Remains Of Ottoman Architecture In The City Of Nikšić In Montenegro

Abstract

When it came to the Balkan Peninsula, the Ottoman Empire gradually conquered the lands of the South Slavs, bringing its own social and state organization, which was in many ways different from the European feudalism. When the Ottomans conquered Herzegovina in 1465, the city of Nikšić, which was then called Onogošt, was among the conquered cities. Nikšić remained under Ottoman rule for almost four centuries, but it was not always inhabited as was the case in the 16th and 17th centuries due to constant destruction and demolition.

In the struggle for liberation, the Herzegovinian tribes had constant and great help from Montenegro, with which they sought unification. Nikšić was liberated in 1877, and the following year, after the Berlin Congress in 1878, Nikšić became part of Montenegro.

The Ottoman city of Nikšić suffered great damage during the liberation, but still preserved the distinctive, oriental architecture and urban organization of the city. The best description of the city was given by the English archaeologist Arthur John Evans (1851-1941), who paid particular attention to the urban organization of the city. Evans states that the city is divided into three parts: the fortification, the inner city surrounded by walls and the spacious part of the city outside the walls with the bazaar and main streets. The typical city architecture consists of modified and adapted to the conditions of oriental-type houses, decorated with Islamic ornamentation. The houses are surrounded by high walls that form a courtyard in which there is a kitchen-mutvak, a toilet, various types of storage and at the end a garden with a vegetable garden and possibly water. Unfortunately, only fragments of these typical houses have been preserved today. There were four mosques in the city, but only one has been preserved to this day, the Haji Ismail mosque built in 1804. Of the many defensive towers, only one has been preserved, but it is quite devastated.

Turkey has left a great influence on the countries of the Balkans in all aspects, especially cultural. In this respect, architecture stands out. Today, we can find well-preserved buildings from the period of Turkish rule, but there is a much greater number of neglected, devastated and often lost buildings. For the first time, an overview of Ottoman architecture in Nikšić, the second largest city in Montenegro, is given in this paper. In this way, the goal is to point out the remains of buildings from a period in the life of the city of Nikšić that should be valorized for future generations.

Keywords: Montenegro, Nikšić, fortress, mosque, defensive towers, ramparts