Stari Most (Old Bridge), Mostar (must see)

Dervis Mehmed Zilli, a renowned Turkish traveler and writer of the 17th century, described the Old Bridge as "...a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to another." The bridge spans the deep-flowing Neretva River that bisects the ancient town of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The original Old Bridge replaced a wooden suspension bridge of doubtful stability in 1566 and was commissioned by the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent. The bridge was designed by the architect Mimar Hayruddin. It was said that Suleiman made Hayruddin an offer he couldn't refuse: "Build it or die."

On the day the scaffolding was removed, Hayruddin had his funeral arrangements ready. As it turned out, the bridge outlived everybody. When the bridge was completed it was the broadest man-made arch in the world. The Old Bridge today is a stone arch 13 feet wide and 98 feet long. It is 78 feet above the river below.

Two fortified towers stand at either end of the bridge. They are called the "bridge keepers." The Helebija Tower guards the west end of the bridge. It had a prison on its lower floors and a barracks on its upper floors. The semi-circular Tara Tower, on the opposite side of the river, houses the Museum of the Old Bridge.

The bridge limestone abutments are linked to wing walls on the river cliffs. After standing for 427 years, the bridge was destroyed by artillery fire in the Croat-Bosnian War in 1993. It was restored, using original materials, in 2004. Today divers plunge from the top of the bridge into the Neretva River for a modest fee.

The Old Bridge has been a tour stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. These jumps do not involve bungee cords. Divers go all the way. Dervis Mehmed Zilli, who had traveled through 16 countries, had never seen the like. Did he ever imagine jumping from this "rainbow" of stone?