Published
in the “Official Gazette of BiH”, no. 89/09.
Pursuant
to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve
National Monuments, at a session held from 27 May to 2 June 2008 the Commission
adopted a
D E C I S
I O N
I
The
architectural ensemble of the Begovina in Stolac is hereby
designated as a National Monument
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(hereinafter: the National Monument).
The
National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot nos. VI/5,
18 and 19; VI/20, VI/21, VI/12, VI/6, 17, 29 and 30; VI/27, VI/7 and 15; VI/14,
VI/8 and 9; VI/16 and 20 (old survey), Land Register entry nos. 599, 581, 595,
300, 598, 594, 597, 601, 596 and 602, cadastral municipality Stolac I, Stolac
Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The
provisions relating to protection and rehabilitation measures set forth by the
Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve
National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the
Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National
Monument.
II
The
Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the
Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal,
scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the
protection, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.
The
Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall
determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and
setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to
proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure
the ongoing protection of the National Monument, the following protection
measures are hereby stipulated:
Protection
Zone I consists of the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this
Decision. The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:
-
the buildings forming the
architectural residential ensemble of the Begovina in Stolac that have not yet
been rehabilitated shall be restored in their original form, using the original
or the same type of materials and original building methods wherever possible,
on the basis of documentation on their previous appearance, with the approval
of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert
supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina
-
all works are prohibited
other than research and conservation and restoration works approved by the
Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert
supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
-
all works that could be
detrimental to the National Monument are prohibited, as is the erection of
temporary facilities or permanent structures not designed solely for the
protection and presentation of the National Monument.
The
Government of the Federation shall be responsible in particular for ensuring
that the following measures are implemented:
-
drawing up and
implementing a project for the restoration of the buildings in the Begovina
complex
-
drawing up and
implementing a project to landscape the Begovina complex and the approach paths
and roads
-
inventorying the movable
heritage.
Protection
Zone II consists of the area immediately contiguous with the National
Monument, namely c.p. 6/62 (old survey), the site known as Komanjeske strane. In
this zone the following protection measures shall apply:
-
all works that could be
detrimental to the National Monument are prohibited, as is the erection of temporary
facilities or permanent structures not designed solely for the protection and
presentation of the National Monument
-
the unplanned felling of
trees is prohibited
-
the dumping of waste is
prohibited
IV
All
executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the
provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.
V
Everyone,
and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain
from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the
preservation and rehabilitation thereof.
VI
The
Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional
planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal
Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be
notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in
Articles II to V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be
notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The
elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this
Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by
accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba)
VIII
Pursuant
to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
On the
date of adoption of this Decision, the National Monument shall be deleted from
the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official
Gazette of BiH no. 33/02, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 79/02,
Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH no. 59/02, and Official Gazette of
Brčko District BiH no. 4/03), where it featured under serial no. 582.
X
This
Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the
Official Gazette of BiH.
This
Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep
Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina
Wik.
No; 09-02-1020/03-7
29 May 2008
Sarajevo
Chair of
the Commission
Amra
Hadžimuhamedović
E l u c i
d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant
to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of
the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8
of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a
“National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission
to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V
and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and
Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments
of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the
Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time
limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has
been submitted or not.
The
Commission to Preserve National Monuments issued a decision to add the Remains
of the Begovina in Stolac to the Provisional List of National Monuments of
BiH under serial no. 582.
Pursuant
to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the
procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National
Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules
of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION
In the
procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a
national monument, the following documentation was inspected:
-
Documentation on the
location and ownership of the property (copy of cadastral plan and copy of land
register entry).
-
Data on the current
condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs,
data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
-
Historical, architectural and
other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography
forming part of this Decision.
The
findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of
the site are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
Access to
the architectural ensemble of the Begovina in Stolac is from the south-west, by
the road leading from the town centre to the north-east outskirts of the town. The
complex stands on the east side of the river Bregava. The architectural
residential complex of the Begovina in Stolac is located on a site designated
as cadastral plot nos. VI/5, 18 and 19; VI/20, VI/21, VI/12, VI/6, 17, 29 and
30; VI/27, VI/7 and 15; VI/14, VI/8 and 9; VI/16 and 20 (old survey), Land
Register entry nos. 599, 581, 595, 300, 598, 594, 597, 601, 596 and 602,
property of members of the Rizvanbegović family, cadastral municipality Stolac
I, Stolac Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
The long
axis of the complex lies north-west/south-east.
Historical information
The
captaincy in Stolac (officially known as the Vidoška captaincy after the
mediaeval name of the town), was founded somewhat before 1706, the year in
which the first reference to this captaincy is to be found. The tower in Hutovo
originally also belonged to the captaincy. In 1782 a number of villages were
removed from this captaincy and allocated to Počitelj. Much of the territory of
the captaincy was lost in 1802 when the tower in Hutovo was seceded.
