Srebrenica & Drina
Mehmed Pasha Sokolović (1506-1579), known in Turkish as Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, was born in the village of Sokolovići near Rudo in eastern Bosnia. Taken to…
Mehmed Pasha Sokolović (1506-1579), known in Turkish as Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, was born in the village of Sokolovići near Rudo in eastern Bosnia. Taken to Istanbul as a boy, he rose to become Grand Vizier under three sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II and Murad III, and was one of the greatest statesmen of the Ottoman Empire. The village keeps several memorials to him, including this mosque, a memorial fountain and a house that local tradition identifies as his birthplace. He never forgot his homeland, and among his many endowments is the famous bridge over the Drina at Višegrad, about an hour's drive away.