It is possible that a Roman settlement or castrum (fort) was present on the site, and before that, an Illyrian settlement or outpost. A Medieval fort served as the seat of power for Sandalj Hranic – a regional duke and de facto administrator in the territory. With the arrival of the Ottomans in 1466, several new buildings were constructed within the city, including several bridges, guest houses, mosques, and other religious buildings which you can still explore today. The Blagaj tekke itself was constructed as a Sufi dervish lodge in 1520. It stands at the very sources of the ice-cold Buna river and its mysterious spring caverns. There are several components to the architecture that constitutes the tekke – including a guest house (musafirhana), and a mausoleum (turbe). The tekke was used primarily for religious purposes such as chanting and invoking the names of God as a place of reflection and prayer. Some have stipulated that this Sufi tradition has built upon existing Bosnian Church practices of gathering near the source of rivers and other important markers – thereby establishing a continuity of several religious traditions in the country. The tekke is still considered a place of holy pilgrimage for many people in the country – a tradition that is second only to the Ajvatovica celebration.