Come see the pyramids ... in Bosnia?

Still recovering from civil war, the European nation lures tourists with skiing, 'siege tours,' and land formations of dubious heritage.

from the March 29, 2007 edition

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Many Western tourists visiting Bosnia come because of the war, notes guide Zijad Jusufovic, whose "Mission: Impossible" tour of Sarajevo's wartime sites is by far and away the most popular of his excursions. "I started with historic walking tours of the city, but more and more people kept asking about the war and the siege," he says.

"They are impressed with how close the fronts were to the city and how many mine fields exist," adds Mr. Jusufovic, who lived through the Bosnian Serbs' three-year siege of the city. "Usually, by the end, they understand that everybody lost in this conflict and why it's so difficult to just forgive and forget."

The country's most famous tourist symbol – an arched 16th-century bridge in Mostar – was destroyed by Bosnian Croats in 1993 but has since been rebuilt with international aid. The Bjelasnica ski resort, site of the women's downhill competition in the 1984 Winter Olympics, has also been rebuilt, though skiers are cautioned not to wander into the woods on account of mines.

Concerns about archaeological dig

Visoko's "pyramids" drew as many as 5,000 people a day last summer, including many foreigners, according to their purported discoverer, Semir Osmanagic, a Bosnian-born amateur historian and metal shop owner in Houston. The digs at the alleged pyramids – which Mr. Osmanagic claims are larger and older than the

Great Pyramids of Egypt – have upset many academics, not least because of fears they may damage Neolithic, Roman, and medieval sites scattered through the valley.

"People have offered to pay me to take them to Visoko, but I refuse to go," says Jusufovic. "I'm trying to be a serious tour guide. I intend to talk about facts and dates and history, but the pyramids are another thing altogether."

Others fear the country may squander some of its most valuable assets – wild rivers, pristine lakes, and breathtaking mountain scenery – in the rush to exploit its natural resources. The Croat-Bosniak Federation government is building five new hydroelectric dams, which threaten to flood the spectacular Neretva Canyon and a 15th-century monastery.

"Bosnia-Herzegovina already has extra energy, but the EU is drooling over the chance to get power without damning its own rivers," says Mr. Clancy, whose group opposes the project. "It would be unbelievably unwise if these dams are built without considering future effects on the environment and ecotourism."

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