In the
first half of the 18th century, the first captains of the Vidoška captaincy
were from the Šarić family, and later from the Rizvanbegović family, although
members of these two families alternated in the post of captain over the years.
According
to Ale Poljarević, members of the Šarić family were captains until 1761, when
they vanished from the political scene(1).
According
to Hamdija Kreševljaković, the first known captain from the Rizvanbegović
family is Mustafa, referred to as captain on several occasions between 1729 and
1731.
During
the 1760s, there was fierce competition between the Šarić and Rizvanbegović
families for the post of captain. The earliest reference to Mustafa's son
Zulfikar Rizvanbegović as captain dates from 1755. He held the post until 1802,
when he was succeeded by his sons. Hajji Captain Zulfikar Rizvanbegović became
the leading figure in 18th century Stolac. As Professor Kapidžić has written,
"The local tradition, which accords with the sources, is that
Zulfikar-kapetan was an energetic, just and austere man. He ruled Stolac for
almost half a century (1755-1802), thereby laying solid foundations for the
Rizvanbegović family, which ruled Herzegovina during the governance
of his son Ali pasha."(2)
After
Zulfikar, the Vidoška captaincy passed first to his eldest son Mustaj-bey(3) and, after the latter's death,
to Ali pasha, half brother to Mustaj pasha. Nothing is known as to who was
appointed as captain of the Vidoška captaincy after Ali pasha Rizvanbegović was
appointed as vizier of Herzegovina in 1833.
Ali pasha
Rizvanbegović-Stočević was born in Stolac in 1783 and spent his childhood and
youth there. After fighting it out with his brothers, he became captain of
Stolac, running the captaincy from 1813 to 1851.
He was a
major opponent of the movement for autonomy for Bosnia, led by Husein kapetan
Gradaščević (nicknamed the Dragon of Bosnia). At the very start of the
movement, he headed the Sultan's army. As a reward for his services in this
battle, he was appointed as vizier of Herzegovina
in 1833(4), and
until his death in 1851 he was effectively the autonomous head of Herzegovina,
which was separated from the Bosnian pashaluk and turned into a separate
ayalet.
When the
central government sent Omer pasha Latas to Bosnia
and Herzegovina to crush the resistance of Bosnia's
feudals, Ali pasha took the side of the feudal oligarchy. He was captured by
troops from the Turkish regular army and killed in Dobrinja near Banja Luka in late March
1851(5). He was
buried by the Ferhadija mosque in Banja
Luka, where a turbe was later erected over his grave.
Ali pasha
Rizvanbegović was also prominent as a major vakif (legator), erecting many
religious, cultural, educational, social, commercial and residential buildings
in Herzegovina
(in Blagaj, Buna and Mostar). As one of the three greatest vakifs of Stolac,
Ali pasha built there several shops, mills, stamping mills and other commercial
facilities, designed to ensure long-term funding for the maintenance of his
endowments (Hivzija Hasandedić, Muslimanska baština u istočnoj Hercegovini,
18).
According
to Ale Poljarević, Ali pasha Rizvanbegović was the wealthiest legator not only
in Stolac but in the whole of Herzegovina.
Among his
endowments in Stolac, Ali pasha built a mosque on the foundations of the mosque
built in the Podgrad mahala in 1145 AH (1732/33) by Salih Buro (the Podgrad
mosque was designated as a national monument by Decision of the Commission to
Preserve National Monuments no. 07-6-732/03, of 21 January 2003).
The
complex known as the Begovina stands by the left bank of the river Bregava, on
the extreme north-eastern outskirts of Stolac. The building known as the
Đulhanuma house (Mustajbey's konak) was erected on the right bank of the
Bregava, opposite the Begovina. The Begovina complex is connected to the
Đulhanuma house by the Rizvanbegović bridge or Bridge in the Begovina (the
Đulhanuma house in Stolac was designated as a national monument by Decision of
the Commission to Preserve National Monuments no. 08.1-6-912/03, of 4 March
2003).
The
building of the Begovina properties began after the abolition of captaincies in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
in 1835(6). The
Begovina properties were built by four Rizvanbegović brothers.(7)
“The
Begovina residential complex was built between 1840 and 1860. There is not one
written source providing evidence of its date of origin; the assumption that it
was built at this time is based on inscriptions on the musanderas, and on the
fact that musanderas or built-in furnishings were an integral part of every
house, installed while it was being built. The carved wooden musandera in Izet
Rizvanbegović's house bears the date 1256 AH (1848), and the year 1277
(1860/1861) is carved on a pillar in Murat Rizvanbegović's house. A musandera
in the Đulhanumina house bears the year 1273 (1856/1857).”(8)
At the
same time as the Begovina residential buildings were going up, the
Rizvanbegović's also built five konaks (guest houses, residences). These
remained open without a break until the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878,
and from time to time thereafter until agrarian reform in 1919. Each konak also
contained a hamamdžik (washroom) (Hivzija Hasandedić, Muslimanska
baština u istočnoj Hercegovini, 40)
The
architectural residential ensemble of the Begovina in Stolac has been renovated
on several occasions since it was first built. Restoration works on the
complex, under the supervision of members of the heritage protection authority,
continued without break from just after World War II to the early 1990s. These
restoration works brought about no major alterations to the buildings in the
complex nor did they introduce any changes that could be detrimental to their
authenticity.
