Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wealthy aristocrat who poured money into the local Muslim community. You can see his
tomb next to the mosque (also described later).
Across the street from the mosque's middle gate (at #33, labeled
Muzej Gazi Husrev-
Bey
) is the
Kuršumilja Madrasa,
originally built as an Islamic theological school by
Husrev-Bey in the 1530s. Step into the outer courtyard for a better look at the building,
which has multiple chimneys poking up above the roofline. Students lived in simple
“dorms,” each one individually heated by its own stove. You can peek into the inner court-
yard, or pay 2 KM to go in and peruse its interesting but dry exhibit about the history of
thebuilding(mainclassroomwithaStarofDavidchandelier—indicatingthedeepinterfaith
respect through much of Sarajevo's history—as well as copies of historical documents and
architectural drawings,alldescribedinEnglish;Mon-Fri9:00-19:00,Sat-Sun10:00-19:00).
The modern school next door (the yellow building, to the right) still teaches the Islamic
faith.
Back on Sara
č
i Street, continue past the mosque. After two short blocks, detour a few
steps up the street on your right (named—you guessed it—Gazi Husrev-Begova) to see the
sparkling-new library that's associated with the mosque and madrassa,
Gazi Husrev-Bey
Biblioteka.
While local Muslim bigwigs (the modern-day versions of Husrev-Bey) don't
have the money to invest as they'd like in their home country, other Middle Eastern coun-
tries (in this case, Qatar) are keeping this tradition of endowment alive. Throughout Bosnia,
many destroyed-then-rebuilt mosques and Muslim cultural institutions come with a plaque
noting which Islamic country paid to resurrect it. In addition to being a fully operational
archive and library (with precious books that were hidden away in a bank vault to survive
the siege), this gorgeous new complex includes a large auditorium and a museum that dis-
plays its treasures (Mon-Fri 8:00-15:00,
www.ghb.ba
)
.
In the opposite direction from the library, you'll see another covered bazaar, this one
still functioning as a market:
Gazi Husrev-Bey Bezistan-Bazar.
Cut through the market
hall—maybe shopping for a scarf, purse, necklace, watch, or sunglasses—and pop out the
farend,turningrighttofindafield(squeezedbetweenthemarketandHotelEurope)littered
with ruins from a 16th-century Ottoman caravanserai, called
Tašlihan
. Funded by (sur-
prise, surprise) Gazi Husrev-Bey, this caravanserai hosted passing travelers, traders, and
merchants—logically, since it was located next to the bazaar—until it was badly damaged
by an 1879 fire.
• Now walk back past the end of the covered market, take the first right, and walk a short
block down to the...
Miljacka River:
Thelastbuildingonyourleftbeforetheriverfronthousesthe
Sarajevo
1878-1918 Museum
(described later). The museum outlines the brief but prolific four dec-
adesofAustrianHabsburgrulehere—and,moreimportantly,thestoryofhowGavriloPrin-
cip'sassassination oftheHabsburgheir,ArchdukeFranzFerdinand,tookplace rightonthis
