Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mostar, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Kajtaz residence of the XVIIIe century also called the Turkish house

Getty Images/Hemis.fr RM


Hidden behind tall walls, Mostar's most interesting old house was once the harem (women's) section of a larger homestead built for a 16th-century Turkish judge. Full of original artefacts, it still belongs to descendants of the original family but is now under Unesco protection. A visit includes a very extensive personal tour.

The roof was lost in wartime bombardments but otherwise the pretty half-timbered structure has survived remarkably intact, including the carved-wood ablution boxes and the pebble-floored kitchen with meat-hanging beams. Out of season, opening hours are hit-and-miss.

Enquire about the semi-regular Mostarian Night from 1688 (www.facebook.com/mostarian1688), a dinner and show held here with characters in period costume performing folk music and dances.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Mostar attractions

1. MuM

0.18 MILES

Strong on poetry, far less so on content, the slightly baffling 2014 annex of the Museum of Hercegovina has a dozen showcases on ethnographic lines and…

2. Old Bridge Museum

0.18 MILES

This somewhat sparse museum inhabits one of the defensive towers that guard either side of Stari Most. Visits start by climbing the five storeys for…

3. Stari Most

0.2 MILES

The world-famous Stari Most (meaning simply 'Old Bridge') is Mostar's indisputable visual focus. Its pale stone magnificently reflects the golden glow of…

4. War Photo Exhibition

0.21 MILES

This collection of around 50 powerful wartime photos by New Zealand photojournalist Wade Goddard is displayed in the western tower guarding Stari Most,…

5. Džemal Bijedić Memorial House

0.25 MILES

Part of the four-headed Museum of Hercegovina, this small archaeological and ethnographic museum occupies the former house of Džemal Bijedić, a former…

6. Nesuh-aga Vučijaković Mosque

0.25 MILES

Originally built in 1564, this attractive domed mosque has no set opening hours but its friendly young imam may show you around if he's there. Its…

7. Hamam Museum

0.26 MILES

This late 16th-century bathhouse has been attractively restored with whitewashed interiors, bilingual panels explaining hammam (Turkish bath) culture and…

8. Crooked Bridge

0.27 MILES

Built around 1558, this pint-sized bridge crosses the tiny Radobolja River amid a layered series of picturesque millhouse restaurants. The original bridge…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "bosnia-and-hercegovina/southern-bosnia-and-hercegovina/mostar/attractions/kajtaz-house/a/poi-sig/1501224/358730",
      "destination": "Mostar",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Bosnia-&-Hercegovina",
      "city": "Mostar",
      "position": "superzone"
    }