Port City Bar in the south of Montenegro near the border with Albania, is known as a place where representatives of various religions traditionally coexist peacefully.
A city with a population of about 45 thousand people is famous for the old market with shops and fortress walls.
Narrow streets of the old city decorate with bright flowers all year round.
The most popular place among tourists is stone stairs.
In the city of Bar, representatives of all religions live peacefully: Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics. Thanks to this, the city is considered a symbol of the inter -religious dialogue of the entire region.
The head of the Bar Association of the Islamic Union of Montenegro Miydin Milami told Anadol that the tradition of peaceful coexistence has continued since the mufti Murtazi Karaduzovich (1865-1941).
“Mufti Karaduzovich got along very well with representatives of the Orthodox and Catholic Church, and every Friday came to the old market market to drink coffee and talk with them. This was a wonderful tradition, and people still talk about it,” he said .
Milami said that this tradition lives in a bar to this day, representatives of various religions gather together for all religious holidays. He said that he is proud of living in such a city.
Archbishop of the Bar Orthodox Church, Slobodan Zekovich, in turn, said that the city of Bar is a place where for hundreds of years representatives of various religions have been living in peace, unity and friendship.
“Thanks to this feature, the bar is known not only in Montenegro, but throughout the region. This is the wealth, the legacy that must be preserved. On us, and on the next generations there is a great responsibility for maintaining this general heritage,” he said.
The Deputy Archbishop of the Catholic Church, Don Kelmani Spachi, said that the relationship between different religious faiths in this city is very close. “This is a great honor to live here with our Muslim and Orthodox brothers and sisters. Here we live as God wants, and try to set an example for believers,” he said.
In the city of Bar, the historical mosque of Omer Pasha, whose age has 361 years, is also preserved.