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 10 to 16 March 2009 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

I

The historic site of the prehistoric tumulus and necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica, Municipality Konjic, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of a prehistoric tumulus and a necropolis with 47 stećak tombstones.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1621, Land Register entry no. 304, and part of c.p. no. 1622, Land Register entry no. 34, cadastral municipality Čičevo, Municipality Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The provisions relating to protection 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 erecting signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.

III

To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated, to apply to the site defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision, i.e. c.p. 1621 and part of c.p. 1622, an area defined by a point at the centre of the tumulus X=4817649 Y=6502774 and a diameter of 20 m. The following protection measures shall apply to this site:

-       all works are prohibited other than conservation and restoration works, including those designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);

-       the site of the monument shall be open and accessible to the public, and may be used for educational and cultural purposes;

-       works on the infrastructure are permitted with the approval of the relevant ministry and subject to the expert opinion of the heritage protection authority;

-       the refurbishment of the necropolis and repairs to any damage are permitted solely subject to first drawing up a plan for repairs, restoration and conservation and to the approval of the relevant ministry, and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

-       the removal of lichen and moss from the stećaks is prohibited;

-       by way of exception to the above provision, the stećaks may be cleaned if required to examine the epigraphic or decorative features of a stećak, subject to first compiling a report and obtaining the approval of the entity ministry responsible for regional planning. The report should be based on such biological, chemical, physical and other analyses as a conservator considers necessary, and should include appropriate conservation measures and an assessment of the impact of cleaning methods on the stone;

-       the area is an archaeological site, and investigative works must therefore be carried out in the presence of an archaeologist;

-       a wooden fence up to 1.30 m in height shall be erected to the south-east of the necropolis as far as the road and at a distance of 15 m from the stećaks;

-       a wooden fence up to 1.30 m in height shall be erected around the tumulus at a distance of 20 m;

-       the dumping of waste is prohibited.

The Government of the Federation shall be responsible in particular for ensuring that the following measures are carried out:

-       conducting a geodetic survey of the site;

-       drawing up a plan for the repair, restoration, conservation and presentation of the National Monument, which shall include:

-         archaeological investigations of the site of the National Monument,

-         tidying the necropolis and removing self-sown vegetation,

-         the routine maintenance of the monument.

IV

All movable artefacts found during the course of the archaeological survey shall be deposited in the nearest museum able to provide the necessary personnel, material and technical conditions or in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, processed, and suitably presented.     

All movable and immovable archaeological material found during the course of the archaeological investigations shall be professionally processed.

Upon completion of the archaeological works the archaeologist leading the investigations shall submit a report to the Commission and to the institution that conducted the investigations.

The archaeologist leading the investigations must have access to all the movable and immovable archaeological material found during the course of the investigations and until his/her report is completed, for a period not exceeding three years.

All immovable finds shall be conserved in situ as the archaeological investigations proceed, and the movable archaeological material shall be conserved and placed for safe keeping in a suitable storage facility.

Upon receipt of a report on the investigations conducted, the Commission shall identify which movable artefacts shall be subject to protection measures to be determined by the Commission.

The removal of the movable artefacts referred to in para. 1 above from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

V

All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.

VI

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 thereof.

VII

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.

VIII

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.kons.gov.ba)

IX

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.

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, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović and Ljiljana Ševo.

No: 02-2-40/2009-11

11 March 2009

Sarajevo

Chair of the Commission

Dubravko Lovrenović

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.

On 6 March 2007 the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality submitted a proposal/petition to designate the necropolis of stećak tombstones at Dabića poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica, as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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.

Statement of Significance

The National Monument consists of 47 stećaks in a necropolis on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica, close to the old road linking Bosnia with the Adriatic coast, in an area rich in natural resources, particularly mineral ores, upland pastures, forest and water. The mediaeval tombstones known as stećaks are unique to Bosnia and Herzegovina and its neighbours. They provide impressive evidence of the growing economic power of Bosnian feudal society in the 14th century, the opening of mines, increasing urbanization, and the wish of individuals to display their status and power through the appearance of their tombstones. They are thus of outstanding historical and considerable cultural value.

The stećaks at Velika poljana illustrate the three basic shapes of stećaks – slabs, chests and gabled or sarcophagus-like – and demonstrate the quality of workmanship and type of decorations typical of the stonemasons' workshops of Herzegovina. Nearby, to the morth-east, is a stone tumulus, indicating continuity of habitation of this site since prehistoric times.

