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Remains of a mediaeval fort and necropolis with stećak tombstones at Luka, Municipality Ilijaš, the archaeological site

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Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the Official Gazette of BiH, no. 03/11.

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 on 26 October 2010 the Commission adopted a

 

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

The archaeological site and remains of a mediaeval fort and necropolis with stećak tombstones at Luka, Municipality Ilijaš, are hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of the site and remains of the mediaeval fort and a necropolis with 79 stećak tombstones.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot nos. 1128 and 1129, cadastral municipality Visojevica (new survey), corresponding to part of c.p. 1115/1 and c.p. 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo (old survey), Land Register entry no. 33, Municipality Ilijaš, 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 setting up 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, protection measures are hereby prescribed, to apply to the following area:

Site and remains of the mediaeval fort – covering part of c.p.1115/1 c.m. Nahorevo being the area defined by points with the following coordinates: X=6538245 Y=4868037; X=6538263 Y=4868028; X=6538273 Y=4868010; X=6538261 Y=4867991; X=6538238 Y=4867989; X=6538225 Y=4868000; X=6538220 Y=4868018). The following measures are prescribed for this area:

-          all works are prohibited other than research and conservation-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);

-          works on the infrastructure are prohibited unless with the approval of the relevant ministry and subject to the expert opinion of 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;

-          no works shall be carried out to tidy the necropolis, remove self-sown vegetation or clear lichens and moss from the stećak tombstones, or make good any damage, without a prior repair, restoration and conservation plan, and with the approval of the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

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

-          the dumping of waste is prohibited.

 

The following works shall be carried out with a view to carrying out emergency protection measures on the National Monument:

-          clearing the plateau of self-sown vegetation;

-          archaeological investigations and the conservation of archaeological finds;

-          drawing up and implementing a programme for the presentation of the National Monument;

-          making good the access path to the north-east of the site.

 

The necropolis with stećak tombstones covers part of c.p. 1115/1, 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo, being the area defined by points with the following coordinates: X=6537926, Y=4867580; X=6537899, Y=4867535; X=6537940, Y=4867504; X=6537967, Y=4867502; X=6537975, Y=4867536; X=6537943, Y=4867578. The following measures shall apply in this area:

-          all works are prohibited other than research and conservation-restoration works, including those designed to display the monument, with the approval of the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

-          works on the infrastructure are prohibited unless with the approval of the relevant ministry and subject to the expert opinion of 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;

-          the dumping of waste is prohibited;

-          overturned stećak tombstones shall be restored to their original position;

-          the stećak tombstones shall be restored and conserved;

-          a barrier shall be erected around the protected site, to include a radius of 10 m from the boundaries of the National Monument.

 

The necropolis lies within the boundaries of the Skakavac Nature Park. For this reason, with a view to protecting the natural heritage, the provisions of the Decision designating the wider area of the Skakavac waterfall as a natural monument of Sarajevo Canton (Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton no. 10/02) and the provisions of the Decision on the adoption of the spatial plan for the Skakavac waterfall special natural heritage site and the Decision on the implementation of the spatial plan for the Skakavac waterfall special natural heritage site (Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton no. 32/09) shall apply.

 

The Government of the Federation shall be responsible in particular for carrying out the following measures:

-          conducting a geodetic survey of the current condition of the National Monument;

-          drawing up a project for archaeological investigations and the repair, restoration and conservation of the site.

 

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 analyzed.

Upon completion of the archaeological works the archaeologist in charge of 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.

By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Clause, if the leader of the investigations determines that a given archaeological artefact must be processed abroad, and provides evidence to that effect to the Commission, the Commission may permit the temporary removal of the artefact from the country subject to detailed conditions for its export, treatment while out of the country and return to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

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 VI 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: 05.2-02.3-71/10-15

26 October 2010

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.

