been declared one of the world’s best radio documentaries for 2016. All his work can be viewed at www.tharikhussain.co.uk)

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