II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE

-       details of the current condition and use of the property, including a description, architectural survey and photographs

-       an inspection of the current state of the property

-       a copy of the cadastral plan

-       a copy of the Land Register entry

-       historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision

Pursuant to Article V para. 2 of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 37 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, before rendering a final decision designating a property as a national monument, the Commission is required to provide the owner of the proposed monument, the person submitting the petition, the institutions responsible for heritage, professional and academic institutions, experts and scholars, as well as other interested parties, to express their views. The Commission received a petition, copy of cadastral plan, copy of Land Register entry and 11 photographs under cover of letter ref. 09-42-3-411/07 of 2 March 2007 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality.

Accordingly, the Commission sent a letter ref. 02-32-53/07-4 of 14 November 2008 to the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, requesting documentation and views on the designation of the necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In response, the Commission has received the following documentation:

-       letters ref. 09-42-3-2451/08 and 09-42-3-2452/08 of 21 October 2008 supplying the cadastral plan in digital form and a copy of the cadastral plan and Land Register entry in print form;

-       letter ref. 03-23-2-1520/08 of 18 November 2008 from the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, notifying the Commission that it has no details or documentation relating to the necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica;

-       letter ref. 07-40-4-4434-1/08 of 26 November 2008 supplying the available information previous listing and statutory protection of the necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica;

-       letter ref. 09-42-3-411/08 of 24 November 2008 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality supplying the Land Register entry for c.p. no. 1621, c.m. Čičevo;

-       letter ref. 09-42-3-411/09 of 6 February 2009 from the Department of Administrative and Social Affairs and Inspection of Konjic Municipality supplying a copy of the cadastral plan and Land Register entry for c.p. no. 1622, c.m.

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

The plateau known as Velika (Dabića) poljana (velika poljana means a large field or plot) is on the slopes of Mt Bahtijevica (alt. 1163 m, a spur of Mt. Prenj), alongside the old or “Turkish” road leading from Ivan-planina (Mt. Ivan) to Porim, between Lipeti and Zijemlje. Here, on a plot of land with an area of 1170 m², is a necropolis with 47 stećaks (eight slab-shaped, 30 chest-shaped, eight tall chests, and one gabled). About 100 north of the necropolis with stećaks, on c.p. no. 1622, is a prehistoric tumulus.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1621, Land Register entry no. 304, and part of c.p. no. 1622, Land Register entry no. 34, cadastral municipality Čičevo, Municipality Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The plot c.p. 1621 is in the sole ownership of the Glavatičevo local ward, and according to the cadastral records Dabić Ilije Pero owns the right of disposal of plot c.p. 1622.

Historical information(1)  

The area around the upper Neretva straddles two regions. Since prehistoric times, the roads linking central Bosnia with the Adriatic coast ran along the Neretva valley and its outer margins. With some alterations and adaptations to the route, major roads ran here in antiquity, mediaeval times and the Ottoman period, until the road was laid through the Neretva gorge from Jablanica to the south in the 1880s. The central Bosnian ore-rich mining area, the fertile soils of the Neretva valley, and the rich mountain pastures, all led to the formation of many settlements throughout history, in line with the conditions and demands of their respective times, on the great bend in the Neretva between the mountain massifs of Bitovnja, Bjelašnica and Visočica to the north, and Prenj and Čvrsnica to the south(2).

Roads have always been an indicator of the way of life in a given area. For Konjic, the natural route linking Hum land, its coastal regions and Dubrovnik with central and northern Bosnia and part of Pannonia – a route where a road was laid in Roman times – was an important feature. Certain documentation concerning major routes in mediaeval times preserves the name ''Vlaški put'' (Vlach road), relating for instances to part of the old road from Zaborani to Glavatičevo. These Vlach roads, so called, in Herzegovina are known to have been the routes taken by semi-nomadic herders, most of them of Vlach origin(3) (P. Anđelić, 1982, 90, 91).

The “Turkish road” from Ivan-planina to Porim is one of the most difficult roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on account of its steepness and the severe climate, with blizzards on Mts Ivan, Lipeti and Bahtijevica often making the road completely impassable. It is part of the old road linking southern Dalmatia and Herzegovina with central Bosnia and, beyond, with the Danube basin.