On 9 October 2008 Muhamed Hadžiabdić, of Sarajevo, submitted a proposal/petition to designate the mediaeval necropolis and remains of a mediaeval fortified town in the village of Luka, Ilijaš Municipality, 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 archaeological site of the remains of a mediaeval fort and the Luka necropolis with stećak tombstones in Ilijaš Municipality consists of the remains of a mediaeval fort on a hillock known as Peračka ravan and 79 stećak tombstones in a necropolis at the foot of the fort and the village of Luka, Ilijaš Municipality.

There is no detailed historical information that might indicate the importance, role and date of the fort.

The necropolis includes the three basic types of stećak: slab, chest and gabled. Three of the 79 tombstones are decorated with crescent moon and hemisphere or “apple” motifs. Other motifs recorded include a crescent moon, circle (solar symbol) and sword on two slabs and two chests. The motifs are all in relief. The size of the necropolis is evidence of the size and importance of the settlement.

 

II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE

In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:

-          Details of the location and of the current owner and user of the property (copy of cadastral plan and 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.

-          Pursuant to Article 12 of the Law on the Implementation of Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments Established Pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the following procedures were carried out for the purpose of designating the property as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

-         Letter ref. 02-35-23/09-63 of 25 May 2009 requesting documentation and views on the designation of the remains of the mediaeval fortified town and necropolis with stećci below the village of Luka, Municipality Centar Sarajevo, sent to the Mayor and the local authority responsible for urbanism and cadastral affairs of Centar Municipality, the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Cantonal Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Historical and Natural Heritage of Sarajevo and the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Sarajevo.

-         The views of the owner and institutions had not been received at the time this decision was adopted.

 

The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:

 

1. Details of the property

Location

The village of Luka is 12.31 km as the crow flies north of Sarajevo, and 16.13 km as the crow flies west of Ilijaš, at an altitude of 1125 m, 43°57'11.35"N and 18°28'36.47"E. The necropolis with stećci (pl of stećak) is in the valley formed by the little River Liješnica and the Perački Brook, 850 m from the village, far below and to the south-west of it, at an altitude of 912 m, 43°57'4.75"N and 18°28'3.11"E(1).

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot nos. 1128, 1129, cadastral municipality Visojevica, corresponding to part of c.p. 1115/1, 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo (old survey), Land Register entry no. 33, Municipality Ilijaš, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The plots on which the monuments are located are in private and state ownership.

Historical information

In mediaeval times the župa (county) of Vrhbosna was formed in the Sarajevo and Visoko plain area, covering the region from the upper course of the river Bosna and the valleys of its tributaries the Miljacka, Željeznica and Zujevina(2). 

Historians are of the view that in the mid 10th century the fortified town of Katera, one of two mentioned in De administrando imperio by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, was located in Vrhbosna county(3). The emergence of feudal holdings was accompanied by the break-up of the early feudal župas, since these “did not suit the late feudal concept of authority.”  The county of Vrhbosna was one of those that was divided into a number of smaller areas.

The county of Mokro-Glasinac, which included the Glasinac plateau from the old Olovo county, was formed in the Mokranjska Miljacka valley, while the county of Pale occupied the Paljanska Miljacka valley. Both counties were part of the Pavlović lands, as was neighbouring Prača

Another part of the large county of Vrhbosna remained within the lands of which the immediate overlord was the king of Bosnia, known as the contrata del re or Crown lands. This was the area in the river Zujevina basin (nowadays the Hadžići area), while the area around the confluence of the Zujevina and the river Bosna remained part of the county of Vrhbosna. With the formation of political regions in the Sarajevo area, so too settlements grew up within them, their typology dictated by the economic activities of the population. The župa was a geographical and administrative concept, essentially composed of villages. The bans (governors) of Bosnia, and later the Bosnian kings, were the immediate overlords of the county of Vrhbosna, with the right to grant parts of their lands to their vassals in exchange for services rendered (military, for example). At first, lands were granted with the right of withdrawal, but later they were granted “for all time.” (4)   

The Bosnian context for the emergence of the stećci was dictated by the growing economic power of 14th century Bosnian feudal society, the opening of mines, and urbanization, along with the desire of individuals to mark their standing and power by the outward image of a tombstone. The large number of graves and burial grounds without stećci attest to the deep class differences of feudal society, which means that, chronologically speaking, the stećci echoed both the advance and the decline of feudalism and the development of towns and the bourgeoisie(5).

