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FETISLAM Kladovo K ada izađete iz centra Kladova i uputite se prema Hi- droelektrani Đerdap , dočekaće vas krivudava, kame- na staza obrasla mahovinom vremena, a ako biste pratili njen put, ubrzo biste dospeli do Fetislama ili Kladovskog grada. Tačno ime ove utvrde, sagrađene u doba Sulejma- na Veličanstvenog kao poslednje linije turske odbrane ka Ugrima, zapravo jeste Fethislam ili Kapija islama, a u lite- raturi se može pronaći i pod imenima Bedem vere i Ka- pija mira. Zanimljivo je i da su tvrđavu, sačinjenu od Ve- likog i Malog grada, Srbi u svom duhu prozvali Svetislav. Ova uspavana stara dama već gotovo pet vekova pam- ti miris baruta, topot konja i zveket teških viteških oklopa, sablji i buzdovana, a veruje se da je nekada u njoj bilo sve- ga: hamama, barutane, magacina, dućana, bogomolja, kal- drmisanih ulica, škola, pijaca… Danas ovoj utvrdi poseban pečat daju ostaci stare Sulejman-hanove džamije sa mina- retom od cigle. Čuveni putopisac Evlija Čelebija ostavio je dragocena svedočenja o Fetislamu, istakavši da su njego- vi stanovnici bili pretežno turski trgovci i zanatlije, a zvao ga je Kuća spasenja.
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TVRĐAVA RAM Veliko Gradište O va utvrda spada među najstarije u Srbiji – zapisi o njoj sežu još na početak 12. veka, premda niko ne zna kada je tačno nasta- la… Ono što je sigurno jeste da je njena istorija veoma burna i za- nimljiva, da su se za nju otimali Ugri, Vizantinci i Turci. Pogled sa tvrđave, koja je i danas veoma dobro očuvana, što je njena velika prednost, toliko je veličanstven i opuštajući da se upravo za njega vezuje legenda o postanju Rama. Veruje se da je baš ovde, na me- stu gde je Dunav najplići i gde pravi veliku krivinu, nekada davno moćni turski sultan Bajazit Drugi rasprostro svoj ćilim kako bi se odmorio i uživao u vidiku. Sedeći tako na prostirci (ihramu), kažu da je zaspao, a potom se nekoliko sati kasnije probudio preporođen. Tada je izdao naređenje da se na brežuljku na kojem je položio svoj ihram podigne tvrđava, koja je po turskoj reči za ćilim i dobila ime.
RAM FORTRESS, VELIKO GRADIŠTE This fortress is
among the oldest in Serbia – with records dating back to the ear- ly 12 th century, though nobody knows the pre- cise date of construc- tion... What is certain is that it’s a very turbu- lent and interesting his- tory, that it was plun- dered and held by the Hungarians, Byzantines and Turks. The fortress remains very well pre-
FETISLAM, KLADOVO When you exit the centre of Kladovo in the direction of the Đer- dap hydro power plant, you will be awaited by a winding trail, a stone trail covered in the moss of time, and if you were to follow its path you’d soon reach Fetislam or Kladovo Fortress. The exact name of this fortress, which was built during the era of Suleiman the Mag- ni cent as the front line of the Ottomans’ defence against the Hun- garians, is in fact Fethislam or the “gate of Islam”, and in literature it can be found under the names“the ramparts of faith”and the“gate of peace”. It is interesting that the fortress, comprising the Great and Small Towns, was called by the Serbs in their spirit“Svetislav”. This dormant old lady recalls the scent of gunpowder dating back al- most ve centuries, the hooves of horses and the clinking of knights’ heavy armour, sabres and maces, and it is believed to have housed everything once upon a time: a hammam baths, gunpowder stores, warehouses, shops, chapels, cobblestone streets, a school, market- place etc. This forti cation is today given a special brand with the re- mains of the old Suleiman-han mosque, with its brick minaret. Fa- mous travel writer Evliya Çelebi left his precious testimony about Fetislam, noting that its residents were predominantly Turkish mer- chants and craftsmen, and he dubbed it“a house of salvation”.
served today, which is its great advantage, and the view from there is so mag- ni cent and relaxing that this vista itself is linked to a legend about the emer- gence of Ram. It is believed that it was right here, at the spot where the Danube is at its shallowest and turns in a great meander, that mighty Turkish Sultan Bayezid II once spread his carpet to rest and enjoy the view. Sitting on his rug, he is said to have fallen asleep, only to awaken a few hours later feeling reborn. So he issued an order for a fortress to be erected on that rise, just where he’d laid his kilim, and the Turkish word ‘ram’, for carpet, remained as the name.
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