Archaeological remains (hill forts and tumuli) show that there was a road here in prehistoric times, by the 9th century BCE. The Romans laid a metalled road over much of the route, which can still be followed from Vrabač to Lipeti. Milestones found in Podorašac, Konjic, Perića Polje, Borci, Kula, and Mala poljana near Lipeti bear the names of the Roman emperors Augustus, Decius, Tacitus and Phillipus Augustus (Philip the Arab), indicating that work began on the road as soon as Illyricum had been conquered in the 1st century, and that major reconstruction works were carried out in the mid 3rd century CE. The Roman road that ran from Narona (modern Vid near Metković) went through Dubrave and crossed the Nevesinje plain, meeting the Turkish road from Ivan-planina to Porim at Velika poljana near Lipeti. From Lipeti to Podorašac the Roman road and, later, the Turkish road, largely followed the same route(4).

During the Ottoman period in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the main road between the trading centres of Sarajevo and Mostar branched off from the old Roman road south-westwards from Lipeti (or, more exactly, Velika poljana) to run through Gornje Zijemlje, Porim and Bijelo polje to Mostar. Watchtowers built to safeguard the road have been found along the entire route. At Lipeti, the remains of building materials from Roman fortifications have been found, as has an Ottoman watchtower, where there was a well with drinking water and near which were the huts of the people of Čičevo; this watchtower was at the highest altitude (1143 m) and was the most remote from permanent habitations along the entire route(5).

The mediaeval tombstones of Bosnia and Hum known as stećaks became the subject of scholarly interest in not entirely favourable circumstances, hundreds of years after they had become a relic of a historic age. At the turn of the 18th-19th century, the western world began to hear of the unusual art to be found on tombstones in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dalmatia, initially from the accounts of travellers that were not well documented enough to give rise to any significant interest in the west, particularly since western scholarship was then occupied with the analysis of entirely different works of art; as a result, the realistic, and indeed clumsy scenes on the stećaks neither appealed to scholars nor aroused their interest. In Ottoman Bosnia itself, there were no forces capable independently of studying and presenting these treasures of mediaeval art(6). In these circumstances, by the mid 19th century – when the process of modern national coalescence was in full swing and the question of whom Bosnia belonged to increasingly took on political and even apocalyptic significance – scholars were inclined to see the art of the stećaks as having arisen from Bogomil teachings(7). Nor was there any lack of efforts to give the stećaks a purely Serbian or Croatian national stamp(8).

From the mid 20th century, the prevailing scholarly opinion was that the stećaks could not be explained by either “bogomilization” or any exclusively national theory, but rather than they should be situated in their own authentic world, the world in which they came into being, evolved and then died out in the late 15th century, after the mediaeval Bosnian state had itself come to an end(9).

2. Description of the property

According to Š. Bešlagić’s statistics, Konjic municipality – with 3,018 recorded stećaks – is one of those with the greatest number of stećaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In terms of shape, chest-shaped stećaks are the most numerous, with gabled and slab-shaped tombstones represented in almost equal numbers. The way in which the stećaks are grouped makes it possible to trace and to document on the ground important historical features, processes and relations. The siting of large necropolises is a reliable indication of the centres of former religious and political communities. That of medium-sized necropolises enables one to follow the process of development of clan-based villages, while smaller groups reflect intensive feudalization and social differentiation, when individual clans no longer bury their dead alongside their neighbours, but form their own family necropolises. The stećaks in the Konjic region can provide an important contribution to resolving the question of the origin of stećaks, both in terms of ethnicity and as regards the origins of their basic form. The Sanković necropolis in Biskup is a striking example of the way in which, throughout the 14th century, stećaks were used as tombstones by the most powerful landowning clan in the whole of Hum land, while the Bogopanci – Draživojevići – Sankovići are indubitably of Slav origin and culture, not Vlach. It should be borne in mind that by the 14th century the Vlachs already belonged to lower-class social structures and were certainly not in a position to impose their customs, and in particular the way in which graves were marked, on their overlords. The theory of the Vlach origin of stećaks cannot be justified, even though there are several necropolises in the Konjic area, and perhaps the finest at that, which could be attributed to Vlachs.

