Dwarfed by the gigantic limestone cliff that houses it, the Blagaj tekke looks like a group of small houses in a manger. It is sheltered at the foot of a mass of more than 200 meters of vertical cut, at the highest point of which are the remains of the castle that housed the medieval lord (herzog, hence the name of the province of Herzegovina).
The path paved with large stone slabs reinforces the idea of being in a perfect setting. The Buna River, transparent green, runs fast and plays at forming small waterfalls in this initial stretch of its life. In fact, it has just been born just a couple of hundred meters higher. It gushes from a cavity in a relaxed pool that immediately becomes a singing torrent. The cave system from which it came is still a mystery today, and it is said in the town of Blagaj that the only cave diver who entered them to map them never returned nor has his body been found.
Just above the source there is a set of square-shaped buildings with a roof made of karst stone slabs. The little path that leads to the main door is flanked with signs that only contain the symbol “He” with which Sufis call God.
At the entrance, a guard makes sure that no one enters with their shoes on, and that both men and women cover their legs if they are visible. From there a delicious architectural microworld opens up. There are no vetoes and you can visit all the rooms of this Sufi monastery that traces its origin to the arrival of the Ottoman Empire to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1664.
The building is somewhat labyrinthine, and the rooms reserved for daily actions such as kitchen, bedrooms or bathrooms are tiny. On the other hand, the place reserved for prayer gains in breadth, even though today it is not strictly necessary, since the dervish community is only made up of five members and they do not even inhabit the tekke. They come from Mostar, the capital, to perform prayers three times a week, at dusk.
Pictures with Arabic calligraphy and an interesting graphic that shows the types of turbans used by the different Sufi brotherhoods throughout the Islamic world decorate the prayer room.
The largest, brightest and most relaxing room is the one intended for talking about poetry and literature. The Sufis are the Islamic school that advocates communion with the arts and nature as the way to achieve wisdom and get closer to God. Hence they dance spinning around themselves, in an ecstatic dance that has now – also – become a tourist attraction. In the case of Blagaj, this ritual only takes place once a year during the month of August, attracting dervishes from other regions of Bosnia and nearby countries and bringing together hundreds of spectators who wish to see the so-called dervishes in action. “Islam hippies.”
The relaxation room is lined with carpets, both on the floor and on the seats, and from the large windows you can see up close the point where the Buna River sees the light. The rectors of the tekke invite visitors to stay there listening to the sounds of the birds and the whisper of the wind through the trees for as long as they see fit.
Going outside, half a dozen restaurants on the river provide a less mystical, but very popular, atmosphere.
Blagaj is located 12 kilometers from Mostar, the capital of Herzegovina. Buses leave from Plaza España in the town and take you to the Dervish Monastery in just half an hour.
