莫斯塔爾：一窺波黑的戰火肆虐史

isiting Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an eyeopening and 3）humbling experience. When we traveled to Croatia， we took a day trip to Mostar.

While we were prepared to see signs of the war， actually seeing them in person was very 4）startling. We had been in 5）Dubrovnik， which had also been directly hit by war， but everything there has been rebuilt. So Mostar was our first sighting of bullet hole ridden and 6）gutted buildings in ruins. Living in a country where home-based wars are in our far past and current wars are an ocean away， it was very sobering to see physical 7）manifestations of war everywhere and realize that the people of Mostar， and many other areas of the former Yugoslavia， lived with war raging around them daily.

After our day in Mostar， I can say it is very touristy， but not in a way that should be a 9）turnoff to visitors. The streets were lined with shops selling 8）trinkets，

We reached our first site， the famous Stari Most， the Old Bridge. This striking single-arch stone bridge was built from 1557 to 1566. There are large towers on either side of the bridge， one of which houses a museum. The sad history of the bridge is that while it was able to stand for over 400 years， and even 10）withstood the weight of Nazi tanks， in 1993 the bridge was 11）shelled and collapsed into the river below. Amazingly， after the war ended， the bridge was rebuilt with stone from the original 12）quarry in the exact way it was built so long ago. Nowadays， local young men hang out on the bridge in 13）speedos waiting for someone to pay them to jump into the chilly Neretva River below.

After taking in the view from atop the bridge and touring the bridge’s museum， we visited our first 14）mosque， Koski MehmedPasha Mosque. The nice thing about visiting the mosques in the more touristy part of Mostar is that they are a little more 15）lenient with visitors. You can still wear modest clothing （which can be difficult when it is so hot）， but women are not required to wear scarves and it is not necessary to remove your shoes.

The grounds of Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque offer a beautiful view of Stari Most. You can also climb to the top of the 16）minaret for another stunning view. Muslims do not make images of living creatures in mosques， so the colors of the mosque’s interior were created from colorful rugs and bright painted forms on the white walls and ceilings.

After visiting the mosque we 17）veered away from the main tourist 18）drag one street over to the New Muslim Cemetery. Before the war， it was a park. But during the war， the more exposed cemeteries were unusable because visitors were visible to 19）snipers， so this tree protected park became a cemetery. Visiting the cemetery was moving and 20）heartwrenching. Every single tombstone is dated 1993， 1994， or 1995. I think this hit me even more than the structures 21）riddled with bullet holes and the completely gutted buildings with full-grown trees growing up the middle. I’ve always been a fan of cemeteries because I like to feel the people buried there had long fulfilling lives， surrounded by people that loved them enough to build 22）memorials to them. The occupants of these tombs had their lives stolen away from them far too soon.

Being outside of the main tourist street kind of took me out of my comfort zone. I didn’t feel unsafe， but I did feel like an outsider. The residents stared at us， and I couldn’t tell what they were thinking.

Another reason we strayed from the main street was to visit the Museum of Herzegovina. Unfortunately， this wish was denied. Something that also happened to us frequently in Dubrovnik was that the museum did not have change for our money. I have never encountered this elsewhere. I felt like 23）Pretty Woman， except instead of being denied the opportunity to shop， I was denied the opportunity to visit a museum. Seriously， does it get any nerdier than that？ If at all possible， acquire small change to pay entrance fees， though in my experience， this is easier said than done.

Our next stop was the Biscevic Turkish House， one of Mostar’s traditional Turkish-style homes that are open to visitors. The house was built in the 1600s and has beautiful woodwork on the inside and intricate river stone work on the outside. There is even a box of traditional costumes that can be tried on for pictures.

Our last stop was Karadozbeg Mosque. This mosque was built just before Stari Most was started. It was simpler and not as colorful as the first we visited， but was still beautiful and has retained some of its original decorations. There is a cemetery adjacent to this mosque， also filled with tombstones from the war.

On the way back we did a little souvenir shopping. There are many different types of articles to choose from， including hammered-copper items， rugs， scarves， and war 24）remnant 25）paraphernalia. Also be sure to try borek （or burek）， a traditional street food made with spiraled crispy 26）phyllo dough filled with cheese and meat.

I felt Mostar was a little different from the typical day trip destination. Later in our trip we encountered some travelers who were deciding whether or not to go to Mostar， and when I responded to their question of if it was worth it， I hesitated. Mostar is beautiful and has very different sites with its bridge， mosques， and Turkish-style homes. However， for me， it had more to do with learning a little about a culture I am very unfamiliar with and reflecting on a difficult notso-distant war-torn past， something I hope I will never have to experience personally.

到波斯尼亞和黑塞哥維那的莫斯塔爾市觀光是一次令人大開眼界又教人謙虛的經歷。我們去克羅地亞旅行的時候，去莫斯塔爾游覽了一天。

盡管我們做好了要看戰爭遺跡的心理準備，但親眼看到時還是十分驚詫的。杜布羅夫尼克也是個被戰火直接侵襲過的城市，之前我們已經到過那里，但是那里的一切都經過了重建。所以在莫斯塔爾，我們才第一次見到彈孔累累、被毀劫一空的樓房廢墟。生活在我們自己的國家，在本土開戰的戰爭已然是久遠的歷史，而如今的戰爭又在大洋的另一邊爆發，當看到隨處皆是實實在在的戰爭痕跡，意識到莫斯塔爾和其他原南斯拉夫地區的人民每日與狂暴的戰爭共眠，讓人從麻木中幡然醒悟。

在莫斯塔爾游覽了一天之后，我會說這里游客非常爆滿，但這種擁擠倒不至于令游客討厭。街道兩旁小飾品店林立。

我們到達了第一個景點，著名的莫斯塔爾古橋。這座引人注目的單拱石橋建于公元1557年至1566年。橋的兩邊矗立著高大的塔樓，其中一座塔樓里設有博物館。此橋有一段令人嘆惋的歷史，那就是雖然它能夠屹立四百多年不倒，甚至連納粹坦克的重量都經受住了，卻在1993年遭遇炮擊，倒塌在了下方的河流里。令人驚詫的是，戰爭結束后，人們按照最初建造的方式重建了這座橋，采用的石頭和原來的石頭也來自同一個采石場。如今，當地的年輕人們穿著泳衣在橋上閑逛，等著有人付錢看他們跳進下面冰冷的內雷特瓦河里。……