GROTTE DJEVOJAČKA

The "Cave of the Young Girl" (Djevojačka Pećina) lies 8 km southwest of Kladanj: south of the village of Brateljevići, take the path to the left. It's one of those strange places that the Balkans seem to have a secret for: a prehistoric place of worship turned Muslim pilgrimage site linked to the Christian martyr St. George. 200 m deep and easily accessible via a wide, triangular entrance, the cave owes its name to a ^17th-century legend: in an attempt to prove her courage, a young girl from Brateljevići is said to have died of fright on her way there at night. Shortly after the entrance, the left wall bears 15 m of engravings that could date back to 8000 BC: men on horseback, three women, a hunting scene, deer and triangular shapes incorporating phalluses, men or dots. Further on, among a field of stalagmites, white concretions evoke the shape of a stele where, according to tradition, the young girl in the legend is laid to rest. Two tombs have also recently been installed near the entrance. On the one bearing the inscription "Djevojaka" ("Young Girl") are votive objects: carpets, scarves and tasbih (Muslim rosaries). Considered a prophetic figure in several Islamic texts, Saint George is the object of a pilgrimage attended by thousands of Bosnian women. The cycle begins in July with the celebration of the prophet Elijah, culminating at the end of August with the Kišna Dova ("prayer for rain").