In mediaeval times the stećci on the site below the village of Luka were in the Vrhbosna župa, which was later divided into a number of smaller districts. This left the village of Luka in the Pavlović lands. In regional terms, the stećci at this site are in the buffer zone between the stećci of central Bosnia and those of eastern Bosnia(6).

All the stećci in this necropolis are of the horizontal monolithic type, of which there are three variants: slabs, chests and sarcophagi (gabled), with their artistic treatment taking the form of their shape and decoration. The number of stećci in a necropolis is an important indicator of social movements in mediaeval Bosnia in the 14th and 15th centuries. Small burial grounds are generally regarded as family graveyards, indicating that the breakup of the old clan-based society and the emergence of small family communities organizing their own burial grounds as a sign of the “new” identity were already well advanced(7).

The number of stećci in this the necropolis in the valley of the Perački Brook below the village of Luka suggests that it belonged to the wider community inhabiting the area. The graves of the nobility are not located in a separate place, but form an integral part of the necropolis; only the greater size of certain tombstones indicates that they mark the graves of nobles. This is clear evidence that the breakup of the old clan-based society and the emergence of small family communities had not yet reached its final stages, giving a likely date for the necropolis of the 14th century. The literature also relates that the remains of a mediaeval fortified town have been recorded on the hill that rises near the necropolis(8). A detailed study of the relevant reference works revealed that there is no detailed historical information that might indicate the importance, role and date of the fort.

 

2. Description of the property

The necropolis with stećci is located in the Perački Brook valley on plots designated as c.p.1128 and 1129, c.m. Visojevica (new survey) (plan 6 H 16 SREDNJE-27, scale 1:5000), corresponding to c.p. 1115/1 and 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo (old survey), at an altitude of 912 m, 43°57'4.75"N and 18°28'3.11"E. There are 79 stećci on the site (45 slabs, 28 chests, 6 gabled, and one stele)(9). Three stećci (slab no. 49, gabled no. 62 and chest no. 73) are decorated with crescent moon and hemisphere motifs. Š. Bešlagić recorded four decorated stećci (two slabs and two chests) with crescent moon, circle (solar symbol) and sword motifs(10). 

The stećci are good workmanship but some are overturned and partly buried. They lie in rows running south to north, and are themselves oriented west-east.

Remains of the mediaeval fort

There is a tradition among the local people of the village of Luka that there was a fortified town above their village.  A very difficult route leads from the village to the high ground on which the remains of the fort are supposed to lie.

An on site inspection revealed the remains of hand-dressed stone, now partly buried, in a large pine-wood (defined by coordinates on c.p. 1115/1, c.m. Nahorevo). The lie of the land, the presence of a plateau where a retaining wall can be seen, and the approach road from the north-east, suggest that the remains of the mediaeval fort referred to in the literature might be sought there. Without major archaeological excavations, however, it is not possible to determine the extent of the fort, its role, its date of origin and how long it remained in use.

Condition of the stećci

Stećak no. 1. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with humus and moss, lying south-west – north-east; the stećak measures 100 x 75 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 2. – slab, undecorated, sunken, partly covered with humus and moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 128 x 51 x 25 cm.

Stećak no. 3. – chest, undecorated, sunken and covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 212 x 134 x 48 cm.

Stećak no. 4. – chest, undecorated, sunken, covered with humus, lying north – south; the stećak measures 167 x 110 x 30 cm.

Stećak no. 5. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with humus, tree roots and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 162 x 90 x 27 cm.

Stećak no. 6. – chest, undecorated, sunken, covered with humus and dry leaves, lying west – east; the stećak measures 198 x 120 x 35 cm.

