Description of the attraction
The abode of the dervishes or Blagaya Tekija is located in the picturesque town of Blagai, ten kilometers from Mostar. Dervish is a Muslim version of an ascetic monk. These people were constantly on the road, and such a kind of guest house was built for them. But for itinerant monks, tekia is not only a place of lodging and prayer. Tekiya is called upon to spiritually develop and educate people through conversations on everyday and scientific topics, through reflections.
Tekiya is not built where there is no natural harmony, for this only a certain place is chosen, corresponding to seven essences. They include two waters - flowing and calm, a rock, a cave, a grave, a house and a staircase. It is at the source of the Buna that these components are found. The river originates from a deep cave, spreads out in calm backwaters, then falls like waterfalls along rocky steps. In addition, the tekia should be in a secluded place, in Blagaj - under a rock.
Here the tekia was built shortly after the establishment of the Ottoman Empire, that is, in the twenties of the XVI century. Ottoman Baroque was then a new style in architecture, more prevalent in Istanbul. The monastery is half made of wood, decorated with carvings.
There are two tombs in the tekia - the holy Sufi Sari Saltik and Ashik Pasha, the sheikh. The mausoleum of the first is covered with legends. What they have in common is that this wandering dervish killed the dragon that lived in the cave.
The national monument has recently been restored and is not only a tourist attraction, but also a place of pilgrimage.
The place enchants with the blue-green waters of Buna and rocks towering over dense vegetation. The source to which the pilgrims come is the beginning of the river. It is considered the largest and most beautiful in Europe.