The decoration of stećaks began in the mid 14th century, continued throughout the 15th, and came to an end in the early 16th century. Circumstances such as the geological composition of the rock from which stone was taken to make stećaks no doubt influenced the finer shaping of the tombstones. The considerable difference in the quality of workmanship of the stećaks in the Neretvica valley, where there was no suitable stone, and that of the karst regions around Glavatičevo and Bjelimići, is striking. It would seem, however, that this was not the only reason for the differences, for the Jablanica area has good material, and yet does not have any particularly evolved forms and decorations. Among the influences from neighbouring districts that of southern Herzegovina (old Hum) is particularly noticeable, as can be seen throughout the area to the east of Konjic. In Bradina are low gabled stećaks clearly modelled on those of neighbouring regions of central Bosnia. The epitaphs on the stećaks are of particular value. They are written in Bosnian Cyrillic script, and date from the late 14th and the early or the second half of the 15th century(10).

P. Anđelić found evidence of Vlach communities having lived on all the mountain slopes where there was pasturage suitable for their livestock. One of these communities in what is now Konjic municipality lived on the slopes of Mts Bahtijevica and Crna Gora, ranging from the Boračko lake, Kula and Čičevo all the way to the Nevesinje Plain, Zijemlje and Porim, as indicated by six toponyms of uplands with the name Vlahinje (Mala Vlahinja, Velika Vlahinja). The geographical location of the area where traces of Vlachs have been found in Konjic municipality provides clear evidence that their basic occupation was herding. The area with Vlach toponomastics reveals few traces of organized townships, and evidence of feudal agrarian relations are also sparse in the extreme: what is more, where there are signs of a township, Vlach place-names are rare. The very fact that the Vlach toponomastics are associated with specific areas suggests that these names could date from a time when Vlach settlements had begun to become relatively permanent(11).

The plateau known as Velika (Dabića) poljana is on the slopes of Mt Bahtijevica (alt. 1163 m, a spur of Mt. Prenj), alongside the old or “Turkish” road leading from Ivan-planina (Mt. Ivan) to Porim, between Lipeti and Zijemlje. Here, on a plot of land with an area of 1170 m², is a necropolis with 47 stećaks (eight slab-shaped, 30 chest-shaped, eight tall chests, and one gabled). The tombstones are of good workmanship, but not all that well preserved. Thirteen are decorated with relief motifs: floral stylizations in the form of symmetrical spirals, borders and friezes of scrolling vines, rope-twists, “oyster-shell” concavities, crescent moons and circular garlands. There are also figural scenes of deer and a foot combat scene.

About 1,000 to 1,500 m south of Velika poljana, close to Glogovčeve kolibe (huts), Pavao Anđelić found a group of seven stećaks (four chests and three slabs), lying west-east, and of good workmanship. One slab was decorated with a cross(12). Šefik Bešlagić also noted a number of small stone tumuli near the necropolis(13).

This Decision also pertains to a prehistoric grave mound or tumulus. This is located on the plot designated as c.p. 1622, 100 m north of the necropolis with stećaks. It occupies an area with a diameter of 29.58 m, is about 1.10 m in height, and has a circumference of 92.91 m and an area of 687.31 sq.m. The lower parts of the tumulus, nearer the ground, are covered with grass, and the mound is surrounded by brambles, various plants and even sizeable trees. Apart from the stones laid in a circle at the top of the mound, there are no visible remains of a the grave.

Condition of the stećaks

Stećak no. 1. – chest with decoration, covered with lichens and overgrown with grass, damaged at the north-east end, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 177x86x48 cm.

There is a round, concave “oyster-shell” in the middle of the top of the stećak.

Stećak no. 2. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 163x70x61 cm.

Stećak no. 3. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass and thorny scrub, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 151x73x28 cm.

Stećak no. 4. – chest with decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 157x68x35 cm.

There is a round, concave “oyster-shell” at the south-west end of the top of the stećak.

Stećak no. 5. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 151x62x35 cm.

Stećak no. 6. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried on the south-east side, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 158x125x62 cm.

Stećak no. 7. – chest with decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 184x99x27 cm.

A recessed line runs the full length of the stećak, dividing it into two.

Stećak no. 8. – tall chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 178x89x96 cm.

Stećak no. 9. – slab without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 128x37x10 cm.

Stećak no. 10. – slab without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 154x57x12 cm.