Stećak no. 7. – chest with plinth, undecorated, sunken, lying west – east; the stećak measures 181 x 83 x 53 cm.

Stećak no. 8. – chest, undecorated, sunken, of crude workmanship, lying west – east; the stećak measures 148 x 89 x 30 cm.

Stećak no. 9. – slab, undecorated, sunken to the north, covered with dry leaves, lying west – east; the stećak measures 246 x 148 x 25 cm.

Stećak no. 10. – slab with plinth, undecorated, lying west – east; the stećak measures 84 x 47 x 16 cm.

Stećak no. 11. – chest, undecorated, sunken, of crude workmanship, lying west – east; the stećak measures 222 x 148 x 32 cm.

Stećak no. 12. – slab with plinth, undecorated, sunken and covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 97 x 52 x 16 cm.

Stećak no. 13. – chest, undecorated, sunken, of crude workmanship, covered with humus and dry leaves, lying west – east; the stećak measures 174 x 80 x 45 cm.

Stećak no. 14. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship, covered with moss and dry leaves, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 145 x 70 x 27 cm.

Stećak no. 15. – chest with plinth, sunken to the north, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 202 x 70 x 33 cm.

Stećak no. 16. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 200 x 87 x 3 cm.

Stećak no. 17. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship, partly covered with soil and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 110 x 55 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 18. – slab with plinth, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 105 x 57 x 25 cm.

Stećak no. 19. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship, partly covered with soil and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 197 x 85 x 25 cm.

Stećak no. 20. – chest, undecorated of crude workmanship, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 170 x 84 x 34 cm.

Stećak no. 21. – chest with plinth, undecorated, soil piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 165 x 75 x 33 cm.

Stećak no. 22. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 225 x 85 x 22 cm.

Stećak no. 23. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship and damaged, sunken, lying west – east; the stećak measures 240 x 40 x 7 cm.

Stećak no. 24. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, at risk from self-sown trees, lying west – east; the stećak measures 207 x 109 x 13 cm.

Stećak no. 25. – slab, undecorated, sunken, overgrown with weeds and covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 130 x 65 x 22 cm.

Stećak no. 26. – chest with plinth, undecorated, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 188 x 87 x 31 cm.

Stećak no. 27. – slab, sunken, undecorated, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 162 x 80 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 28. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 240 x 110 x 15 cm.

Stećak no. 29. – chest, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying south-west – north-east; the stećak measures 175 x 85 x 35 cm.

Stećak no. 30. – slab, undecorated, sunken, visibly cracked surface, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 166 x 88 x 28 cm.

Stećak no. 31. – slab, undecorated, sunken, visibly cracked surface, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 197 x 85 x 17 cm.

Stećak no. 32. – slab, undecorated, sunken, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 190 x 86 x 23 cm.

Stećak no. 33. – chest, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 170 x 70 x 40 cm.

Stećak no. 34. – slab with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 180 x 94 x 21 cm.

Stećak no. 35. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 173 x 83 x 24 cm.

Stećak no. 36. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship, sunken, lying west – east; the stećak measures 155 x 78 x 26 cm.

Stećak no. 37. – gabled with plinth, undecorated, sunken, lying west – east; the stećak measures 164 x 53 x 27 cm.

Stećak no. 38. – slab, undecorated, of crude workmanship, sunken, lying west – east; the stećak measures 155 x 70 x 14 cm.

Stećak no. 39. – slab with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 170 x 85 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 40. – slab, undecorated, sunken, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 138 x 30 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 41. – chest, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 178 x 80 x 50 cm.

Stećak no. 42. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 193 x 98 x 30 cm.

Stećak no. 43. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with humus and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 220 x 120 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 44. – gabled with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 170 x 73 x 70 cm.

Stećak no. 45. – gabled with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, its great size dominates the necropolis, lying west – east; the stećak measures 188 x 130 x 122 cm.

Stećak no. 46. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 186 x 95 x 45 cm.

