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Begovina, the architectural residential ensemble

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Status of monument -> National monument

 

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 hau, 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 IIIbanje, 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

 

 

 



BegovinaBegovina, rehabilitated part Western part of the house Begovina, part of the house
Interior - roomBegovina, photo before destructionBegovina, photo before destructionBegovina, photo after destruction
Main house South facadeWestern part of the main house North facade
BridgeEntrance gateHouse No. 2House No. 3
House No. 4, behind House No. 5House No. 6House No. 7House near the House No. 7
House near the House No. 7, inner courtyard House No. 9House No. 9, interiorPath leading to the main family house
Entrance to the main house RoomRoom 


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