PROF SHAM @ Balkan

A Moment in Time 

with the Balkans 

Dr J Shamshuddin, FASc

Travelogue Series 

A Moment in Time with the Balkans 

In October 2015, my wife, daughter and I were in the Balkan state of Croatia for work cum holidays for a few 

days. I was scheduled to present a keynote paper at the 9 

th 

International Symposium on Plant-Soil 

Interaction at Low pH (9 

th 

PSILPH) in Dubrovnik, Croatia on October 18-23, 2015. It was a perfect holiday for 

me and my loved ones for we have never been in that locality in our life time. To get to Dubrovnik on time 

for the symposium, we had to first fly to Frankfurt, Germany by Lufthansa, had a 4 hours break at the airport 

(Plate 1) and took off to Dubrovnik by Croatian Airlines. 

Plate 1. At Frankfurt Airport with Dr Radziah (left) and Dr Wan Rashidah (right) en route to Dubrovnik, Croatia 

to attend the 9 

th 

PSILPH 

Croatia is a country of more than 1000 islands, with many visitors going there in summer for holidays, 

especially to the old city of Dubrovnik (Plate 2). This city used to be the playground of the rich and famous 

during the middle ages. Lately, however, Hollywood movies among the like of The Games of Throne were 

filmed in the city and these have attracted many more tourists to visit the ancient city. 


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The 9 PSIPLH was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia the first time ever on October 18-23, 2015. The venue of the 

symposium was none other than the well-known Neptune Hotel, Dubrovnik (Plate 3). Croatia is a country of 

barren rocky hills (Plate 4) made of limestone (Plate 5), with low amount of rainfall throughout the year. The 

Malaysian Society of Soil Science (MSSS) was represented at the world-class symposium by its three 

prominent members (Plate 1) – the President of MSSS (Dr Wan Rashidah), the Head of Department of Land 

Management, UPM (Dr Radziah) and me (a Fellow of the MSSS). For your information, I was once the 

President of MSSS and very active in the activities of the society. 

Plate 2. A cruise ship at docked at the Port of Dubrovnik 

Plate 3 shows a beautiful sunset at Dubrovnik as seen from the Neptune Hotel. This photograph was taken 

one evening just before dinner time from the verandah of the hotel during the symposium. For all you know, 

most hotels in Croatia are built on steep land fronting rocky beaches. For reasons best known to the people 

staying at the resort, nobody dared jumped into the deep and dangerous crystal clear seawater for a swim. 

The area is not shark-infested though. 

Moment in Time with the Balkans 

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Plate 3. Neptune Hotel, Dubrovnik where the symposium was held 

Common natural landscapes in the mountainous Croatia are shown in Plate 4. The hills are deprived of 

vegetation due to the presence of impenetrable hard rocks without much water available for plants to grow. 

Roads are costly or even dangerously constructed along the rugged limestone landscape with great 

difficulty. Hence, boats and ships are a more common transport for the people in this country than those of 

cars or buses. 

Plate 4. Common landscape features in 

the limestone-dominated Croatia 

Limestone rocks dipping deeply into 

the sea at the rocky beaches shown in 

Plate 5 are one of the most common 

landscape features throughout Croatia. 

Neptune Hotel is constructed on 

limestone of this nature. For sure, the 

hotel is safe and sound as it is built on 

solid rocks. 


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Pate 5. A close-up picture of limestone rocks on which Neptune Hotel was built 

Plate 6 shows some of the members of the International Steering Committee of which I am a member since 

2004; this committee is responsible for organizing and maintaining the quality of the symposium throughout 

the years of its existence. However, the symposium proper is franchised to the local organizer for ease of 

managing it. This time around the job was assigned to a public university in Croatia. The members of the 

steering committee are downright prominent scientists from many regions of the world where acid soils are 

widespread, such as American continent, Europe, China, Japan, Australia and ASEAN countries. 

Plate 6. Members of the International Steering 

Committee that organized the symposium 

This time around, the chairman of local 

organizing committee was headed by Prof 

Zdenko Loncaric of Croatia who was also a 

member of the international steering committee; 

in Plate 7, he is standing at number 3 from the 

right. The person to his right is Prof Inubushi of 

Japan who represented the International Union 

of Soil Science at the 9 

th 

PSILPH. 


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Plate 7. With some of the symposium’s delegates 

I took some time off from the symposium to see places in Croatia. We first headed towards the old city of 

Dubrovnik which was a few km away from the venue of the symposium. It was only a few minutes ride to 

get there by shuttle bus. The city is known to have many state-of-the-art marinas where boats and yachts 

belonging to the locals and foreigners are berthed (Plate 8), while their owners are having quality time on 

land or looking for adventures in the ancient city. 

Plate 8. Having quality time with my wife at the 

Dubrovnik old city 

Members of my family followed the midconference 

tour of the symposium. We were 

taken to places of interest to scientists and 

tourists alike. One of the stops was a small 

historical town having Great Wall of China-like 

monument (Plate 9). This mini great wall was 

under the state of disrepair or neglected for a 

long time, but now it is under renovation. It was 

first built by the rulers of Dubrovnik during the middle ages to mark her territorial boundary. 


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Plate 9. In the background was wall constructed to mark a territory 

Croatia is known for producing good wine. On the way to one of its wineries, we saw grape vineyards burnt 

to the ground by wild fires (Plate 10). This fire disaster is a very often phenomenon occurring during dry 

summer time in Croatia. The annual rainfall in the country is about 700 mm and hence in case of outbreak 

of fire the authority has to engage a small plane to put it off. This is a very costly affair for a poor country like 

Croatia. 

Plate 10. Grape vineyards being destroyed by fire 

I extended my stay another day in Croatia after the 

symposium to visit Bosnia, which once together with 

Croatia was under the former Republic of Yugoslavia, 

established after the 2 

nd 

World War. The country 

went into trouble and had since broken into a few 

small republics, with Croatia joining the European 

Union. On the way to Bosnia, we were brought to the 

countryside where agricultural production in Croatia 

was in action (Plate 11). 


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Plate 11. Agricultural activities in the lowlands of Croatia 

At the Bosnia border, we stumbled upon an old village with clear Islamic culture still intact, shown by the 

presence of an ancient mosque with special minaret and other Muslim monuments (Plate 12). Bosnia was 

once ruled by the Ottoman Turks and therefore remnants of their cultures can be seen everywhere in the 

country, especially in the countryside and/or towns. After defeating the Romans in 1453, the Ottoman Turks 

spread their wing to the other parts of the Balkan. Their brilliant military strategies and excellent 

administrative policy had won the respect, heart and mind of the locals. In carrying out administrative 

duties, justice not only be done, but also be seen to be done. In the end, many locals converted to Islam on 

their own accord, based on trust and respect. They remain so until today, especially those living in Bosnia. 

However, for some reasons, the Muslim Bosnians are unable to catch up with the pace of economic 

activities enjoyed by the developed West; thus, many of them remained poor (Plate 13). I, for one, believe 

that if we want to help Muslim brothers, as part of our jihad, to achieve economic independence from the 

West, Bosnia is the place to be. 

A Moment in Time with the Balkans


Plate 12. An old mosque built by the Ottoman Turks at a village near the border 

Plate 13. Poor Muslim Bosnians selling souvenirs near the 

old mosque 


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Mostar is by comparison a small city, split into 2 parts; the Muslim and Croats sides. This happened soon 

after the war in the 1990s between the two ethnic groups. I opine that they should get to business by being 

together again as a people of one nation, sooner rather than later. Like everywhere else in Bosnia, there is 

not many job opportunities in the city. It has only one factory producing aluminum products that employs 

about 1000 workers. As far as I know, its economy depends a lot on tourism or funds from foreign donors. 

Selling souvenirs in the shops is one of the most common job opportunities for the local youth and of 

course some work as tourist guides. How much money they can earn in a month is anybody’s guess. For 

the Bosnians, I could really feel that they needed our help to get them back to where they were before the 

war. The first order of business for anyone willing to help them is to set up educational centers in the city to 

teach the Bosnia youth skills for making a living in a country with limited resources. 

Mostar, for all we know, was destroyed by the war and it is slowly being built with the help of international 

donation (Plate 14). The most important landmark in the city is the Old Bridge of Mostar (Plate 15), which had 

been immortalized in novels and films for many years. This famous bridge, built by the Ottoman Turks in 17th 

Century, was completely destroyed during the Bosnia-Croat war, but it is being restored to its original 

specification with the help of international experts. On the bridge shown in Plate 15, you see some people 

walking on it. To attract attention from visitors in the vicinity, a stunt jump from the bridge at regular interval 

is organized. It is about 30 m fall into the greenish cool flowing water of the river. 

Plate 14. At Mostar old city with the famous old bridge in the background 


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Plate 15. A close-up picture of the Old Bridge of Mostar 

From the bridge I could see from a distance the Grand Mosque of Mostar (Plate 16). This old but beautiful 

and well-known mosque was built by the Ottoman Turks in 17 

th 

Century when Bosnia was under their rule. 

A walk to the mosque area one could see the mosque courtyard with all its beauty and splendor (Plate 17). 

The courtyard, although small by any measure, has a beautiful surrounding with running water fountains. It 

is here that tourists concentrate and take pictures as token of memory to the historical site. Many halal food 

eateries are available within a walking distance from the mosque. Using a toilet within the mosque area 

could cost 0.5 Euro. To walk up the mosque’s minaret for a bird-eye view of the old city would cost another 

2 Euro. This money, for all intents and purposes, is needed for keeping and maintaining the mosque and its 

area – regard the money paid as a donation to the local Muslim community in Mostar. 

Plate 16. A mosque in Mostar built by the 

Ottoman Turks in 1618 


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Plate17. Tourists enjoying the beautiful 

surrounding Grand Mosque courtyard 

On the way to the Grand Mosque, we walked through the main thoroughfare of the old city of Mostar. The 

street was lined up with souvenir shops and restaurants of all kinds. It was here that we went for a bargain 

to get to the best choice of souvenirs in terms of cost and quality. 

While walking along the street and seeing things in the old city, I couldn’t help thinking about the problems 

and fate of the Bosnia poor. The shopkeepers and salesmen seemed to recognize Malaysians easily by our 

look and the way we dressed. Some kids were found begging from the tourists. Instead of going to school, 

they were on the streets begging for money to support the living expenses of their families. After buying 

something from their shops, they thanked us profusely for our kindness and generosity. A few salesgirls 

hugged my wife and said that Malaysians had money and they were happy to see us. I was really disturbed 

to the core of my heart on seeing these turn of events. 


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Plate 18. The main thoroughfare in Mostar old city 

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The 9 PSILPH was attended by many prominent scientists 

in the field of soil science and plant physiology from the four 

corners of the world. It was a good meeting and I was very 

satisfied with the quality of the papers presented. We were 

able to exchange notes and ideas with the great minds in 

soil science and plant physiology, who are working tirelessly 

to enhance the productivity of crops grown on acid soils. We 

had real good discussion on the papers presented during 

the symposium. There is good news to share with you 

though. The 10 

th 

PSIPLH will be held in Malaysia, to be organized by UPM, with the support of MSSS. The 

proposed venue was the Marriott Putrajaya to be held late June 2018. 

God bless UPM and God bless you all. 

Dr J Shamshuddin, FASc 


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PROF SHAM @ Balkan

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