During
the 1992-1995 war the architectural residential ensemble of the Begovina in
Stolac was shelled and set on fire. All the wooden structures of the buildings
have been destroyed. Restoration of part of the complex began in 2003, under
the supervision of the heritage protection authority.
2. Description of the property
According
to Ale Poljarević, Stolac is a veritable “garden city” on account of its many
courtyards and gardens, and its abundance of greenery and flowers. “Courtyards
in Stolacs have many distinctive features, and are not in the least
stereotypical. In the Begovina, there was a division into the men's and the
women's courtyards: the ahar (stableyard or selamluk) and the
garden or haremluk. The courtyards are paved with clean cobblestone
paths; the wooden gateway is decorated with doorknockers of which the arabesque
nature strikes the eye.”(9)
Another
feature of Stolac, in addition to its greenery, is its intimate association
with the river Bregava – daily life unfolds right beside the river.
Stolac's
residential complexes, of which the Begovina is a particularly fine example,
were built alongside the river, with houses overhanging its banks. In their
courtyards, the white cubes of the walls stand out, with their great roofs and
wooden oriels overlooking the river.
The
houses of Stolac dating from the latter half of the 19th century, including the
Begovina houses, were shaped by the dual influences of the orient and the Mediterranean. Oriental influences are reflected in the
structure of the house, the formation and organization of space, the height of
the rooms (to the human scale), their layout, the way they face onto the
courtyard, the intermingling of open and closed spaces, and the differentiation
into summer and winter quarters, and into men's and women's quarters(10). Mediterranean influences are
reflected in the use of stone throughout the house (ground floor, first floor,
roof cladding), and the shape and disposition of the windows.
The
Begovina residential complex in Stolac was built at the north-eastern end of
the town as an estate property, with guest houses or hostels, and large
gardens, set well apart from the structure of the town in a separate area with
none of the usual functional and morphological relations with the other parts
of the town.
The town
planning concept of the Begovina, the odžak or manor of the
Rizvanbegović captains' family, reveals a respect for the natural setting,
adapted to the need for privacy of every family, and for its neighbouring
houses, as well as the desire to create a protected family territory(11).
The size
of the complex, its position in the area, and its state of preservation, make
the Begovina one of the finest and most important residential complexes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The
architectural residential complex of the Begovina consists of four parts, which
form a gradual progression of premises from the public to the private family
quarters. The first, public area of the complex is the approach road, the
second consists of the entrance courtyard with four buildings, the third a
semi-private courtyard, and fourth and finally the private courtyard of the
family quarters.
The third
and fourth parts of the complex, the semi-private courtyard and family houses,
are surrounded by high stone courtyard walls along three sides of the complex. The
boundary on the fourth side, which also provides the property with security, is
the river Bregava. A distinctive feature of the courtyard wall is that it is
topped by a final course of uneven pieces of stone simply laid on the structure
of the wall. This would mean that anyone attempting to break into the complex
over the wall would be unable either to find a firm handhold or to climb the
wall noiselessly, because of the noise made by stones falling.
The
architectural residential complex of the Begovina extends north-west/south-east
with a slight deviation to the east. The site on which it lies is relatively
long and narrow, at about 180 x 25 m. The complex consists of five konaks and
six houses, as well as a number of outbuildings.
Access to
the architectural residential complex is from the south, by the road upstream
alongside the Bregava leading from the town centre to the Begovina.
The
complex begins with the Ćuprija (Bridge) in the Begovina, the last of the three
major stone bridges in Stolac to be erected, in the late 18th or early 19th
century, when work began on the residential complex of the Rizvanbegović
family, after whom this area of Stolac acquired the name Begovina. The bridge
in the Begovina provided a connection between the Rizvanbegović family houses
on either side of the Bregava, as a result of which it was maintained by
members of the family right through to the late 19th century and the
Austro-Hungarian occupation.
The road
upstream by the Bregava opens into the entrance courtyard, which contains four
buildings by the entrance gateway to the complex. Two residential properties
stand right by the river, with two konaks opposite them.
All four
are two-storey stone buildings clad with stone slabs.
The house
of Munir bey Rizvanbegović, which stood close to the courtyard wall, had an
oriel overhanging the river. The walls of both houses seemed to “spring” from
the river. Both konaks had the same layout.
