I visited Sarajevo forty years ago when it was still part of Yugoslavia. Was backpacking enroute to Greece and to see the Latin bridge where an assassination sparked off a great humanitarian disaster , World War I. Little did I know then, I would be back for another human conflict and tragedy.
It is said if you drink the water from Sebijl , the iconic fountain at Bascarsija , you will return to Sarajevo. I drank and was back with my wife. But I also returned for a memory that stuck with me , I was invited to shelter inside a mosque on a bitterly cold day.
No question asked of faith, just one human being offering refuge and warmth to a stranger.
Bascarsija is the historic center of Sarajevo. Here are the cobbled streets , mosques and oriental-style shops turned into restaurants, cafes , handicraft and souvenir shops and confectionaries selling Turkish sweets.
It is a busy and bustling place for foreigners and locals alike for the culinary delights . The locals are also here for prayers at the numerous mosques or passing through this historical or Eastern part to attend churches of various denominations at the Western part.
Sarajevo prides itself as a city where East meets West . There is a sign on Ferhadija Street outside The Gazi Husrev Bey’s Bezistan( smaller version of the Istanbul Bazaar ) marking the East of the Ottoman period on one side and the Austro-Hungarian era on the other side with its many western buildings now turned into swanky bars , cafes, restaurants, hotels, and malls.
The beautiful Gazi Husrev-beg’s Mosque is in the heart of Bascarsija. Beside it is the Clock Tower which displays lunar time and is likely the only such clock in the world.
Emperor’s Mosque , the oldest mosque, is close to the Latin Bridge where the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand precipitated World War I.
There is a commemorative plaque on the bridge and across is the Sarajevo Museum with enlarged photos of the shooting and foot prints of the assassin where he stood before the shooting.
Sadly, this is not the only memorial of human conflict and tragedy. There are numerous monuments and museums depicting the suffering and heroism during the Siege of Sarajevo.
Outside the city center, bullet holes remain on some buildings. Scattered on the streets , are the Sarajevo Roses, cracks left in concrete from mortar blasts where people were killed, filled with red resin.
We took a guided tour to the 800m Tunnel of Hope, dug under the airport from the besieged city to Bosnia controlled areas on the outskirts . Food, medicine, fuel, and weapons were brought in and wounded evacuated through the tunnel.
Our tour guide fought in this conflict when he was eighteen. His was a personal account of the terrors and tragedy of war. He also took us to various spots around the city where he fought and where the Serbs regularly bombed and shot at the population.
He courageously served as an engineer , clearing land mines and using this expertise , still clears mines all over the world.
Sarajevo is a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and woods and the clear Miljacka river runs through it. In 1984, it hosted the Winter Olympics, the first socialist state to do so. There is a cable car from the city to see parts of the venue and hike around the woods.
It is also a city where a multitude of mosques , churches and synagogues are close to each other.
The Sacred Heart Cathedral is the largest Christian church in Bosnia and has a statue of Pope John Paul II outside who visited after the siege ended.
Nearby is the Serbian Orthodox Church which was built during the Ottoman period. During the siege, it became a safe refuge for all Sarajevans as the besiegers did not bomb their own church.
The Bosnian Pyramid, 40km away is an enigma and controversy. Pyramidal shaped hills are claimed to be the largest human-made ancient pyramids on Earth.
Tunnels had been discovered supposedly leading to the base of the pyramids. Large stones with an ancient writing had been discovered and also other evidence that the tunnel was man-made.
The Ravne tunnel remarkably maintains a constant 12 degree Celsius throughout at all times and the atmosphere is ideal for meditation .
It was an interesting excursion and one myth that could turn true like Troy.
A must try is Bosnian coffee and the many delicious cakes at Morica Inn, the only preserved Ottoman Inn in Sarajevo. Bosnian food is more than just cevapi and burek, go crazy at Ascinia ASDz with their Bosnian home cooking.
Before leaving, I drank from Sebijl , wanting to return for happier times.
Koo Wee Hon (kooweehon@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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