City with rich Islamic tradition

SARAJEVO

The epicentre of the old part of the city made and still makes Bascarsija, what in translation would mean “the main market” or the main trade centre of the city. Bascarsija makes the mixture of the trade streets in which even today the old hand-crafts are cherished.

Sarajevo is most important historic centre of Islamic-Ottoman culture in Europe.

The city was founded in 1462, around the same year when Bosnian kingdom came under the rule of the Ottomans’ administration. However, at today’s area of the city, a man exists since the period of Neolithic.

In the part of the city called Butmir, a large Neolithic settlement was found as well as numerous usable and artistic objects from that period. Thus, “Butmir’s Neolithic culture” became one of most known archeological discoveries in Europe.

In the area of the city, the antique cultures were registered too. Here was a centre of some Illyrian tribes, and later, due to the sources of thermal waters, it was a mineral-water cure of the Roman military veterans. In the Middle Ages, instead of the city, there was the fortified town Hodidjed as well as some villages, whose names still carry some parts of the old part of the city. However, the place at which Sarajevo is today, in the Middle century was the known node of the trade routes.

The founder of the city of Sarajevo is Isa-bey Ishakovic-Hranusic, the son of Ishak-bey. He was in a family relation with the well known Bosnian noble families Pavlovic and Kosaca. Besides, Isa-bey was the first Sanjak-bey (governor) of Bosnia. In the literally translation “Sarajevo” means “the property that surrounds a court”, or “garden that surrounds a court”. That name dates back to Isa-bey land property that surrounded his residence.

The rest of the article you can read in the magazine.