The
approach road leads via steps from the west into the hajat (porch area)
with rooms known as halvats to the left and right. An L-shaped staircase leads
from the hajat to the first floor wing, which extends into a jazluk. This,
the central space on the first floor, used for social gatherings, is part of
the wing that is one step up and projects outwards forming a doksat
overhang. The wing gives onto chambers, both with fireplaces, to left and
right.
The
building has a three-pane roof clad with stone slabs.
A stone
courtyard wall, with the konak abutting onto it, surrounds the Rizvanbegović
family's property. The wall is of uneven hewn stone left exposed. It has two
loopholes to the east of the entrance gateway.
The
rectangular area of the entrance gateway is defined by regular-cut stone. The
gateway consists of simple double wooden doors which still retain the system of
opening and closing by means of a wooden beam with a socket in the wall itself.
The entrance gateway has a gabled roof clad with stone slabs.
The
entrance gateway leads into a semi-private courtyard surrounded by buildings,
and paved with small stone slabs. Trees and ornamental shrubs are planted
alongside the walls of the buildings surrounding the courtyard, leaving the
centre free; from this, a number of pathways lead to the buildings.
The
courtyard is enclosed to the east by two konaks and to the west by a konak with
a wooden portico. On the north side, the courtyard ends at the boundary walls
of the residential properties of the Rizvanbegović family.
All three
konaks are two-storey stone buildings.
Access to
the konak with the portico is from the east. The ground floor of the konak
contains two rooms. A two-flight covered staircase on the outside of the
building leads to the portico of the konak, which is supported by wooden
pillars and consists of a wing and a jazluk. The wing to which the staircase
leads continues on into the jazluk on the side facing the Bregava. The wing
leads to the north into a chamber and ćošak (veranda). The chamber has a
fireplace. The ćošak, which faces the Bregava, projects outwards forming
a doksat jutty.
The
building has a three-pane roof clad with stone slabs.
According
to Hivzija Hasandedić, each konak in the Begovina had a separate room with a
mihrab recessed into the wall, measuring approx. 120 x 70 x 25 cm. Guests would
sometimes perform the ritual prayers in the room with the mihrab, in the
company of the owner of the konak and members of his family.
There
were mihrabs in:
-
Osman-bey's konak: two,
one in the ground-floor chamber and one in the first-floor ćošak
-
Hajji Rizvan-bey's konak:
two, one in the ćošak and one in the first-floor vestibule
-
Zulfikar-bey's konak, in
the first-floor room
-
Husein-bey's konak, in the
first-floor ćošak
(Hivzija
Hasandedić, Muslimanska baština u istočnoj Hercegovini, 41)
The
northern boundary of the Begovina complex is formed by the family's residential
quarters. These were originally built as three houses under two roofs. The two
houses by the river had a multi-paned roof, and the main family house, in the
northern part of the holding, had a hipped roof.
A house
was built by the outbuilding of the main family house, in a separate courtyard.
It is not known exactly when it was built, but probably in the 1980s. It was
built mainly of stone, with one wall of brick with reinforced concrete ring
beams. The oriels are plastered with cement mortar. The house has a hipped roof
clad with stone, and stone chimneys.
In the
mid 20th century, the main family house was divided into two.
Now,
following all these alterations, the Begovina complex has five houses under
three roofs.
All the
houses are surrounded by high courtyard walls. The entrance gateways to the
courtyards consist of simple rectangular openings with gabled roofs clad with
stone slabs. The wooden double-valved doors are of simple workmanship, and
retain the original opening system. A feature of all these houses is that their
courtyards are not entered direct from the outside; instead, there is a wall
known as the zar zid (literally, curtain or veil wall) or peča
about 2.50 from the entrance gateway to the courtyards.
The
courtyards are paved with stone cobbles and embellished with greenery. Water
from the Bregave runs through all the courtyards via a system of small channels
made of regular cut stone. At the point where the water enters the courtyard,
these widen into small tanks known as hauzi [from the Arabic hauḍ, a tank or cistern]. Privies known as ćenife were erected
over the outlet from the courtyard.
The
courtyards contain not only the main house but also outbuildings, a summer
kitchen (mutvak) and storeroom.
The
running water and greenery within the walled courtyards creates a unique sense
of peace and ever-present life.
All the
houses are two-storey stone buildings, and each has a ćošak facing the Bregava
or the inner courtyard.
According
to Hivzija Hasandedić, three of the houses in the Begovina contain a mihrab in
the first-floor vestibule. These are not in the shape of wall niches, like
those in the konaks (musafirhanas, guest houses), but were indicated on the
wall facing the Qibla by a bas-relief pointed arch made of stone (Hivzija
Hasandedić, Muslimanska baština u istočnoj Hercegovini, 41).
According
to Ale Poljarević, the ceilings in the Begovina houses are 2.50 m high, the
highest of any house in Stolac.
