Editing Mostar (section)

===Ottoman period===
[[File:Bazar at Old Bridge in Mostar, Herzegovina.JPG|thumb|The Old Town Street]]
[[File:Cskt-tavasz mosztarban (1903).jpg|thumb|Springtime in Mostar by [[Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry]] (1853–1919)]]

In 1468 the region came under the rule of the [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref name="Mujezinović, 1998, p. 144"/> and the [[urbanization]] of the settlement began. It was named ''Köprühisar'', meaning fortress at the bridge, at the centre of which was a cluster of 15 houses. The town was organized into two distinct areas: ''[[čaršija]]'', the crafts and commercial centre of the settlement, and ''[[mahala]]'' or a residential area.<ref>Institute for Regional Planning, Mostar, 1982, p.&nbsp;21</ref>

The town was fortified between the years 1520 and 1566, and the wooden bridge rebuilt in stone.<ref name="whc.unesco.org"/> In 1519 ([[Hijri year|Hijri]] 925) the settlement was recorded as a castle and both as Mostar and as Köprühisar and it was inhabited by Muslims and Christians. It had four Muslim households and 85 Christian households.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=GÖKBİLGİN |first=M. TAYYİB |date=1956 |title=KANUNÎ SULTAN SÜLEYMAN DEVRİ BAŞLARINDA RUMELİ EYALETİ, LİVALARI, ŞEHİR VE KASABALARI |url=https://belleten.gov.tr/tam-metin-pdf/1214/tur |journal=Belleten |volume=20 |issue=78 |pages=247–294 |issn=0041-4255 |eissn=2791-6472 }}</ref> The stone bridge, the [[Stari Most|Old Bridge]] (''Stari most''), was erected in 1566 on the orders of Sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/24/iantraynor |title=Mostar reclaims Ottoman heritage |date=July 23, 2004 |website=the Guardian |access-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715013950/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/24/iantraynor |url-status=live }}</ref> and at {{cvt|28|m|abbr=off}} long and {{cvt|20|m|abbr=off}} high, quickly became a wonder in its own time. Later becoming the city's symbol, the Old Bridge was designed by [[Mimar Hayruddin]],<ref name=Stratton/> a student and apprentice of Ottoman architect [[Mimar Sinan]]. In the late 16th century, Köprühisar was one of the towns of the [[Sanjak of Herzegovina]]. In the 17th century, Turkish traveler and author [[Evliya Çelebi]] wrote of the bridge thus:
{{blockquote|the bridge is like a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to the other... I, a poor and miserable servant of Allah, have passed through 16 countries, but I have never seen such a high bridge. It is thrown from rock to rock as high as the sky.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199805/hearts.and.stones.htm |title=Hearts and Stones |publisher=Saudi Aramco World |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004214954/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199805/hearts.and.stones.htm |archive-date=2012-10-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

The first church in the city of Mostar, a [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], was built in 1834 during Ottoman rule.<ref name="Villa Menalo 1992">{{cite web |title=Mostar |website=Villa Menalo |date=1992-04-03 |url=http://www.villa-menalo.com/mostar-210.html |access-date=2021-06-17 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201056/http://www.villa-menalo.com/mostar-210.html |url-status=live }}</ref>