Continuing the field visit to the cultural heritage in the Sokolac municipality, the team of the “Heritage Guardians – Bassania” Foundation visited the Veliki Čair necropolis in Kalimanići, which is certainly one of the most beautiful medieval tombstone necropolises in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was first listed by Šefik Bešlagić in 1971, and consists of 106 medieval tombstones, mostly in the shape of chests, which were placed on an Illyrian tumulus. The medieval tombstonesare made of high-quality stone from a nearby quarry and are, despite the passage of time, exceptionally well preserved today.
Of particular note are the rich and unusual symbols carved on individual medieval tombstones: borders, geometric motifs, crescent moons, spirals, bows, swords, shields and staffs. One of the medieval tombstones depicts a T-staff and a sword, which, according to some interpretations, may indicate the grave of a judge or prince. Also interesting are the depictions of the sword and shield in different positions – when the sword is in front of the shield, it symbolizes an attacking position, while the sword behind the shield symbolizes defence.
The Foundation appeals to the competent institutions and the local community to protect, clean and adequately mark this necropolis, as it represents an extremely valuable monument of cultural heritage that deserves promotion and care.
Finally, we would like to thank to our friends Marin and Ejub from Sokolac, who helped us in finding and touring this exceptional necropolis.