The
buildings are grouped in such a way that two share a single multi-pane or
hipped roof clad with stone slabs.
The
grandest house in the Begovina complex is the main family house, known as a
double or twin house, at the extreme northern edge of the complex. In the early
20th century this house belonged to Hasan-bey Rizvanbegović.
The main
family house stood on the northern edge of the large family courtyard. The mutvak
or summer kitchen was in the south-west corner of the courtyard, and the konak
in the south-east corner(12).
In
layout, the Rizvanbegović house was originally of the type of house with a
central hallway representing a semi-open hajat.
According
to S. H. Eldem, the layout of the house with a central hallway is the final
stage in the evolution of the layout of the house, and the best design, with
the hall least exposed to outside influences.
The
layout of the original house was fully symmetrical around the transverse axis.
The hajat was surrounded on three sides by rooms; halvats (chambers), a hudžer
(pantry) and a ćiler (larder) to east and west, and a halvat and mutvak
to the north. It is not known where the staircase leading to the first floor
was originally located.
The
layout of the ground floor was echoed on the first floor. The central area of
the wing was fully open to the courtyard, and rested on wooden pillars.
Chambers surrounded it on three sites. Each chamber had a musandera with a
hamamdžik (washroom). The ćenifa (privy) was in a jutty in the eastern half of
the house.
The most
representative chambers, known as čošak, were on the south-east and north-west
corners of the property; both were oriel-style jutties. The south-east čošak
faced onto the family courtyard, and the north-west čošak onto the river.
As the
family grew, the property was divided by a wall through the semi-open hajat and
courtyard, so creating two identical halves. As a result of its position on the
site, the building at the corner of the walled residential complex, the eastern
half of the house, faces only south, onto the entrance side. The western half
of the house faces south and west, where there is a jutty overhanging the
Bregava(13).
The main
entrance to the private family courtyard of the western part of the house is
through a gateway in the south courtyard wall. The courtyard is divided by a zar
zid or peča into an entrance area and a private area. The
rectangular private section of the courtyard outside the family house is
cobbled and planted with greenery and flowers along the courtyard walls. There
are two outside privies (ćenifa) in the entrance section of the courtyard. The
private section of the courtyard leads to the west to the summer kitchen
(mutvak).
In layout
the western half of the house is of the type of house with a central hallway
representing a semi-open hajat. The hajat is enclosed on two sides by rooms and
on the third by the partition wall. There is a single-flight staircase
alongside the partition wall.
The
courtyard leads into the semi-open ground-floor hajat, of which the floor is
paved with stone slabs. A single square-section wooden pillar supporting the
ceiling joists stands on a stone base in the hajat.
The hajat
leads into two halvats and a ćiler (larder). The large halvat and ćiler are to
the west of the hajat. There was originally a musandera with hamamdžik
(washroom) along the north wall of the large halvat. The smaller halvat is to
the north of the hajat, and originally had a musandera along part of the west
wall.
A
single-flight staircase along the east, partition wall leads from the hajat to
the first floor of the house. The first three steps are stone, and the rest are
of wood.
The
staircase leads to the wing off which are chambers and a ćošak. The chambers
are to the north, south and west of the wing. The north and west chambers were
originally fitted with a musandera with hamamdžik and a fireplace. The south
chamber, facing the courtyard, was separated from the wing by a wooden
partition wall.
To the
west, the wing leads into the most representative room in the house, the ćošak,
which projects outwards forming an oriel jutty.
The ćošak
originally contained a musandera with hamamdžik along the east wall and a
fireplace against the north wall.
The main
entrance to the private family courtyard of the eastern part of the house is
through a gateway in the west courtyard wall. The courtyard was formerly
divided into two by a stone wall. The rectangular private courtyard outside the
family house is cobbled and planted with greenery and flowers along the
courtyard walls. There is a storeroom (ćumez) and an outside privy
(ćenifa) in the entrance section of the courtyard. The eastern edge of the
entrance section of the courtyard is formed by the konak, which is entered from
the main courtyard area.
In
layout, the eastern part of the house is of the type of house with a central
hallway representing a semi-open hajat. The hajat is enclosed on two sides by
rooms and on the third by the partition wall. There is a single-flight
staircase alongside the partition wall.
Local
rubble limestone was used for the walls of the building, which were whitewashed
inside and plastered on the outside entrance façade; on the other façades, the
stone was left exposed. The walls of the upper floors are wholly a continuation
of those of the ground floor. The exterior walls of the building are 65 to 75
cm thick, and the interior load-bearing walls, which run in both directions,
one transversely and one longitudinally, are from 65 to 80 cm thick. The
corners of the house are of regular cut tenelija (oolitic limestone)
forming visible quoins on all the façades except the entrance façade. Local
bedrock was used to make the steps and the bases of the pillars. The ceilings
of the privies are of tufa.
