Necropolis in Bečani

The necropolis in the village of Bečani, which was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010 and inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2016, is a significant cultural and historical site. Bečani is located just 3.52 km southwest of Šekovići. This necropolis contains a total of 138 tombstones, situated beneath a rock formation that the locals refer to as Pola stijene (Half Rock). The tombstones at this site come in four basic shapes: slabs, chests, ridge-shaped stones, and columns. The columns are particularly intriguing due to their design–upright rectangular parallelepipeds that widen towards the top, featuring sloped ends, flat tops, and arched vaulting. Additionally, there are columns shaped like upright chests with similar characteristics, but with an additional arching protrusion at the top. Various decorations have been observed on seven of the tombstones in the Bečani necropolis. Previous research by Šefik Bešlagić indicated that there were originally 179 tombstones recorded in this area, reflecting the rich cultural heritage that this site preserves.