Maglaj

Maglaj stands where the Bosna narrows below a hill carrying a fortress recorded from the fifteenth century, and the old quarter, Varos, runs up the slope beneath it: stone and timber houses on terraces, narrow lanes, and the Kursumlija mosque of 1560 with a lead-covered dome and a stone minaret, one of the better preserved Ottoman mosques in the Bosna valley. The fortress above is a ruin with walls and a tower, reached by a path from the quarter, and the view runs along the river. The modern town lies on the flat ground beside the water. Floods on the Bosna have repeatedly damaged the lower town.

What you actually see

• Kursumlija mosque - the 1560 mosque with its lead dome.
• The Varos quarter - the old stone houses on the terraced slope.
• The fortress - the ruined walls and tower on the hill.
• The Bosna - the river running below the town.

When to go

May to October for the walk up to the fortress and the old quarter; paths are muddy in wet weather. Mornings are best for the light on the slope. The town is quiet year round.

Honest expectations

The fortress is an unmanaged ruin with a rough path up. The old quarter is partly derelict. There is little interpretation. The modern town beside it is unremarkable.

Nearby

Tesanj lies west; Doboj is north.