Timber
was used for the staircase, ceiling joists and roof frame, the partition
closing off the hajat, and the doors and windows. The first-floor joists
consist of wooden beams over which the wooden floor of the first floor is laid.
The ceiling structure also consists of wooden beams. The beams are left exposed
on both ground and first floor inside the house.
Stone
split into slabs was used to clad the multi-pane roof.
The
windows in the façades are set in two rows.
The
windows at ground floor level of the house are in the south (entrance) and
north façades. Measuring 95 x 125 cm, they are rectangular wooden two-light
windows with six panes each.
The
first-floor windows are set in the south, east and north façades, and are of
three different types. The windows of the wing, above the hajat, measuring 90 x
165 cm, are rectangular wooden windows with transoms. They open on the posmik
surma system, with the movable lower half lifting in front of the upper(14). The other windows, on the east
and north façades, measuring 95 x 125 cm, are rectangular wooden two-light
windows with six panes each
The
ground and first floor windows are fitted with grilles on the outside and
relieving niches on the inside.
A
distinctive feature on the façades of the house is the narrow rectangular
loopholes on the east façade of the building.
The
courtyard leads into the semi-open hajat on the ground floor, measuring 3.60 x
8.0 m and enclosed on the south side by a glazed partition wall(15). The floor of the hajat is paved
with stone slabs. A single square-section wooden pillar supporting the ceiling
joists stands on a stone base in the hajat.
The hajat
leads into a halvat, hudžera (pantry) and mutvak (kitchen). The halvat, which
measures 4.50 x 5.70 m, is entered from the west. On the north wall of the
halvat was a musandera with a hamamdžik in the north-east corner(16). The south wall contains two
rectangular windows, and the west wall has one, facing the hajat. There are
relieving, pointed-arched niches above the window openings.
A
single-flight staircase along the east, partition wall leads from the hajat to
the first floor of the house. The first three steps are stone, and the rest are
of wood.
The
staircase leads to the wing facing the courtyard. The south wall of the wing,
measuring 3.60 x 8.0 m, is of wood, with three rectangular windows. The east
wall of the wing formerly contained a mihrab in bas relief, but now has a
simple arched niche.
The wing
leads into the ćošak and two chambers, the latter to the north and east of the
wing. Originally, an araluk (passageway) between the two chambers led
from the wing to a privy (ćenifa). During the most recent restorations, the
chamber to the north of the wing was enlarged by taking in the araluk, so that
the privy is now entered from the chamber.
The
chamber to the east of the wing, measuring 4.50 x 5.75 m, faces north and east.
The windows are rectangular, with relieving pointed-arched niches.
There was
originally a musandera with a hamamdžik along the south wall of the chamber and
a fireplace in the east wall. Neither the musandera nor the fireplace have yet
been reconstructed.
The wing
leads to the east into the most representative room in the house, the ćošak,
measuring 4.55 x 6.40 m, which projects outwards forming an oriel jutty.
It has
six wooden, pointed-arched windows in the south, east and west façades, facing
the courtyard.
The ćošak
was originally divided into two by a wooden partition wall. The first, entrance
half contained a musandera with hamamdžik along the north wall. The wooden
partition wall consisted of square-section uprights connected by arches.
There
was a fireplace against the east wall.
Neither
the wooden partition nor the musandera and fireplace have been reconstructed.
There is
a sećija (built-in settee) along the south and east walls of the ćošak.
Movable property(17)
Outstandingly
valuable articles of household goods and books were housed within the complex. The
finest household goods are in the main family house. Photographs and [video?]
recordings of the Begovina prior to its destruction reveal that the built-in
furnishings (musanderas and dolafs large and small, with extremely fine,
elaborate carved decoration, part of which was finished in polychrome. The
recordings and photographs show some of the movable heritage (metal artefacts,
wooden artefacts, textiles – kilims and embroidery – levhas, books etc.), but
there is no inventory, nor was a valuation ever carried out. While drafting
this Decision, interviews were used as a supplementary method of identifying
the movable heritage that belonged to the house prior to its destruction. Given
the limits of accuracy of this method, the following inventory is given in full
as provided by the owner during interview, with the caveat that its accuracy
cannot be verified since the movable heritage was either destroyed or
disappeared when the Begovina complex was destroyed. For this reason the
movable heritage is not subject to the protection regime set forth by this
Decision.