Stećak no. 11. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 162x70x44 cm.

Stećak no. 12. – slab without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass and low-growing plants, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 168x78x20 cm.

Stećak no. 13. – part of a stećak that is almost completely buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass; the stećak measures 42 cm long x 50 cm wide.

Stećak no. 14. – slab without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 128x70x24 cm.

Stećak no. 15. – slab without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 93x57x12 cm.

Stećak no. 16. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, damage to the north-west side of the top, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 86x56x10 cm.

Stećak no. 17. – chest with decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 125x64x33 cm.

The north-eastern end of the top surface bears a rare decoration in the form of a cross with, instead of the top upright, has a circle, which Š. Bešlagić saw as “reminiscent of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph of the ankh (crux ansata), or the Coptic ideogram for Christ” (Š. Bešlagić, 1982, 186). The decoration is in relief, with the middle of the circle in reverse relief forming a concavity.

Stećak no. 18. – chest with decoration, with a crudely worked top surface, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 157x44x74 cm.

The south-west end bears a decoration which, though hard to make out because the stećak is partly buried, appears to be a floral stylization in the form of symmetrical spirals.

Stećak no. 19. – chest without decoration, with visible cracks at the north-east end, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 152x70x20 cm.

Stećak no. 20. – tall chest with plinth, without decoration, visible damage to the south-west end, partly buried and leaning up against stećak no. 21 to the south-east, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 154x66x102 cm; the plinth measures 180x93x20 cm.

Stećak no. 21. – tall chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried to the north-west and leaning up against stećak no. 20, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 172 x 88 (width at the base 79) x 80 cm.

Stećak no. 22. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 137x57x34 cm.

Stećak no. 23. – chest with decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass and thorny scrub, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 180x130x30 cm.

A recessed line runs the full length of the stećak, dividing it into two.

Stećak no. 24. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 176x74x60 cm.

Stećak no. 25. – slab without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 150x60x12 cm.

Stećak no. 26. – chest without decoration, of crude workmanship, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 146x93x46 cm.

Stećak no. 27. – tall chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 176x90x60 cm.

Stećak no. 28. – chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, leaning up against stećak no. 29 to the south-east, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 166x69x90 cm.

Stećak no. 29. – tall chest with plinth and decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried to plinth height and leaning up against stećak no. 28 to the north-west, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 167x62x102 cm; the plinth is 205 cm in length.

The south-east end bears a figural scene of two swordsmen engaged in foot combat. Similar scenes were recorded by Šefik Bešlagić on another eight stećaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina(14).

Stećak no. 30. – chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 180x50x55 cm.

Stećak no. 31. – chest with decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 175x89x40 cm.

There is a round, concave “oyster-shell” in the middle of the top of the stećak. Unlike the previous two instances of this decoration, this one is of good workmanship and surrounded by a rope-twist border.

Stećak no. 32. – tall chest with decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, damaged and cracked, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 190x89x105 cm.

The south-west end bears a decoration of a double spiral, of which the stem ends at the top in a rosette. The north-west corner of the end of the tombstone bears a crescent moon, and the south-east corner a circular garland.

Stećak no. 33. – slab without decoration, of crude workmanship and with visible cracks, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 110x60x10 cm.

Stećak no. 34. – chest without decoration, with visible cracks, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 160x100x40 cm.

Stećak no. 35. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 180x112x56 cm.

Stećak no. 36. – chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying north-south; the stećak measures 100x64x30 cm.

Stećak no. 37. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried on the north-west side, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 186x80x68 cm.

Stećak no. 38. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, partly buried, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 167x67x35 cm.

Stećak no. 39. – chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 126x70x34 cm.

Stećak no. 40. – gabled with plinth and decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, overturned onto its north-west side and partly buried, the plinth is distinctive in that it was slightly hollowed out to take the stećak, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 120x120x56 cm; the plinth measures 195x124x30 cm.

A frieze of scrolling vines runs along the sides and ends below the roof panes, and the edges are finished in the form of a border. Both ends bear the same decoration – motifs of a stylized tree with rosettes in the gable. The south-east side bears the isolated figure of a deer(15).

