The mystery of the island with fingerprints.

Bavljenac Island is one of 249 islands in the Sibenik archipelago. The island has a unique oval shape, covered by a 23 km long system of rock walls, with an area of ​​0.14 km².²And it is currently uninhabited. Looking at the fingerprint image, one might immediately think of an ancient labyrinth, but in reality, these waist-high walls were designed by farmers to make farming easier.

Dating back to the 1800s, these waist-high stone walls were created using a technique known as "drywall," involving the careful stacking and nesting of boulders into solid blocks. These stone walls bear witness to a time when persistent, painstaking work was key to taming the harsh terrain of the Adriatic coast.

Bavljenac was once a sun-drenched island with fragrant vineyards and citrus orchards. The Kaprije farmers cleared Bavljenac's "harsh vegetation" to plant fruit trees. They built stone walls to divide the land and block the wind.

Today, although the orchards no longer exist on the island, the stone walls remain perfectly preserved. In 2018, UNESCO officially recognized these systems of dry stone walls as one of the Tangible Cultural Heritage sites in need of protection.

With its unique shape, Bavljenac Island has become famous and attracts tourists to explore it. Here, tourists can take a boat tour around the island to fully admire this "giant fingerprint." However, these tours cannot dock on the island as there is no pier.

Since aerial photos of Baljenac Island began circulating on social media, the "fingerprint" island has unexpectedly become famous at a dizzying pace and has started attracting a large number of tourists.

Although the locals welcome visitors, most are concerned that the walls will be damaged by inconsiderate tourists.

Phuong Thao is an editor at Travellive magazine. She is passionate about traveling and enjoys capturing moments with her camera in every place she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are Phuong Thao's favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao