The element includes craft knowledge and skills related to the recognition, exploitation and processing of stone slabs as roof coverings on residential and commercial buildings. The slabs are placed directly on the roof structure, which must be of exceptional quality in order to be a safe support for the stone covering. The panels are installed by overlapping the upper ones over the lower ones (the fish scale pattern of roof tiles). The top of the roof structure ends with one side being longer (“older”) than the other by about 5 centimeters, which ensures safety by hydro-protection. In the past, slabs used to cover houses and other buildings were processed and shaped according to a specific roof structure, while in recent times pre-made stone slabs are often used.
The village Maće in the Zlatibor region, after which these stone slabs were named, as well as the surrounding villages of Ivanjica region, abound in deposits of stone slates from the “Ivanjica-Drina” group, suitable for shaping flat slabs. This is a very high-quality, non-porous stone, with a smooth and hard structure, which has been used in this region for roof covering for centuries. The stone is exploited in stone quarries, some at the surface and others underground, which are entered through either vertical or horizontal corridors - tunnels. They are excavated with hand tools and accessories, taking care to preserve the natural structure of the “sheets” - flat plates, and this requires a special skill of trained masters.
