Đurđevi stupovi, the Pillars of Saint George, crowns a hill above Novi Pazar, a small church of Saint George with a dome and towers that give the monastery its name. Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Serbian dynasty that dominated the Balkans for two centuries, built it in the later twelfth century, and it was one of the first great foundations of his rule. The painting inside is Byzantine in style, and the cluster of dome and towers on the hilltop makes a strong silhouette.
Ras itself was the early capital of the Serbian lands, a fortress on a rocky hill with a town below, and its ruins lie in the same area, a short distance away. The valley of the Raška river, which opens out here into a long, fertile basin, was a crossroads between the Adriatic coast and the interior, and it is easy to see why a strong ruler would put his seat on its heights. Nemanja went on to found Studenica, which lies on the ride list and is the grandest of all the Nemanjić monasteries, a white marble church in a forest valley to the north-west.
Riding here is a good experience with some patience. The road from Novi Pazar climbs from the town to the hilltop in a few kilometres, with narrow, steep sections and a gravelly surface, and the monastery car park is small. The roads in the wider Raška region are very varied: wide and fast on the main valley road, then narrow and twisting in the side valleys, with livestock, tractors and old Zastavas to watch for. Weather in the highlands changes quickly, and thunderstorms in summer afternoons are common. Spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Novi Pazar has plenty of fuel, with a population of over eighty thousand, and the villages around have smaller stations. There are small cafes and a few restaurants, and it is worth stopping for Turkish coffee and a sweet pastry in the town, which has a lively street life in the evenings.
Dress modestly for the churches and speak quietly. Photography inside may be limited.