Stari Ras
Stari Ras or Ras ( Stari Ras means Old Ras or Old Raška ) was the capital of the Serbian principality of Raszien in the early Middle Ages .
According to the Serbian Byzantinist Radivoj Radić , the toponym Ras is likely of Roman origin and can be traced back to the Latin verb ardere (burn, glow), which became Slavic Ras via the metathesis ars-ras . Similar to the Slavic toponyms Požega and Palež , it is an indication of slash and burn . According to a Jewish legend, some tribes of Israel that were deported by the Assyrians to the legendary Arsareth moved to what is now central Serbia and Bulgaria and founded a new Arsareth there. According to other theories, the city of Arsa was already known to the Dardans . Others assume that Ras was a Slavic name for a region populated before the great migration or a tribal chief with whom they colonized the new area and named after him. In the East German, Czech and Polish areas, the name also appears in a slightly modified form. For this, see next to the Raška river of the same name, the Rasina and Resava rivers in the Pomoravlje region, which have the same name .
The fortress Arsa is first mentioned in the 6th century by the Eastern Roman historian Prokopios . You should under Justinian I have been built.
In Serbia, Arsa, Rasa or Ras in the more recent version, until then an important intersection on the Byzantine-Serbian border and seat of a diocese, became the capital of Vukan of Raszien in the 12th century and was at the same time eponymous for the main Serbian area of the Middle Ages and starting point of the later empire of the Nemanjids . In later times the words razors and Serbs were sometimes used almost synonymously. The Serbs in Vojvodina were often referred to as razors until the 18th century .
In the 13th century Stari Ras was devastated, probably by Mongols . The settlement moved into the plains and the new town of Raška was established . Stari Ras was discovered by archaeologists near the town of Novi Pazar in southwest Serbia. It is located on a mountain above the valley of the Raška river.
1979 Stari Ras together with the was Sopocani Monastery , the St. Peter's Church (9th century, the oldest church in Serbia) and the monastery Đurđevi Stupovi in the list of UNESCO - World Heritage added.
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- The Stari Ras and Sopocani monument area on www.yuheritage.com (English)
Coordinates: 43 ° 7 ′ 42 ″ N , 20 ° 24 ′ 56 ″ E