The Turbe, an Islamic-style mausoleum, was built to commemorate the soldiers and citizens who died during a siege by the Austro-Hungarians, who ultimately captured the city in 1898. It was originally constructed of wood, but in an ironic attempt to ingratiate themselves with the locals the Austro-Hungarian authorities rebuilt the structure at their own expense using a local decorative stone called 'bihacite'. However, the gesture was little match for wider geo-political events that soon engulfed the region, and short-lived occupation ended with the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918.