A crescent in stone, the humpbacked bridge at Mostar spans the Neretva River in Yugoslavia's Bosnia-Herzegovina Republic. The bridge was built in 1566 on Süleyman's orders to replace a nearby chain bridge deemed unsafe by his subjects. Being part of the empire brought its benefits: In this area alone, the Ottomans constructed 42 bridges, 18 caravansaries, 264 inns and hostels, and 10 covered markets.

—From "The World of Süleyman the Magnificent," November 1987, National Geographic magazine