Stećak no. 47. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 175 x 97 x 49 cm.

Stećak no. 48. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 188 x 111 x 14 cm.

Stećak no. 49. – slab with decoration, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 203 x 128 x 23 cm. The southern part of the top of the slab is decorated with a crescent moon in high relief.

Stećak no. 50. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with humus, leaves and branches, lying west – east; the stećak measures 130 x 70 x 16 cm.

Stećak no. 51. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 182 x 90 x 42 cm.

Stećak no. 52. – chest, undecorated, damaged, covered with moss, lying north – south; the stećak measures 143 x 96 x 30 cm.

Stećak no. 53. – slab, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 145 x 55 x 27 cm.

Stećak no. 54. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 130 x 90 x 10 cm.

Stećak no. 55. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with humus and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 203 x 94 x 16 cm.

Stećak no. 56. – chest, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 225 x 150 x 34 cm.

Stećak no. 57. – chest with plinth, undecorated, covered with moss, lying upside down, lying west – east; the stećak measures 133 x 26 x 36 cm.

Stećak no. 58. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with humus and moss, lying north – south; the stećak measures 155 x 85 x 15 cm.

Stećak no. 59. – slab, undecorated, sunken, earth piled up against the north side, covered with humus and moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 225 x 110 x 28 cm.

Stećak no. 60. – chest, undecorated, covered with moss and with a large tree growing on it, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 158 x 76 x 40 cm.

Stećak no. 61. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 175 x 70 x 15 cm.

Stećak no. 62. – gabled with plinth and decoration, earth piled up against the north-east side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 162 x 66 x 62 cm. The north-west end is decorated with a crescent moon in relief, its horns pointing down towards the plinth.

Stećak no. 63. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 156 x 66 x 13 cm.

Stećak no. 64. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north-east side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 156 x 90 x 53 cm.

Stećak no. 65. – chest with plinth, undecorated, sunken and lying upside down, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 144 x 73 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 66. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 163 x 78 x 13 cm.

Stećak no. 67. – gabled with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north-east side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 202 x 106 x 62 cm.

Stećak no. 68. – gabled, undecorated, earth piled up against the north-east side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 172 x 85 x 53 cm.

Stećak no. 69. – slab, undecorated, sunken and completely covered with humus and moss, lying north – south; the stećak measures 210 x 108 x 16 cm.

Stećak no. 70. – slab, undecorated, sunken, earth piled up against the north side, covered with humus and moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 180 x 88 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 71. – slab with plinth, undecorated, sunken, of crude workmanship, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 93 x 39 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 72. – chest, undecorated, earth piled up against the north-east side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 200 x 110 x 47 cm.

Stećak no. 73. – chest with plinth and decoration, sunken, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 194 x 139 x 38 cm. The south-west side is decorated with a hemisphere (“apple”) in relief.

Stećak no. 74. – chest with plinth, undecorated, earth piled up against the north side, covered with moss, lying west – east; the stećak measures 166 x 66 x 51 cm.

Stećak no. 75. – slab with plinth, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 180 x 78 x 25 cm.

Stećak no. 76. – chest, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 217 x 168 x 57 cm.

Stećak no. 77. – slab, undecorated, sunken, completely covered with humus and moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 212 x 108 x 20 cm.

Stećak no. 78. – chest, undecorated, sunken, completely covered with humus and moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 220 x 110 x 35 cm.

Stećak no. 79. – slab, undecorated, sunken, covered with moss, lying north-west – south-east; the stećak measures 148 x 92 x 25 cm.

 

3. Legal status to date

The Regional Plan for BiH to 2000 lists 22 sites of necropolises with stećci (505 stećci) in Ilijaš Municipality, without precise identification(11).

A letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport dated 28 May 2009 states that the property is listed under the heading “Luka, Luka, Ilijaš Municipality, mediaeval necropolis and fort (necropolis with 69 stećci and the remains of a mediaeval fort, late mediaeval).