The
eastern part of the family house contains the following, being the most
representative articles:
-
copper mangalas (braziers)
-
2 demirlijas (large copper
trays used as low tables)
-
3 đugums (wide-necked,
handleless copper jugs)
-
2 ibriks (ewers)
-
a leđen (washhand basin)
-
a đerđef (wooden
embroidery frame), over 200 years old
-
5 tabaks (trays or
chargers)
-
3 seharas (wooden dowry
chests), two more than 200 years old
-
two hand-made lamps and
lampstands
-
8 candlesticks
-
a Qur'an stand
-
an old sabre
-
a kubura (pistol, loaded
with gunpowder), with silver incrustations
-
4 hunting guns, two with
triggers, one of which had a silver-decorated barrel
-
10 levhas, embroidered and
with calligraphic inscriptions
-
a Pirot kilim, 5 x 4 m,
about 150 years old
-
a silk Alija kilim, 2 x 3
m, about 150 years old
-
two Bukhara rugs
-
a hand-made bookcase
-
carved wooden room
furnishings
In
addition to these household articles, the eastern part of the house also
contained a library with about 2,500 titles, of which 60 were manuscripts,
including seven transcripts of the Qur'an. The finest Qur'an was a copy in
tusche (Indian) ink and gold, about 140 years old.
The
majority of the books in the library dealt with medicine, philosophy and
Shari'a law.
In
addition to the books, the house also contained about 500 letters – family
correspondence by members of the Rizvanbegović family, all written in arabica
(Arabic script adapted to the Bosnian language).
As well
as extremely valuable household articles, in particular two Bosnian kilims and
a woodcarved room, the western part of the house also contained a library, with
about 850 titles. The most valuable of these were manuscripts of works by the
writer Hasan-beg Rizvanbegović, known by his nom de plume Hajati. Of particular
note among his works in manuscript are a Turkish-French dictionary and a
Comparative Turkish-French/French-Turkish grammar.
3. Legal status to date
Pursuant
to a Ruling of the National Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments
and Natural Rarities no. 754/52 dated 9 October 1952, the Begovina complex in
Stolac was placed under state protection.
Pursuant
to a Ruling of the National Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments
of NRBiH no. 02-686-3 of 18 April 1962, the Begovina complex in Stolac was
entered in the Register of immovable cultural monuments.
The
Regional Plan for Bosnia and
Herzegovina to 2002 listed the Begovina in
Stolac as a Category I monument.
The
remains of the Begovina in Stolac are on the Provisional List of
National Monuments of BiH under serial no. 582.
4. Research and conservation and
restoration works
Restoration
and conservation works and routine maintenance works on the architectural
residential complex of the Begovina in Stolac, under the supervision of the
heritage protection authority, were conducted without a break from just after
World War II to the early 1990s. Unfortunately, there is no precise
information about the type or extent of these works.
In the 1980s
a two-storey residential building was erected south of the main house (the
Rizvanbegović family house). The new building does not stand out in size from
the other buildings in the complex, but modern materials were used to build
parts of the house, such as the concrete and brick blocks visible on the
façade.
After the
1992-1995 war a detailed inspection of the condition of the
architectural residential complex of the Begovina in Stolac was conducted by
experts from the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Historical
Heritage. This was followed in 2003 by the drafting of a project for the
structural repair of the Begovina residential complex. The findings from a
study of the project documentation for Stage I of the project, and an on-site
inspection, are as follows:
-
stage I of the structural
repair of the complex entailed repair and restoration works on the mail family
house (the two-family house),
-
the stage I works included
making good the stone structures, building a new roof frame and cladding it
with stone slabs to match the original roof, the reconstruction of all the
timber structural elements (floor/ceiling joists, staircase, oriel jutty) and
fitting doors and windows,
-
in addition to structural
repair works on the eastern part of the house, restoration works were carried
out and some of the rooms were adapted to suit modern living conditions
(alterations to the sanitary block and kitchen, closing off the hajat area with
a glazed wooden partition wall),
-
the built-in furniture,
musanderas and fireplaces have not yet been reconstructed in the eastern part
of the house,
-
in the case of some of the
buildings in the complex, the other two residential buildings and two of the
konaks, the owners of the buildings have begun repair works on their own,
without the supervision of the heritage protection authority and often using
inappropriate materials.
5. Current condition of the
property
During
the 1992-1995 war the architectural residential ensemble of the Begovina in
Stolac was shelled and set on fire. The combined effects of the war damage and
the long years of neglect of the complex have led to damage to the stone
structures of the buildings, and left parts of the complex overgrown with
weeds. Parts of the stone structures have collapsed.
Repairs
and restoration of some of the buildings in the complex have begun recently.
All the
movable property formerly in the buildings constituting the complex has been
either destroyed or removed to an unknown destination(18).
