Ahmet Nurduhan –
The port city of Bar in Montenegro, which is located near the Albanian border, is known as a city where members of different religions live together in peace, reports Anadolia.
The town of Bar, with a population of about 45 thousand, is also known for its small shops in Stara Čaršija, as well as its walls built high in the hills.
The old town with narrow streets decorated with colorful flowers attracts special attention of visitors.
– Unity, happiness and peace –
Bar, where Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics live in unity, happiness and peace, is often said to be “an example city” for other countries in the region.
Chief imam of the Majlis of the Islamic community Bar Muidin ef. Milaimi, Bar Archbishop of the Orthodox Church Slobodan Zeković and Deputy Archbishop of the Catholic Church Don Keljmend Spaći spoke about peace and unity in that city.
“Bar is one of the cities in Montenegro where the most different religions and nationalities coexist. The tradition of coexistence of peoples and three religions continues here,” Milaimi said.
He noted that this tradition originated during the time of Mufti Murteza Karađuzović (1865-1941).
“Muftija Karađuzović got along very well with representatives of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, he came every Friday to Stara Čaršija in the Bar to drink coffee and talk. This was something so beautiful that it is still talked about today,” says Milaimi.
Eph. Milaimi stated that this tradition has continued, adding that during all religious holidays, heads of different religions gather and that he is proud to live in such a city.
Slobodan Zeković, parish priest of Bar, Archpriest Stavrofor, said that the city of Bar and its inhabitants of different religions have preserved the spirit of togetherness and friendship for centuries.
“The bar is known for that, not only in Montenegro but also in the entire region. This is a great wealth, a legacy that should be preserved. We and the next generations have a great responsibility to preserve this wealth of shared life,” Zeković said.
Don Keljmend Spaći confirms that interreligious relations in Bar are at the highest level.
“It is truly an honor to live here with our Muslim and Orthodox brothers. We live here as God wants people to live together and we try to be an example to other believers. This makes us very happy,” Spaći said.
– Old mosque and church –
There is a 361-year-old mosque and a 160-year-old church in Bar.
The Omerbašića mosque is located about a hundred meters from the entrance to the Old Town. It was built by Omer Baša, a Bar merchant and nobleman, with his two sons in 1662.
There is also an Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Bar. It is known that the church was built in 1863 and is still open for worship today.
According to the population census conducted in Montenegro in 2011, 72.07 percent of the population are Orthodox, 19.11 percent are Muslims, and 3.44 percent are Catholics.
The country has the most Montenegrins and Serbs, followed by Bosniaks, Albanians, Roma and Croats and other smaller ethnic groups.
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