Ajsa and Stojan - Romeo and Juliet from Serbia (Vranje)

Just as every story begins with "once upon a time", so will ours. In a small, distant country, in the hilly Balkans, in Serbia, a land of constant wars, a forbidden love happened. Like all great loves, this one ended in blood, and the White Bridge was built as its symbol. Whether this story is a legend or the truth, judge for yourself, and I will tell you the story, the way my grandmother told me, which is still told today in Vranje and which is passed down from generation to generation.

The historical part

Before the story itself, I must tell you that the city of Vranje was under Turkish rule for a long time, for a full 422 years. The city had a very important strategic location, which attracted rich Turks to settle in the city and build mosques, inns and hammams...

- Beautiful Ajsa and young shepherd

Stojan Selim-bey, a very powerful and rich Turk, moved to Vranje. Before he had a daughter, a prophetess predicted that she would fall in love with a Serb. To prevent this, Selim built a tower. In that tower, Ajsa grew into a real lonely beauty. Every day, Stojan passed by the tower with his sheep. He was a very handsome and stout guy, with a wonderful voice. Ajsa immediately fell in love with him, and Stojan with her. Ajsa dreamed of going to the mountains with Stojana. They began to meet secretly by the river. However, as no secret could be hidden forever in a small place, stories began to circulate about the forbidden love of a rich Turkish woman and Kaurin. The words reached the ears of Selim-bey. One day, while Ajsa sneaked out of the house, Selim followed her. He was holding a rifle in his hands. When he saw them by the river, he aimed his rifle with the intention of killing the young man. Ajsa protected Stojan with her body. But, the second course, he hit Stojan right in the heart. Stojan died immediately, and Ajsa, before closing her eyes forever, told her father her last wish. Side by side lay the dead, two young people, whose only sin was love.

- Ajsa's last wish - the White Bridge

Before she breathed her last, Ajsa told her father to build a bridge from the money he sought for her marriage. Grief-stricken, for his only daughter, he built the White Bridge in 1844, which connects the banks of the River.

Plate with an inscription

On the plaque it is written in Arabic: "O guardian, the owner of this goodness and beauty of Hanum Ajsa builds this bridge so that God may forgive her sins and the sins of her parents."