Stećak no. 41. – tall chest with plinth and decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, overturned onto its north-west side and partly buried, the plinth is distinctive in that, by comparison with the previous plinth, it had a more pronounced, more even concavity to take the stećak, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 130 cm in length; the plinth measures 170x80x43 cm.

A frieze of scrolling vines runs along the sides and ends below prominent top edges, which are finished in the form of a border. A decoration consisting of a border of diagonal lines runs the length of the tombstone below the frieze. Both ends bear a decoration of floral stylization in the form of symmetrical spirals.

Stećak no. 42. – slab without decoration, of crude workmanship and partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 130 cm long x 95 cm wide.

Stećak no. 43. – chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 182x106x37 cm.

Stećak no. 44. – chest with decoration and visible cracks, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 183x89x36 cm.

A frieze of scrolling vines runs along the sides and ends below the top.

Stećak no. 45. – tall chest without decoration, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, leaning up against stećak no. 46 to the south-east, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 212x105x152 cm.

Stećak no. 46. – chest without decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 183x93x98 cm.

Stećak no. 47. – chest with decoration, partly buried, covered with lichens and moss and overgrown with grass, lying south-west/north-east; the stećak measures 173x81x68 cm.

The top bears a frieze of scrolling vines along the edges of the stećak.

3. Legal status to date

The Regional Plan for BiH to 2000 lists 69 sites of necropolises with stećaks (3,018 tombstones) in Konjic Municipality, without precise identification(16).

The letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport dated 26 November 2008, states that the property is listed as “Necropolis with stećaks, Bahtijevica I, at Velika poljana, Konjic Municipality, mediaeval necropolis (about 55 stećaks)” but was not on the Register of cultural monuments of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

Research works, in the form of recording and gathering information on the stećaks, were carried out by Pavao Anđelić and published in 1975.

No conservation or restoration works have been carried out.

5. Current condition of the property

The findings of on-site inspections conducted on 24 September 2008, 3 February 2009 and 30 November 2012 are as follows:

-       the lower parts of the tumulus, nearer the ground, are covered with grass, and the mound is surrounded by brambles, various plants and even sizeable trees. The tumulus is 100 m north of the necropolis,

-       the tumulus and stećaks are at risk of rapid deterioration from lack of maintenance,

-       some of the stećaks are chipped, damaged, overturned or partly buried,

-       the site where the stećaks are located is on a plot that is not fenced off, which enables the local residents to use the plot to as grazing for their livestock,

-       lichens and moss are present on the stećaks to a greater or lesser extent,

-       for the most part the tops of the stećaks (chests and slabs) are damaged to a greater or lesser extent (cracks, splits),

-       during the second visit to the site, graffiti (spray-painted names) were found on two of the stećaks; these were not present during the first on-site visit,

-       during the third site visit, the protection zone for the prehistoric tumulus was defined.

6. Specific risks

-       vandalism (overturning the stećaks and graffiti),

-       deterioration of the necropolis and tumulus as a result of long-term neglect,

-       adverse weather conditions,

-       self-sown vegetation.

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.       quality of workmanship

C.ii.      quality of materials

C.iii.      proportions

C.v.      value of details

D.         Clarity

D.i.       material evidence of a lesser known historical era

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

G.iv.     traditions and techniques

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-       Ownership documentation

-         copy of cadastral plan, plan no. Čičevo 19, scale 1:2500, for c.p. nos. 1621 and 1622, c.m. Čičevo, Konjic Municipality, dated 21 July 2007 and 5 February 2009;

-         Land Register entry no. 34, c.m. Čičevo, Konjic, NAR and Rz no. 377/09, dated 5 February 2009

-       Documentation on previous protection of the property

-         letter ref. 03-23-2-1520/08 of 18 November 2008 from the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, notifying the Commission that it has no details or documentation relating to the necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica

-         letter ref. 07-40-4-4434-1/08 of 26 November 2008 supplying the available information previous listing and statutory protection of the necropolis with stećak tombstones at Dabića (Velika) poljana, on the slopes of Mt. Bahtijevica

-       Photodocumentation

-         photographs of the property taken on 24 September 2008, 3 February 2009 and 30 November 2012 by historian Zijad Halilović and historian Eldin Hodžić using Canon EOS 450D digital camera

-       Technical documentation

-         technical survey of the state of the property (survey of the monuments) conducted on 22 October 2011; stećaks measured and recorded by Zijad Halilović, historian, and Nermina Katkić, BSc.Arch. Ešref Salihagić, surveyor and freelance associate of the Commission, submitted the defined protection zone on 4 December 2012.