The property was not on the Register of Cultural Monuments of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

4. Research and conservation-restoration works

Research works, consisting of recording and gathering information on the stećci, were conducted by Šefik Bešlagić and published in 1971.

No conservation or restoration works have been carried out.

 

5. Current condition of the property

The findings of on-site inspection conducted on 26 October 2009 and 11 May 2010 are as follows:

-          the location of the remains of the fort was identified, and the remains of hand-dressed stone, the possible site of a plateau and an approach road from the north-east were found;

-          the entire site is overgrown with pine trees and low-growing plants;

-          with renewed plant growth in spring the site of the necropolis and burial ground is overgrown with roots, grass, low-growing plants and tall trees;

-          the stećci are at risk of rapid deterioration as a result of neglect;

-          some of the stećci are chipped, damaged, overturned, or partly or completely buried;

-          the plots were identified and the protection zone defined.

 

6. Specific risks

-          vandalism (displacing the stećci, e.g. no 32)

-          disintegration of the site 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

E.         Symbolic value

E.ii.      religious value

E.iii.      traditional value

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

G.iii.     use and function

G.iv.      traditions and techniques

G.v.      location and setting

 

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-          Ownership documentation

-         Copy of cadastral plan c.p. 1128, 1129, c.m. Visojevica (new survey), (plan: 6 H 16 SREDNJE-27, scale 1:5000), corresponding to c.p. 1115/1, 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo (old survey), scale 1:6250; issued by the Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetic and Cadastral Affairs, Ilijaš Municipality (letter ref. 06/2-30-1506/09 of 22 December 2009);

-         Letter from the Historical Archives of Sarajevo ref. 05-2680-2/09 of 19 October 2009 enclosing 1. Details described by Š. Bešlagić in 1971; 2. Copy of map of the Skakavac area; 3. Copy of cadastral plan c.p. 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo; 4. Land Register entry no. 33 for c.p. 1115/1, c.m. Nahorevo; 5. 33 photographs of stećci;

-         Letter from the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, Land Registry office, ref. 065-0-Su-09-005064 of 04 January 2010 enclosing Land Register entry no. 33 for c.p.. 1115/36, c.m. Nahorevo;

-          Documentation on previous protection of the property

-         Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport no. 07-40-4-20907/09 of 28 May 2009;

-         Letter from the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning no. 03-23-2-838/09 of 2 June 2009, notifying the Commission to Preserve National Monuments that it has no details or documentation on the remains of the mediaeval fortified town and necropolis with stećci below the village of Luka;

-         Decision to designate the wider area of the Skakavac waterfall as a natural monument of Sarajevo Canton (Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton no. 10/02);

-         Decision adopting the spatial plan for the Skakavac waterfall special natural heritage site (Official Gazette of Sarajevo Canton no. 32/09)

-          Photodocumentation

-         Photographs of the property taken on 26 October 2009 and 11 May 2010 by historian Zijad Halilović using Canon EOS 450D digital camera;

-          Technical documentation

-         Technical drawings of the property (plan of the necropolis and drawings of the stećci) measured and surveyed on 26 October 2009 by Zijad Halilović, historian, and Ešref Salihagić, surveyor. Location of the fort, identification of the plots, taking geographical coordinates and identification of the protected zone carried out on 11 May 2010. On site inspection conducted by Zijad Halilović, historian, and Ešref Salihagić, surveyor, led to the site of the fort and necropolis by Muhamed Hadžiabdić and Esad Velić, members of the Alpinists League of BiH, and Šaval Tvrtković, driver;

-         On 2 December 2009 Ešref Salihagić, a surveyor and freelance associate of the Commission, delivered a report on the geodetic survey of the necropolis in the Perački Brook, village of Luka;

-         Field report, travel warrant no. 01-21-126/10, 10 May 2010, and protected zone for the mediaeval fort.

 

Bibliography

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

 

1966.    Anđelić, Pavao. “Doba srednjovjekovne bosanske države” (The period of the mediaeval Bosnian state), in Kulturna istorija Bosne i Hercegovine (Cultural History of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Sarajevo: 1966.

