Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I'veorganized Sarajevo'smain sights asyou'llreach them while youfollowmyself-guided
walk, above.
(Baščaršija)
▲
City History Museum (in Brusa Bezistan Covered Market)
Filling a big indoor silk bazaar right on old Sarajevo's main square, this good museum fea-
tures a giant model of the city in 1878, at the apex of the Ottoman period and just before
thenewAustrianrulersrenovatedandexpandedSarajevo.Therestofthecollectionoffersa
finehistoricaloverviewofthecityinEnglish,withactualartifacts,traditionalcostumes,and
a good video tracing Sarajevo's story (with English subtitles). Particularly with the closure
of the National Museum, this is the best place in town for a look at local history.
Cost and Hours:
3 KM, 5-KM guidebooklet, Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00—until 18:00 mid-
April-mid-Oct, Sat 10:00-15:00, closed Sun, Abadžiluk 10, tel. 033/239-590,
Visiting the Museum:
Asyouenter,you'llfirstcircleclockwisearoundthegroundfloor
for a quick look at prehistoric, Roman, and medieval Sarajevo. Near the end of this section
(back near the entrance), notice the two big
Bogomil tombstones
(from the medieval Bos-
nian Christian civilization)—an older, horizontal one and a later, vertical one. The vertical
tombisatransitionalpiecethatdemonstrateshowBogomilculturebegantotakeonTurkish
customs after the arrival of the Ottomans. The tomb has been rotated upright (in keeping
with the Muslim tradition) and displays a Muslim-style crescent moon. A man with a bow
and arrow is a common motif on Bogomil tombstones. Here, we see the bow and arrow, but
nottheman(inkeepingwiththeMuslimbanondepictinglivingthingsinart).But,inasort
ofcompromise,itdoesfeatureananimal.Nearbyisanunusualwoodensarcophagus,which
may have held the remains of an important person.
Upstairs, do another clockwise loop, beginning with the origins of the city of Sarajevo.
Onedisplay case demonstrates thereligious diversity ofthiscity—from anOrthodoxEaster
egg,toaTorahandmenorah,toacopyoftheOldTestament.Thetraditionalclothingexhib-
itshowshowlocalstyleswereinfluenced byVenetian, Slavic,andTurkishtrends,whilethe
oneoncraftsandtradefeaturesitemsyoumayhavefoundforsaleinthebazaars.UnderOt-
toman rule, the city saw a flourishing of the arts (see the calligraphy) and education, but as
thatempirebegantodecline,illiteracyskyrocketedandBosnia'sneighborssensedweakness
(exemplified by the case full of weapons). Ultimately Bosnia became part of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire (see the new flag of Sarajevo up above), which changed local lifestyles
and fashions. Notice the paintings of Bosnian Muslims of this era, who wore Austrian-style
suits, but with fezzes and turbans. The remaining exhibits show architecture from the Habs-
burg period, when the very Turkish-style Old Town was surrounded by a Viennese urban
zone.
