Historically, the Balkan state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been a melting pot of religions (Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim) and different beliefs and cultures. These have always lived side by side, making the former Yugoslavian country a unique example of how people of different faiths can live peacefully together. Forming a bridge between East and West. A bridge, indeed: located in this remote Balkan state—more precisely, in the city of Mostar, from which it takes its name (Mostar in Bosnian means "Turkish Bridge": "Stari Most")—it became a symbol of the union between the Muslim and Christian faiths that then, as now, coexisted—not always peacefully—in the city and the country.

The Stari Most (known in Italian as the Old Bridge) was built—using local stone, with an arched shape and two watchtowers at either end—in 1557 by the Turks, on the orders of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, over the Neretva River with the aim of uniting the two halves of the city of Most, divided by the waterway. The sultan, however, didn't simply commission a bridge; he wanted "the largest ever built," and so he entrusted the project to architect Mimar Hayruddin, who succeeded in building the largest arch bridge of its time, surprising people with his (unknown) methods of transporting stones between the two banks of the river and the stability of the scaffolding he used.

Over time, the majestic bridge became identified as a natural divider between the Orthodox Christian and Muslim faiths that populated the vast Turkish empire, leading to the split of the two communities of Mostar on either side of the Neretva River. During the Balkan War (1992-1995), the Stari Most was demolished for military purposes by Croatian forces in 1993, sparking outrage over the ruin of what was considered a World Heritage Site. It was rebuilt (remodelling all of its 1,000-odd stones) in 2004 using the original medieval techniques (with Italy contributing the most funding for the work) and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, the Stari Most no longer divides two once-enemy faiths, but unites Christians and Muslims in a single living space, being considered one of the most famous symbols (the bridge itself) of unity and bonds that transcend religious or political beliefs.