Key:stećak

This key is used in conjunction with historic=stećak to specify various specificities and details concerning these very unique historic tombstones, used in specific medieval burial culture.

Description

A stećak is a monumental gravestone slab or megalith, cut exclusively in Dinaric Karst limestone in variety of sizes and shapes which, however, followed ordered pattern, erected as a monument (tombstone) on top of the grave and mostly grouped in cemeteries or necropolises, but sometimes as tombstones for individual graves. At present there are more than 60 thousand individual stećak tombstones in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and another several thousands in border areas of neighboring countries, mostly in necropolises comprised of few to few hundreds of individual stones. A stećak has been used as early as beginning of the 12th century to as late as mid to late 16th, in some cases early 17th century, for funerals or commemorative purposes.

Stečak-to-nišan

Stećaks that will later evolve into transitional variety of "stećak-nišans", a variety of stećak used in late medieval Bosnia, during so-called stećak-to-nišan transition period, by the first converts to Islam after the Ottoman conquest of the Kingdom of Bosnia, could be mapped historic=stećak + stećak=nišan_necropolis + stećak:nišan_count=* + inscription=*(stećak=nišan for one tombstone or stećak=nišan_necropolis for necropolis); in addition, editor can use stećak in combination with religious affiliation. Later still, these stećak-nišans will evolve into their final form as Muslim gravestones called nišan(s).

World Heritage List

On initiative of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stećaks are inscribed on the World Heritage List on Wikipedia by UNESCO on Wikipedia since 2016. More than 4,000 individual monoliths are selected, and grouped in necropolises at 28 locations, of which 22 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two in Croatia, three in Montenegro, and three in Serbia.

How to map

The stećak=* key is used to tag features that still exist or of which traces are observable, and that are of historic interest, or where the feature class is generally of historical interest (e.g. individual stećak are tagged like this, while replicas should be tagged as man_made=monument with stećak=yes).
Many historic sites are important tourist destinations.

For individual stećak, add a node and add historic=stećak + name=* + inscription=* + heritage=* + ref:kons=three- or four-digits number + kons:inscription_date=*. If a significant individual stećak(s) is encountered, draw those within an area (as necropolis). This can be done also inside necropolis area . Use combination with stećak=stećak_necropolis + stećak:stećak_count=* + inscription=* + name=*.

Stećak-nišan and stećak-nišan_necropolis are mapped as historic=stećak + stećak=nišan_necropolis (stećak=stećak-nišan if one tombstone) + stećak:nišan_count=* + inscription=* + heritage=* + ref:kons=three- or four-digits number + kons:inscription_date=* (note: stećak=nišan for one tombstone and stećak=nišan_necropolis for necropolis).

Values

• stećak=stećak_necropolis (same as stećak=necropolis)

See also

See also Stele on Wikipedia

• Proposal:Historic=tombstone

• (collection=yes - there is a collection of stones there)
• megalith_type=yes
• historic=stone
• historic=rune_stone
• memorial:type=stele
• man_made=obelisk

Sources

For detecting stećak and stećak_necropolis sits refer to these official sources:

• UNESCO in BiH
• UNESCO - Stećci; page with a Map of stećci
• KONS BiH
• Stećci - karta (map and basic data)