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Ulcinj is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic coast. Traces of the earliest settlements indicate that ancient Ulcinj belonged to the lllyrians, a people of Indo-European origin. The Old Town of Ulcinj was founded in the fifth century B.C. under the name Colchinium, after its founders. The greatest progress was achieved during the time of the free lllyrian state. In the second century B.C. it was seized by the Romans from the lllyrian tribe, Olciniatas (163 B.C.); hence ancient Colchinium became Olcinijum gaining under Roman rule the status of Opid civium romanorum - a town with special privileges, only to become a Municipum - an independent town, some time later. Due to its exceptionally favourable geographical position, mild climate, unique relief and luxuriant vegetation, Ulcinj has always boasted living conditions craved by many a conqueror.
The city walls were frequently demolished in wars, to be reconstructed during the intervals between battles.
Ulcinj was one of the towns that the Byzantine Emperor Justinian rebuilt and re-fortified, and which the Nemanjics, the Balsics, the Venetians and the Turks extended with new buildings. In 1183, when captured by the great Serbian district Prefect (zupan) Stefan Nemanja, Ulcinj became one of the most significant coastal towns.The economic and cultural growth of the town was interrupted by the onslaughts of various conquerors. In 1242, racing on their fast horses, a Mongolian horde arrived at the city walls from the distant areas of Central Asia. After a futile siege, the Mongolians abandoned their attempts to occupy Ulcinj, but instead razed to the ground the neighbouring episcopal town of Svac, slaughtering its inhabitants.
In 1423, the Venetians placed Ulcinj under their "protection"; the town remained under their rule until 1571, when it definitively fell into Turkish hands. The famous writer Cervantes found himself on the Square of Slaves in the Old Town of Ulcinj, too. The Old Town of Ulcinj served as the last refuge for one of the greatest rebels of that century, Sabetai Sevi (1626-1676), born in Izmir (Turkey), the instigator of the reform of the Talmud (the Jewish holy book). Sevi died in Ulcinj having lived as an exile under the name Mehmed-Effendi, with his grave kept as a holy turbe (mausoleum). He has found his way into novels by a number of literary masters, such as The Slave by the Nobel Prize winner, Isaak Bashevis Singer, In Search of the Messiah by Erih Kos and David's Star by Zuhdija Hodzic. Ulcinj was liberated from the Turks on 11 January 1878, to be handed over to Montenegro only after the decision of the Berlin Congress: it was assimilated into the Principality of Montenegro on 30 November 1880.
The Old Town. The Old Town is the cultural core of Ulcinj. On the upper square next to the north entrance is a museum complex housing the most intriguing artefacts from the history of Ulcinj. It is a church/mosque converted into a museum exhibiting archaeological findings. Special attention is drawn to the ancient pedestal with a Greek inscription to the goddess Artemis, an ancient cameo with the image of the goddess Athene with a helmet, two Bronze-Age axes of the Skadar-Dalmatian type discovered in Vladimir and in the locality of LakeZoganj.
Among the collection of stone fragments, Ionic capitals, fragments of a ciborium from the Small Church from the ninth century and items from the Turkish period are on display. Right behind the museum is the Balsic Tower currently used to house a gallery. Lying in front of the tower is a tiny square, once a square of slaves encircled by arches. At the entrance is the Reveljina Gate with the tall Bolani Wall from Venetian times standing opposite it. In front of the entrance to the museum stands a Turkish drinking fountain from 1749; the Ethnological Museum housing a rich collection of exhibits is also in the vicinity.
Narrow meandering, cobblestone lanes lead to the lower platform of the fortress, which can be reached from the south entrance too. Right in front of the south entrance are the foundations of St. Mary's Church (Kisha e Shenmerise) from the twelfth century, later renamed St. Mark's Church (Shen Markut).
Not far from this church is a large city cistern, constructed under Venetian rule; somewhat further is the Turkish powder magazine from the eighteenth century topped with an irregular calotte. The Venetian Palace and the Balsic Castle are also nearby.
Many parts of the Old Town offer an idyllic and breathtaking view of the town around the tall city walls and endless azure sea that has always meant life to the town.
Ulcinj has always been tied to the sea and hence boasts a rich maritime and merchant tradition. It reached its zenith in the seventeenth and eighteenth, but also in the nineteenth century. Ulcinj's seasoned sailors sailed their own ships engaging in trade with the Adriatic and Mediterranean merchant centres.