6. Specific risks
-
Inappropriate
interventions to the buildings
-
Unplanned expansion and
the erection of new, inappropriate buildings in the immediate vicinity of the
complex.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying
the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property
a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the
Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The
Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.i. proportions
C.ii. composition
C.iii. value of details
D. Clarity
(documentary, scientific and educational value)
D.iv. evidence of a particular type, style or
regional manner
D.v. evidence of a typical way of life at a
specific period
F. Townscape/ Landscape value
F.iii. the building or group of buildings is part
of a group or site
G. Authenticity
G.v. location and setting
I. Completeness
I.iii. completeness
The
following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
-
Technical documentation –
architectural blueprints of the property drawn by the Institute for the
Protection of Monuments (ground plan, cross-section, façades)
-
Photodocumentation
(photographs of the condition of the property at the time of adoption of a
final decision on the property by the Commission, August 2006)
Bibliography
During
the procedure to designate the architectural residential ensemble of the
Begovina in Stolac as a national
monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina
the following works were consulted:
1957 Grabrijan, Dušan and Juraj Neidhardt. Arhitektura Bosne i
Hercegovine i put u suvremeno (Architecture of BiH and the Road to Modernity).
Ljubljana: 1957
1990 Hasandedić, Hivzija. Muslimanska baština u istočnoj
Hercegovini (Muslim heritage in eastern Herzegovina). Sarajevo: El-Kalem, 1990
1991 Poljarević, Ale M. Stolac, grad i arhitektura (Stolac,
the Town and its Architecture), doctoral thesis. Zagreb:
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, Chair of
Art History, 1991
1991 Kreševljaković, Hamdija. Izabrana djela II (Selected
Works II). Sarajevo:
Veselin Masleša, 1991
1991 Kreševljaković, Hamdija. Izabrana djela III – banje,
vodovodi, hanovi i karavansaraji (Selected Works III – baths, water mains,
hans and caravanserais). Sarajevo:
Veselin Masleša, 1991
Documentation
of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, Sarajevo
(1) Ale M.
Poljarević, Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University
of Zagreb, 109
(2) Hamdija
Kreševljaković, Selected Works II, 207
(3) Ale
Poljarević gives the name of Zulfikar-pasha's son as Mustafa-bey, not
Mustaj-bey (Ale M. Poljarević, Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished
doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University of Zagreb,
113.)
(4) As vizier,
Ali pasha acquired the name Stočević after his native town (Ale M. Poljarević, Stolac,
grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb:
University of Zagreb, 117)
(5) According
to Ale Poljarević, Ali-pasha Rizvanbegović was overthrown in 1865
(6) Ale M.
Poljarević, Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University
of Zagreb, 118
(7) Hivzija
Hasandedić, Muslimanska baština u istočnoj Hercegovini, 40
(8) Ale M.
Poljarević, Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University
of Zagreb, 200, 201
(9) Ale M.
Poljarević, Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University
of Zagreb, 237
(10) “This division
is known in Europe as the selamluk and harem
or haremluk, with the harem imagined as the locus of licentious family
life. The truth is that it was a division simply into business and family
quarters, already familiar in Roman houses as well as in those of oriental or
Persian origin.” (D. Grabrijan and J. Neidhardt, Arhitektura Bosne i
Hercegovine i put u suvremeno, 178)
(11) Ale M. Poljarević,
Stolac, grad i arhitektura, unpublished doctoral thesis, Zagreb: University
of Zagreb, August 1991
(12) Judging
from the visible remains on the site, the konak probably had its own separate
entrance courtyard belonging to the main family house. The doorway to the
family courtyard was probably in the wall that connected the north wall of the
konak with the south wall of the mutvak. Only traces can now be seen of this
wall, and the position of the doorway is unknown.
(13) Dividing the
main residential property in the complex produced two almost identical houses.
Here a detailed description of the eastern part of the house is given, since
this house has been fully renovated and was accessible when Commission staff
visited the site. The other part of the house, where reconstruction works are
still in hand, was not fully accessible and is therefore described in less
detail.
(14) It is not
clear from the explanation whether these are sash windows. The term posmik
surma is not in any general or specialist dictionary available to me, nor
can I find it on the internet. Trans.
(15) The hajat
was originally open to the south. The glazed wooden partition wall was added
during the latest restorations, in 2004.
(16) «A hamamdžik or washroom was made in
the corner of the large ground-floor room, as an integral part of the musandera.
This home bathroom was closesd off on two sides by the walls of the room, on
the third side by the stove, and on the fourth by the washroom door. It was
about 80 cm above the floor level of the room itself, and had a small domed
ceiling. There was a hollow area under the floor, which was of stone slabs,
resembling a ćulhana (hypocaustum), which was connected with the stove.
Containers for heating the water were built into the stove. This bathroom was used by the members of the
household for washing and for taking steam baths.
As Kreševljaković states, this home bathroom in the Rizvanbegović
house was installed by Hajji Mustafa Hamamdžija of Livno (Hamdija
Kreševljaković, Selected Works III)
(17) Amra Šarančić,
procedure leader, interviewed the owner of one of the houses, Fahrudin
Rizvanbegović, who has reconstructed a description of the movable heritage on
the basis of his recollections and family photographs, [video?] recordings and
professional photographs of the Begovina
(18) according
to Prof. Dr. Fahrudin Rizvanbegović