Stari Ras

Stari Ras or Ras ( Ras means Stari Ras and the Old Old Raska ) was in the early Middle Ages, the capital of the Serbian Principality Raszien.

According to the Serbian Byzantinists Radivoj Radić the toponym Ras is probably of Roman origin and ardere to the Latin verb ( burn, glow ) due, which was about the metathesis ars- ras to the Slavic Ras. Similar to the Slavic toponyms Požega and Palež it is an indication of a fire clearance. According to a Jewish legend attracted some of the tribes of Israel who were deported by the Assyrians in the legendary Arsareth, in today's central Serbia and Bulgaria, where they founded a new Arsareth. According to other theories, the city was known to the Arsa Dardani. Further assume that Ras was a Slavic name for a populated before the great migration region or tribal chief, with whom she settled in the new area and baptized by him. In the East German, Czech and Polish space of the name appears in a somewhat modified form as well. For this, see also next to the eponymous river Raška the namesake rivers Rasina Resava in Pomoravlje area.

The fortress Arsa is first mentioned in the 6th century by the Byzantine historian Prokopios. It should have been built under Justinian I..

In Serbia, Arsa, Rasa or Ras was in the recent version, by then a major intersection at the Byzantine- Serbian border and the seat of a bishopric, in the 12th century as the capital Vukan of Rasziens and was also the namesake for the Serbian main area of the Middle Ages and starting point of the later kingdom of Nemanjic. In later times the words Raszier and Serbs were sometimes used almost interchangeably. So the Serbs were often referred to as Raszier in Vojvodina to the 18th century.

In the 13th century Stari Ras was destroyed, probably by Mongols. The settlement moved to the lowlands and there was the new City Raska. Stari Ras was discovered near the town of Novi Pazar in southwest Serbia by archaeologists. It is on a hill above the valley of the river Raška.

Stari Ras 1979 was recorded together with the monastery Sopoćani in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Near the old town there is a also recorded by the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage building, the Petrova Crkva (church ) from the 9th century, the oldest church of Serbia.