Bosnia - The reconstruction of a famed Ottoman-era bridge destroyed in the 19921995 war began yesterday in the divided Muslim-Croat town of Mostar, seen as a crucial step in the process of its reunification. "We want to link peoples in Mostar, which after the conflict remained one of the most destroyed cities in Europe," said the project manager, Mr Rusmir Cisic.
The 20-metre-high singlespan bridge was built in 1566 by an Ottoman architect, Mimar Hajrudin, on the orders of Suleiman the Magnificent and survived centuries of invasions.