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the property as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:

1924.    Glušac, Vaso. “Srednjovekovna ‘bosanska crkva’,” in: Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor, IV (The mediaeval “Bosnian Church”, in Contributions to Literature, Language, History and Folklore, IV. Belgrade: 1924.

1963.    Benac, Alojz. Stećaks. Belgrade: Prosveta, 1963.

1975.    Anđelić, Pavao. Historijski spomenici Konjica i okoline (Historic monuments of Konjic and its environs), I. Konjic: 1975.

1980.    Various authors. Regional Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Stage B - valorization of natural, cultural and historical monuments. Sarajevo: Institute for architecture, town planning and regional planning of the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo, 1980, 51.

1982.    Bešlagić, Šefik. Stećaks. Kultura i umjetnost (Stećak tombstones – culture and art). Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1982.

1990.    Südland, L. V. (Ivo Pilar). Južnoslavensko pitanje. Prikaz cjelokupnog pitanja. Varaždin (The Yugoslav Question. Full account of the issue, Varaždin). Title of original: L. v. SÜDLAND, Die Südslawische Frage und der Weltkrieg. Übersichtliche Darstellung des Gesamt-Problems. Wien: 1990.

(1) For more see the Commission’s Decision designating the historic site of the necropolis with stećaks at Gajine in Glavatičevo, Konjic Municipality, as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, no. 02-02-264/08-5 of 5 November 2008 (Official Gazette of BiH no. 12/09)

(2) The historical information section has been taken from the Decision designating the Archaeological Monuments in the Park at Varda below the Social Centre in Konjic as a National Monument

(3) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, "Teritorijalnopolitička organizacija srednjovjekovne župe Neretve i njezino mjesto u širim političkim okvirima" in Studije o teritorijalnopolitičkoj organizaciji srednjovjekovne Bosne, Sarajevo: 1982, 90, 91

(4) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, Historijski spomenici Konjica i okoline, I, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 169.

(5) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, Ibidem, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 171, 172 and 174.

(6) Benac, Alojz, Stećaks, Beograd: Prosveta, 1963, 5

(7) Benac, Alojz, Stećaks, Beograd: Prosveta, 1963, 19

(8) Glušac, Vaso, “Srednjovekovna ‘bosanska crkva’,” in Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor, IV., Beograd: 1924, 31.-35., 36.-37., 50; Südland, L. V. (Ivo Pilar), Južnoslavensko pitanje. Prikaz cjelokupnog pitanja, Varaždin. Original title: L. v. SÜDLAND, Die Südslawische Frage und der Weltkrieg. Übersichtliche Darstellung des Gesamt-Problems, Wien: 1990, 95, 96.

(9) The world of Bosnia's and Hum's stećaks abounds in symbolism, full of crosses, crescent moons, solar discs, swastikas and stars, scenes of the round dance, tournaments, cavalry processions, military weapons, shields and arcades, vines and bunches of grapes, stylized fleur de lis and rosettes, deer and wild boar, coats of arms, swords and spears, portraits of the deceased with a disproportionately large raised hand, books, roofs and representations of houses.

(10) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, Ibidem, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 223-225.

(11) P. Anđelić and Š. Bešlagić recorded 55 stećaks at this site (47 chests, 7 slabs and one gabled), of which 10 chests and the one gabled stećaks were decorated. (P. Anđelić, 1975, 197; Š. Bešlagić, 1971, 335).

(12) Anđelić, Dr. Pavao, Ibidem, Konjic: Skupština opštine Konjic, 1975, 185

(13) Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci, kataloško-topografski pregled, Sarajevo, 1971, 335.

(14) Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci – kultura i umjetnost, Sarajevo, 1982, 341-343

(15) Since the stećak was overturned and lying on the other (north-west) side, it was impossible to see if that side was decorated.

(16) Various authors, Prostorni plan Bosne i Hercegovine, faza b – valorizacija, prirodne i kulturno-historijske vrijednosti, Sarajevo: Institut za arhitekturu, urbanizam i prostorno planiranje Arhitektonskog fakultet u Sarajevu i Urbanistički zavod za Bosnu i Hercegovinu Sarajevo, 1980, 51.