Mehmed Pasha Sokolović (in Turkish Sokollu Mehmet Paşa) (1505 or 1506-June 30, 1579) was born in the village of Sokolovići near the town of Višegrad in Bosnia of Serbian parents. Little Sokolović was taken away from his parents at the age of six, by Turkish soldiers, as part of the blood tax, and was brought up under military discipline within the Turkish military academy in Istanbul. At this time it was a very common practice for the Turkish military to take young boys away from their families and raise them as loyal soldiers for their army, ultimately returning them to their place of origin to rule over their ancestral people; see Janissary. Turkish (Türkçe or Türk dili) is a Turkic language, spoken natively by over 100 million speakers in Turkey, Cyprus, and worldwide. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... Events January 6 - The Union of Atrecht united the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma, governor in the name of king Philip II of Spain. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... Serbs (in the Serbian language Срби, Srbi) are a south Slavic people living chiefly in Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923... This article needs cleanup. ... The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ...

As a young soldier, Sokolović began a promising career, which ultimately brought him the title of Pasha. The Sultan in Istanbul was so impressed by the loyalty of his (now converted to Islam) high ranking officer, that he gave him a region of Bosnia to control, since he knew the language and customs of his people. The region that he was given was the town of Višegrad and surrounding villages. Within a few months of taking control of this region, while he was visiting the area where he was born, his mother recognized him by the birthmark on his face and once again embraced her child after more than thirty years. Pasha is the diminutive form of the Russian given name Pavel. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic monarch ruling under the terms of shariah. ... A birthmark, also known as a Naevus, is a blemish on the skin formed before birth. ...

Mehmed Pasha Sokolović donated a bridge to his own people and to Bosnia: Ćuprija na Drini. This is the topic of the well-known book by Ivo Andrić - The Bridge on the Drina, for which Andric was awarded the Nobel Prize for literary achivements. This article is about the edifice. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... Ivo Andric; (hr/sr-lat:Ivo Andrić; sr-cyr:Иво Андрић) (October 9, 1892 in Dolac near Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - March 13, 1975 in Belgrade, then Yugoslavia), a Serbian-Croatian novelist, short story writer, and Nobel Prize winner from former Yugoslavia. ... The Bridge on the Drina (orig. ... The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ...