How well do you know Stari Most?

Mostar had an earlier bridge crossing before the celebrated stone arch. UNESCO's evaluation records a settlement with two defensive towers around a bridge dated to 1459 and describes the earlier wooden bridge as a route used by soldiers, traders and other travellers.

Source: UNESCO/ICOMOS evaluation

Mostar appears in written sources in 1474. Its name is associated with mostari—bridge keepers—so the name refers to guardians of the earlier crossing rather than specifically to the stone bridge completed in 1566.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent commissioned the new bridge in 1557. It was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, whom the Aga Khan Development Network describes as a student and apprentice of the celebrated Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan.

Source: Aga Khan Development Network

Construction began in 1557 and the bridge was completed in 1566—approximately nine years of work. Its single pale-stone arch connected the two sides of the developing Ottoman town.

Sources: UNESCO and AKDN

From its completion in 1566 until its destruction on 9 November 1993, the original stone bridge stood for approximately 427 years. The present bridge reopened in the summer of 2004 after an international reconstruction programme.

Sources: UNESCO listing and UNESCO reconstruction account

Reputable descriptions do not all use the same figure. UNESCO's restoration summary says 20 metres above maximum summer water level, official Mostar tourism information gives roughly 21 metres above summer water, and reporting about the diving tradition frequently cites about 24 metres. The Neretva's changing level and the chosen measurement point affect the result.

Sources: UNESCO restoration summary, Mostar tourism and Reuters

Official descriptions use slightly different measurement conventions. Mostar tourism gives approximately 28.7 metres long and 4.49 metres wide; a UNESCO restoration summary rounds these to 30 metres and 4 metres while separately giving the arch opening as 27 metres. This page therefore avoids presenting a rounded 29 metres as an exact structural span.

Sources: Mostar tourism and UNESCO restoration summary

Tara Tower stands on the eastern, conventionally left bank and today houses the Old Bridge Museum. Halebija Tower is on the western, right bank. Colourful stories about how the towers acquired their names have been left out because they could not yet be confirmed from sufficiently authoritative sources.

Sources: UNESCO restoration summary and Mostar tourism: Tara and Halebija Towers

The reconstruction principally used newly quarried tenelija stone from the same local quarry associated with the 16th-century bridge. Some surviving historic material was incorporated, especially in visible surface areas, but it is misleading to say the whole bridge was rebuilt from stones recovered from the river.

Sources: UNESCO reconstruction account and UNESCO/ICOMOS evaluation

The Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. UNESCO presents the reconstructed bridge and Old City as symbols of reconciliation, international cooperation and the coexistence of different communities.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

A UNESCO restoration summary records the surprising fact that the bridge supported the passage of Nazi tanks during the Second World War. That demonstrates exceptional strength, but it does not by itself prove that wheeled carts routinely crossed the steep stone deck in earlier centuries. The deck's raised transverse ribs create its characteristic rhythm; because published “step counts” vary, StariMost.com will publish a number only after an on-site count and photographic record using a clear method.

Source: UNESCO restoration summary. On-site rib count and photographic verification pending.

Mostar's traditional diving competition recognises feet-first and head-first disciplines; the head-first style is famously called lasta, or “swallow.” The tradition is locally described as more than 450 years old, which is best understood as a maintained heritage claim rather than an uninterrupted documented record. The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series first came to Mostar in 2015.

Safety: Jumping from Stari Most is extremely dangerous and should never be attempted casually. Organised dives involve trained participants and controlled conditions.

Sources: Reuters and Red Bull