Day 29: Sightseeing in Beautiful Sarajevo

6/4/22

In the morning, we had a wonderful walking tour with a local guide to explore this beautiful city.

We went up a hill that felt a mile long, but from the top we had quite the view.

Below, you can see the cemetery. It is Ottoman custom to build them inside the city, and our guide says the purpose of this is to remind people living there as they go about their day that life isn't permanent, and to be kinder to one another.

Sarajevo is a city with plenty of hills, and some parts of it are seemingly perched on the sides of the valley.

You can also see how many of the traditional Bosnian houses have an extension hanging above the road. Before tv, this was the entertainment to see what was going on in the street below and get gossip about neighbors.

If you look closely in the bottom middle photo, you will see just how many mosques are in Sarajevo, identifiable by their minarets. Before roads were paved, for ease of attending worship, each little neighborhood "mahalle" had its own mosque. Remember how steep and hilly it would be too, especially for the elderly who are often the most devout!

The mosque directly adjacent to our hotel allowed me to find my way home without wifi (no cell service while abroad for me because I don't have money to burn!) Down in the center of town, there was also a unique and tall minaret that told me what direction I needed to go to reach the Baščaršija (market). Navigating by minaret was a lifesaver! When I wasn't sure where I was, I found the green painted minaret and headed that way.

We were never short on water on our walk! Though it got hot, in the upper eighties, seemingly every corner had a drinking fountain where locals and us would cup our hands to drink from the cold, sweet refreshing water.

The name Bosnia means "source of running water" according to our guide, and Sarajevo in particular is known for its excellent and abundant underground reservoirs which have been plumbed into the city for centuries- Sarajevo had plumbing before Vienna did!

We entered a courtyard of hidden cafes and a market adorned with traditional woven design and mosaic lamps. Very picturesque, and incredible ambiance.

We reached a special point in the city where the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman construction meets. There is even a line in the pavement marking west and east "meeting of cultures." I took a panorama so you can see the full effect of the switch.

On one side is the baroqye highly ornamented facades akin to those in Vienna, and on the right you feel like you are in a market in Istanbul. This market area with shops selling beautiful copper coffee sets and woven traditional patterns is called the Baščaršija.

I mentioned the nickname "European Jerusalem," and here in the city center you can see two different key houses of worship. These weren't even a five minute walk from one another, and the Orthodox cathedral was just down the street, but it was so tall I could barely get a photo of it from where I stood.

Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral Novi Hram Synagogue

Bosnia has welcomed Jewish refugees throughout history, many of these coming from Spain in the 16th century, who set up communities in Sarajevo.

The Gazi Husrev-Beg Mosque is stunning. You can walk inside the courtyard where there is a beautiful fountain to drink from. Locals sat and rested while their children played. I didn't get a chance to go inside at one of the times they open it for tours, but I did get to see the largest call to prayer of the week where people prayed on mats outside.

Also at this mosque, the muezzin climbs the minaret and delivers the call to prayer from there like they did before loudspeakers.

Right there in the courtyard, they had rooms for ritual washing before prayer, abdesthana.

Our guide says the reason for this Islamic practice goes beyond simple faith. Five times a day you wash your hands, mouths, nose, face, hands and ears three times. She says "God doesn’t need it it’s for your health!" This makes a ton of sense. There is even evidence of the health benefits of Islamic practices historically during the plague and today with COVID-19.

Mosque kitty <3

She was very friendly. I gave her head scratches once she woke up- she was in the same spot later that afternoon :)

For lunch, I had my favorite local food, cevapi at the best place in the city. The place was packed, and it was affordable and super quick, oh, and of course tasty!

It's special seasoned sausages in warm soft pita bread with fresh onions and creamy kajmak, which is somewhere between butter and cheese.

The most famous fountain in the whole city, the Sebilj in the Baščaršija. There used to be hundreds like this one, but this is the last one. It's been renovated a few times, and everyone loves to drink out of this one too.

Trust me, you won't be thirsty in this city!!

The pigeons like this spot too..

We also saw the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip. You can even go for a drive in the car!

Our guide Samira said that above all, she wanted everyone to know that "we do like each other here!" and that multiculturalism is not just a word something they live. The wars were devastating for all groups living in Bosnia i Herzegovina, but beneath the rubble and the conflict being constantly stirred up by the people in power, there is a shared love of place here in Bosnia.

In the evening, I got a burek, my other favorite. It was the best burek I've had yet, fresh and soft on the inside and it was extra delicious with the yogurt on top.

Consider me a fan of Sarajevo. :)

Ćao for now!!