MELAJE MOSQUE ON PEŠTERA AND IT’S
MYSTERIOUS WATER SPRING

Every ancient mosque is connected with various stories, narrations and legends, which additionally paint a complete picture of the building and people's lives, starting from the motive for its building, the imams who served it, jamaat members who visited it, even the cemetery which is typically located in its courtyard. Legends are stories which can be completely made up, though they can be quite relevant. However, besides the architectural value of the building itself, stories about mosques, personalities and events are a distinctive way to present a cultural picture of a given building. As such, they are extremely important and are an unavoidable cultural phenomenon which should be kept in mind. If next to a mosque or another sacral building of culture there is also a natural geological phenomenon, a water spring, distinctive landscape, luxurious gardens, rocks and coves, it is an additional motive for stories and narrations, even legends themselves.

One of the mosques which we visited and which is interesting for this topic is the old mosque in the village of Melaje in Sandžak, on Pešter plateau. The mosque was built in the early 19th century, during tumultuous political events which were shaking Sandžak. The most significant event of the time was the attack on Sjenica by Karađorđe's army in 1870, when genocide was committed over inhabitants of Sjenica and whole Peštera. Ramiz Šaćirović, a teacher and inhabitant of this village, tells a story about the mosque:

“The village of Melaje is one of the oldest settlements on Pešter. It belongs to mountainous-flatland villages of dispersed character. It is situated on the left and the right side of regional road Novi Pazar–Rasno (via Delimeđe). As far as we know, the name of the village is most likely of the Illyric-Celtic origin. The root of word mel /mal/ associates of the configuration of the terrain and, according to its basic meaning indicates mud or slime, which corresponds to the present name. It spreads across the famous Koštanpolje, popularly called “Koštampolje”, one of the three Pešter fields which is mentioned in many literary and historical records.

Koštan (hard) field was frequently mentioned by Bosniak writer Ćamil Sijarić. It is a harsh and often waterless limestone plain, like the rest of Pešter, with many depressions, caves, underground and above-ground waters which regulate life on hard stone and smonica land. And in the middle of Koštanpolje, a true Pešter El Dorado: Džimšir Tuhovac from Novi Pazar with a pickaxe and a shovel “pounds grey stone and white stone” in search for water.

“…That arid year, before the Balkan Wars, on a summer day and in dust ... he went to Pešter to look for water, in an arid field where nobody clever cared about water. Workers dug all summer long, and Džimšir paid them all summer long, without being sad about wasting money and having no use of it, because there is more field and more money, and because in his dreams he still sees waters and dense grass around them and above them – a flower - white. Melaje field turned into bumps. They would dig a hole – deep, wide, black – then cover it with earth and began another one where Džimšir thought water should be…”
Koštanpolje is a slightly inclined plain which spreads between mountains Jarut and Ninaja. It is about ten kilometers long, and its width begins with 200 m and exceeds a distance of one kilometer. It has several armlets which lead to the Jarut mountain and touch upon its forests. Several streams/brooks flow across Koštanpolje which spring on Jarut and disappear in the sandy soil of Koštanpolje.
At times, similar to Ćamil's story, a traveler could not quench thirst from Glogovik to Baćica. Nowhere, except on brooks which flew into the ground in the middle of Polje. Its side which consists of the slopes of the mountain Ninaja is also waterless. Perhaps, in ancient past, there was a spring there. But there were no springs which flew toward Koštanpolje. However, in the early 19th century – if we judge by the inscription at the entrance, it was somewhat before 1806, a mosque and a well began to be built in the village of Melaje (Melaj), which locals now call “Hajrat”.

This “waqf” has existed since time primordial. Even stranger and more interesting is the issue of the “unbuilt” well! Actually, the Turković family from Krnja Jela on Pešter moved to Melaje. To save him from vendetta which he was supposed to execute because the Bogućans from Tuzinje killed his sister, uncles bought an estate for Ali-hodža Turković. While he stayed with his uncle, he also took their last name. When he grew older, Ali-hodža often herded a flock of sheep at the village site and the wasteland at Melaje. At about noon, he would fall asleep by the sheep and have a rest while they lazed around. In his dreams, he thought that he should make peace with the executioners and, as Islamic religion orders, try to forgive “blood”.

For the third time, something told him that he must make peace with them and that peacemakers must not “cut blood” (determine the damage) and that he must use the money which the Bogućans leave, rather than the revenge, to make a well on the spot where he slept, and build a mosque some fifty meters toward qibla. And it is what happened. The Bogućans left thirteen bags of ducats, with eleven florins in each bag. It turned out that it was enough to begin building the mosque. At the same time, they began to dig a well on the defined site. Melaje inhabitants dug the well and found water at the depth of four to five meters. However, the well would not fill with water – there was some water only at its bottom. Since it could not be used for ablution, they decided to widen it to be able to reach the desired water more easily.

Today, Hajrat (the well) is about five meter deep. It is walled with circular stone supporting wall, 3.50 m x 2.0 meter wide, except at the place where stairs were made, about 3.50 m high. It extends in a form of a four-meter wide square. It is covered with a small house made of brushwood (“čatmara”), which did not have the floor for a long time. At the bottom of this miraculous well a tank and a wooden lid were made where water accumulated. A fountain was made as well, so that the water could be used both for ablution and for drinking. The water was welcome for people who would use it in summer. Many years later Hajrat was renewed, and the wooden structure, which was used before, was replaced with a solid material. Hajrat and the spring are a site of exceptional importance for cultural heritage of Sandžak, which testifies of a long-past time.

AT the spot where he had the dream Ali-hodža laid foundations for the mosque. The foundation was used for building a log-like mosque, similar to a loophole. It was razed three times by Rožaj, Pazar and Sjenica agas, probably with the intention to make it more beautiful. In about 1817 it was built of a solid material. In the mid-1980s, the mosque was razed due to the wear of the material it had been built of, and a new one was raised on its foundation. The structure intended for the sermon was preserved, same as the inscription above the entrance door with the year of its building (1806). Hajrat and the mosque were built at about the same time. For years, Hajrat has drawn particular attention and admiration. At this depth, a thread of water (wire) was found which was cut. The water in Hajrat springs and flows in at the same spot. This natural phenomenon always arouses visitor's amazement. It is not without a reason that people say: “God's giving! It springs here, it flows into the ground here!” (Šaćirović, Hajrat u Melaju)

Today, a new mosque was built at the village of Melaje on the foundations of the old one. Hajrat next to the mosque was renewed and serves, as the teacher says, “to the traveler, the inhabitant, the mill worker”.

Near the mosque, a shopping center, petrol station and sports hall have been built, all aimed at make the site flourish again, and to give locals the opportunity to shop, socialize and spend their leisure time. Large playing fields allow the young to play sports. With its mosque, Hajrat, playing fields, as well as all the ancient legends related to the mosque and Hajrat, Melaje has become an interesting place which inspires writers, artists to express its charms, each in his own way.

To an extent, ancient tombstones at the cemetery next to the mosque, the hajrat-fountain nearby, marketplaces and playing fields reflect the destiny of people, the essence of life and death in this world.

Source:

• Šaćirović, Ramiz, Hajrat u Melaju, Digitalna kulturna baština Bošnjaka – Bošnjaci.

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