 

1971.    Bešlagić, Šefik. Stećci, kataloško-topografski pregled (Stećci, a Catalogue and Topographical Survey). Sarajevo: 1971.

 

1973.    Anđelić, Pavao. Bobovac i Kraljeva Sutjeska (Stolna mjesta bosanskih vladara u XIV i XV stoljeću) (Bobovac and Kraljeva Sutjeska [Courts of the Bosnian rulers in the 14th and 15th century]). Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1973.

 

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 and Town Planning Institute for BiH, Sarajevo, 1980, 51.

 

1997.    Mušeta-Aščerić, Vesna. “Srednjovjekovna naselja na mjestu današnjeg Sarajeva” (Mediaeval settlements on the site of present-day Sarajevo), in Prilozi historiji Sarajeva (Contributions to the History of Sarajevo), in Proceedings of the Symposium “Half A Millennium of Sarajevo 19 to 21 March 1993. Sarajevo: Historical Institute and Oriental Institute, 1997.

 

2008.    Fekeža, Lidija. “Stećci olovskoga kraja,” (Stećci of the Olovo region), in Proceedings of a symposium “Tricentenary of the destruction of the monastery and church in Olovo (1704-2004). Sarajevo: 2008.

 

www.google earth.com

 

Material from the Decision designating the natural and historic site of the necropolis with stećak and nišan tombstones at Grčko groblje (Greek burial ground) and Svatovsko groblje (Greblje) in the village of Donji Močioci, Municipality Stari Grad, Sarajevo as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, no. 02-02-68/07-17 of 10 September 2008 (Official Gazette of BiH no. 54/09) and on the Commission’s web site, www.aneks8komisija.com.ba

 

(1) From www.google earth.com, accessed 7 January 2010

(2) Mušeta-Aščerić, Vesna, “Srednjovjekovna naselja na mjestu današnjeg Sarajeva,” in Prilozi istoriji Sarajeva, Sarajevo: proceedings of the symposium “Half a millennium of Sarajevo,” 19-21 March 1993, Historical Institute and Oriental Institute, 1997, 36.

(3) Anđelić, Pavao, Bobovac i Kraljeva Sutjeska (Stolna mjesta bosanskih vladara u XIV i XV vijeku), Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1973, 241.

(4) Mušeta-Aščerić, Vesna., op.cit., Sarajevo: 1997, 36.-42.

(5) For more on the historical background, see the decision by the Commission designating the natural and historic site of the necropolis with stećak and nišan tombstones at Grčko groblje (Greek burial ground) and Svatovsko groblje (Greblje) in the village of Donji Močioci, Municipality Stari Grad, Sarajevo as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, no. 02-02-68/07-17 of 10 September 2008 (Official Gazette of BiH no. 54/09) and on the Commission’s web site: www.kons.gov.ba.

(6) Fekeža, Lidija, “Stećci olovskoga kraja,” in Zbornik radova sa znanstvenoga skupa “Tristota obljetnica stradanja samostana i crkve u Olovu (1704-2004),”Sarajevo: 2008, 66.

(7) Anđelić, Pavao, “Doba srednjovjekovne bosanske države,” in Kulturna istorija Bosne i Hercegovine od najstarijih vremena do početka turske vladavine, Sarajevo: 1966, 455-495.

(8) Bešlagić, Šefik, Stećci, kataloško-topografski pregled, Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1971, 173.

(9) Šefik Bešlagić recorded 69 stećci on this site (49 slabs, 13 chests and 7 gabled). Bešlagić, Šefik, op.cit., 1971,173.

(10) Bešlagić, Šefik, op.cit., Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1971, 173.

(11) 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, 50.



Site with remains of a mediaeval fortNecropolis with sećak tombstonesStećak tombstonesSlab shaped stećak tombstone
Stećak tombstone no. 62Stećak tombstones nos. 67 and 68  


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