According to Baldacci, in the seventeenth century the Ulcinj fleet comprised 500 ships sailing around the Mediterranean Sea. Sailing ships reached their peak prior to the Russo-Turkish War (1876-1878), when the Ulcinj fleet had about 400 sailing-vessels.
Ulcinj also had a shipyard located in front of the Old Town, next to the Fany turbe (mausoleum), where ships weighing 100-200 tonnes, or later on even bigger, were built; however, in 1737 the Porte banned their construction in order to prevent piracy, which men from Ulcinj were notorious for.
Svac - The Old Town of Sas. This medieval town near Ulcinj is situated on a plateau above Lake Sas and falls into the most appealing "dead towns" on the Adriatic coast.
Svac (Sas) was mentioned in the eleventh century as an episcopal town (Svacia Civitas). Around 1183 it was conquered by Stefan Nemanja who annexed it to Raska with other Zeta towns. The Mongolians razed it to the ground in 1242 in the course of their invasion of Ulcinj.
Svac was rebuilt, to be utterly devastated in 1571 when seized by the Turks.
According to a legend from the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries, Svac used to have as many churches as there are days in a year. Today, one can discern in its ruins the foundations of eight churches, the two largest being the older Romanesque Cathedral Church of St. John (Shen Jovanit) located at the highest point of the town, and the younger Gothic-style Franciscan Church of St. Mary (Shen Mrise) situated on a plateau in the lower part of the town. They were both single-nave churches split in the middle into two parts by a low partition wall and covered by a ceiling. All churches in Svac were decorated with architectural ornaments and frescoes, and in some of them even today one may discern traces of colour on the walls. Archaeological research on this "dead" town has not been completed yet.
Other Monuments
Historically a target of various conquerors due to its specific position, Ulcinj has acquired certain qualities from different epochs.
Under Turkish rule, Ulcinj underwent a metamorphosis in the town itself, where several mosques were constructed. The Pasha's Mosque erected in 1719thanks to Klic Alija from Constantinople with a hamam (Turkish bath) is the only building of its kind in the territory of Montenegro. The hamam was converted into public baths. It is situated below the Old Town.
The main Namazgah Mosque (Xhamija e mezjahit) was built in 1828 by Suleiman Mujali in the town centre. Next to the mosque there used to be a medresa (seminary high school).
The Bregut Mosque. Erected by a marine captain Ahmet Gjyli in 1783, the Bregut Mosque is situated in front of the new market hall in the very centre of the town.
According to legend, on the Ulcinj Quay (Rana) a tombstone was built for two brothers or for father and son, Ljuda and Jahje from the Fany family. Legend has it that they met their death fighting against the Venetians in defence of the town, which has been confirmed by authentic documents. There are three more turbes (those of Murat Dedej, Pulti and Resulbegovic) from the eighteenth century.
Scattered around the neighbouring area are other mosques too, damaged severely by the massive 1979 earthquake but renovated thanks to contributions from Muslim believers; in addition, some new mosques have been built.
The territory of the town boasts Catholic and Orthodox churches, too.
St. Nicholas's Church below Bijela Gora was constructed in 1869 on the ruins of an old church dating probably from the time of the Balsic dynasty. It was built during the time of Turkish rule.
St. Nicholas's Cathedral Church below Meterizi from 1890 was erected in memory of the Montenegrin soldiers who fell in the battles of 1878. It is a single-nave church with a semicircular apse to the east, and a belfry built on it in 1933.
In the immediate vicinity of the OrthodoxChurchofSt. Nicholas below Bijela Gora is the Catholic Church of St. Joseph.
Permission for the construction of this church was issued by the Turkish authorities to the Archbishop of Bar, Karlo Pooten, only upon the intervention of the Mexican emperor Maximilian. The construction lasted for several years and the church was finally handed over for use in 1875. The last Catholic church building was erected during the time of Turkish rule.
On the bank of the River Bojana there was a Benedictine monastery, which is assumed to have been built in the thirteenth century and abandoned upon the arrival of the Turks in 1571.
The monastery complex also comprises St. Nicholas's Church, which was flooded in 1841 by the River Bojana; following this it was transferred to the nearby hill remaining there to the present day. Each year on 9 May a procession takes place bringing together Catholic, Muslim and Orthodox believers accompanied by visitors to Ulcinj, too.
Places of worship of all three faiths, as well as buildings used for non-religious purposes, have been placed under legal protection.
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