The original bridge was built in 1566 by Architect Hayrettin, a student of Mimar Sinan, and was used for 427 years until it was destroyed by the Croatian forces under the Bosnian-Croat War on November 9, 1993. Architect Hayreddin used 456 mold stones for the bridge. The bridge also gave the city its name. Mostar became the main city in Herzegovina mode. The new bridge was put into service on July 23, 2004. The bridge was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.
