Sarajevo: what to see and do. Part 1: Turkish Old Town.
Its 5PM when I finally make it to Sarajevo, after a two hour drive from Mostar in my small rental car. It seems that traffic at this time of the day is the same here as it is in San Juan, Puerto Rico my home country. Hundreds of cars clog Obala Kulina Avenue, delaying my progress to a turtle’s walk. I can honestly say I feel like home.
But, differently from home, this city lived on of the most horrendous nightmares that human beings could experience. For 4 years, the city was under a violent siege by Bosnian Serbian troops of the bigger Yugoslav army. For over 1,300 days, mortars and bullets rained down into the city; more than 300 daily impacts, killing over 11,000 people, the immense majority of which were innocent civilians, including children and the elderly. In Sarajevo, the Balkan War was not a conventional conflict between two armies. It actually was a medieval style siege to cut the city from food, water, communications, medicines, and other critical services and supplies. The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege in the modern history of Europe, and even though this is not a history article, a little historical background will make you visit to Sarajevo more significant.
In 1992, the peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) voted to separate from Yugoslavia. Two Bosnian leaders: Bosnian-Serbian, Radovan Karadzic; and the Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic, had differing opinions of what form the new and independent BiH should have. Each leader raised his own army. The forces under Karadzic positioned themselves in the hills that surround Sarajevo. Karadzic’s troops were well supplied since they were part of the bigger Yugoslavian army, made up mostly of Serbians.
On April 1, 1992, a Serbian militia invades the Bosnian town of Bijeljina and kills many innocent Bosnian civilians. Four days later, on April 5, 1992, 100,000 Sarajevans of all ethnicities converge in front of the Bosnian Parliament, in Sarajevo, in a pacific protest. Karadzic, leader of the Serbian forces surrounding the city, becomes nervous when the protesters turn their attention to the hotel Holiday Inn, where he has his office. Without any consideration, Karadzic orders his snipers to open fire on the unarmed crowd. Six people die. Karadzic runs for the hills, and his snipers are arrested. Not much later, Karadzic demands the liberation of his snipers. The Bosnian President, Izetbegovic, refuses to do so. From the hills around the city Karadzic’s army begins to bomb Sarajevo. The nightmare that will last around 4 years, and will take the lives of over 11,000 people, has begun.
To visit Sarajevo today knowing this history is a peculiar and charged experience. The city still has the marks of that horrible siege. Its economy, as the economy of the greater BiH, has not recovered even after communism fell. Nevertheless, this city is full of life and energy. Two busy days are sufficient to see the most iconic sights of the city, but I’d recommend three or four. In this article, I will concentrate in the Turkish Old Town, the oldest part of Sarajevo.
Sarajevo’s Old Town:
This part of the city could have been transplanted here from Istanbul. You should start exploring from the Pigeons Square, where you will find:
The Fountain of Sarajevo:
One of the most recognizable icons of this vibrant city is a beautiful fountain called Sebilj. According to legend, if you drink once from the fountain, you will return to Sarajevo; if you drink twice, you will stay in Sarajevo. Despite the fountain being the most iconic sight of the Turkish old town, it is more Persian in style, testimony to Sarajevo’s mix of influences and cultures.
Coppers Street (Kazandziluk):
This Street is full of copper craftsmen working this metal, old school style. You will hear the little hammers tapping. Here, you can get a beautiful tea set that you might never want to use. Prices are not super cheap here, but the craftsmanship is worth it.
Gazi Husrev-Bey Mosque:
Sarajevo’s main mosque is named after Gazi Husrev, a Muslim Bosnian governor (1480–1541), who invested a lot in the community. You will find that many landmarks in Sarajevo carry the name of Gazi Husrev since they are product of his sponsorship. Thanks to Husrev, Sarajevo became the biggest city of the European side of the Ottoman Empire. Husrev’s tomb is in this mosque.
Kursumilja Madrassa (Kursumilja School):
Gazi Husrev built this school of multiple chimneys, in the 1530s. Each student had his own room with heating. The main classroom has a chandelier in the shape of the Star of David, further evidence of Sarajevo’s multi cultural tolerance, typical of most of its history.
Gazi Husrev-Bey Library:
This ultra modern library is another example of the Islamic world sponsoring Sarajevo. This time though the funds came from the country of Qatar. Since there is not Islamic aristocracy in Sarajevo today, Islamic countries from the Middle East have continued this tradition.
The Latin Bridge:
In Ottoman times, the Catholics, who said mass in Latin, populated this part of town, hence the name. After WW I, the name was changed to Principov Bridge, in honor of the Serbian, Gavrilo Princip, the nationalist, who shot and killed Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of the Austro Hungarian Empire, who ruled Sarajevo for about 45 years, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. But, after the Siege of Sarajevo, and the Balkan Wars, initiated by the Serbians, the city changed the name back to Latin Bridge, not wanting to honor a Serbian anymore.
Sarajevo 1878–1918 Museum:
Just at the foot of the Latin Bridge, this museum covers the 4 decades of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Sarajevo. It was just here, right in front of this building, that Princip shot Ferdinand. If you have ever heard, or hear, the expression: ‘the shot that was heard around the world’, or a variation of it, it is to this event it refers to; the killing of Ferdinand devolved into WW I.
Bazar Gazi Husrev Bezistan:
An ancient bazaar building that still functions as market today.
Taslishan:
Next to the bazaar, are the ruins of a ‘caravanserai’, a 16th century, kind of side-of-the-road guesthouse, sponsored by, yes, you guessed it: Gazi Husrev.
In the following post, we will go to the European part of Sarajevo, which so much drama experienced during the Siege of Sarajevo.
