Abstract

Tuzla is a city located in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the southwestern slopes of the Majevica mountain. It is the administrative, economic, university and cultural center of the wider region, the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Tuzla is one of the oldest settlements in Europe with continuity of life, from the 'Vinča cultural group' of the Neolithic (as evidenced by the remains of the Sojenica settlement) to the present day. The continuity of the life of this settlement is closely related to the deposits and exploitation of salt (NaCl), which is why Tuzla got its name. There are numerous sites of material culture from the Neolithic era, including ceramic vessels in which salt water was boiled until it evaporated, that is, until salt was obtained. The ancient Greeks still knew this region for its salt deposits, but the name 'Tuzla' (where the word 'tuz' in Turkish means 'salt') was given to the city during the administration of the Ottoman Empire when salt was produced, due to the fact that the city was part of vast empire, fivefold.