aaminion00
Stoned
Intro: I posted a history of Sarajevo earlier, but it was a fairly short one. Since then I've expanded it significantly, with each of the several eras in the city's history having several paragraphs dedicated to them. I didn't plan to post this, but Xen suggested it. I hope its an interesting read and that you learn something about my hometown in the process.
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The present day site of Sarajevo has a long and rich history dating back to the Stone Age. There were no people in the region in the Paleolithic era, although the remains of ancient animals have been found, such as those of the ancient bear species, Ursus Spelaeus. Excavation for the period has never been very comprehensive however, and if the Sarajevo area was indeed inhabited during the Paleolithic era, the residents were probably Neanderthals.
During the Neolithic era, the Sarajevo region was home to the Butmir Culture. Specifically, these people found themselves in Butmir, a satellite neighborhood of Ilida, Sarajevo's chief suburb. The area is rich in flint, essential for making tools and weapons, and was no doubt attractive to ancient man, as was the eljeznica river which flowed by.
The Butmir culture is most famous for their ceramics. Very unique and artistic, it is one of the chief reasons why today the Butmir people are identified as a unique culture. The finds were so sensational when they were made in the late 19th century that the International Congress of Archeologists and Anthropologists was held in Sarajevo the following year. Today, all excavated material can be found in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Butmir Culture disappeared around 2400 BC, probably conquered by the next prominent inhabitants of Sarajevo; the Illyrians. The ancient people that considered most of the West Balkans as their homeland had several key settlements in the region, mostly around the river Miljacka and Sarajevo valley. The most prominent of these was ''Debelo Brdo'' (Literally "Fat Hill") in todays Old Town, where there was an Illyrian fortification during the latter Iron Age. Numerous Illyrian forts also existed in other parts of the city, as well as at the base of Trebević Mountain.
The Illyrians in the Sarajevo region belonged to the tribe ''Daesitates'', a war-like bunch who were the last to resist Roman occupation. Their last revolt occurred in 9 AD, and was crushed by the emperor Tiberius, marking the start of Roman rule in the region.
During Roman rule, Sarajevo was part of the province of Dalmatia. A major Roman road ran through the Miljacka river valley connecting the rich coastal cities of Dalmatia and the Adriatic coast, with Pannonia to the North. The importance of the road can be seen by the numerous Roman artifacts found in the heart of Sarajevo itself over the years. On the left bank of the Miljacka there were once found Roman bricks and an inscription indicating a construction yard and, nearby, a bathhouse. The biggest known settlement in the region however was known as Aquae S... (Probably Aquae Sulphurae) on top of present day Ilida.
The Slavs came to Bosnia in the 7th century, but details of their movement and settlement through the country remain a mystery. Some Slavic artifacts remain from the time however, and it is pretty much certain that they settled in the Sarajevo valley, replacing the present Illyrians. ''Katera'', one of the two original Bosnian towns mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus in De Administrando Imperio, was found to the southeast of Sarajevo. However, by the time of the Ottoman occupation there was little settlement left in the region, leaving the history of the Sarajevo region during the middle ages not well understood.
When Bosnia first appeared, it was based on Bosnia proper, which was basically the Bosna river valley, stretching from modern day Zenica to Sarajevo. The area of present day Sarajevo was part of the Bosnian province of Vrhbosna near the traditional center of the kingdom. Though a city called Vrhbosna existed, the exact settlement of Sarajevo at this time is debated. During the high middle ages various documents make note of a place called Tornik in the region. By all indications however, Tornik was a very small marketplace surrounded by a proportionally small village not considered very important by Ragusan merchants. Even the local fortress of Hodidjed, was defended by a mere two dozen men when it fell to the Turks.
Others meanwhile say that Vrhbosna was a major city located in the middle of modern day Sarajevo. Indeed, Papal documents say that in 1238, a Cathedral to Saint Paul was built in the city. Considering the importance of Saint Paul, this would have to have been a very important cathedral, yet none are quite sure where it is. Some have speculated that it was located in present day Sarajevo neighborhood Skenderija, as it is said that during construction in the late 19th century, there were found Roman style columns, dating to sometime around the 12th century.
Even disciples of the famous Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius had stopped by the region, establishing a church at Vrelo Bosne. Churches, like cathedrals, aren't built in the middle of nowhere, and especially not by disciples of the saints who brought Christianity to the Slavs. Perhaps a village existed on the outskirts of the city itself, near present day Ilida, one of the most attractive regions for settlement in the area, which had been significantly populated for pretty much every other period of its history.
Whether this city was indeed located at modern day Sarajevo or not, an important city called Vrhbosna did indeed exist at the time and the region was of great importance. Still, it is somewhat strange that the location of such an important city is unknown. It is not unlikely, that the city may have been destroyed sometime between the 13th century and the Ottoman occupation. It is a well known fact that foreign armies had often made their way to Vrhbosna in wars with Bosnia, perhaps one of them razed the city, leaving it in the condition that the Turks found it in the mid 15th century.
Sarajevo as we know it today was founded by the Ottoman Empire in the 1450s upon conquering the region, with 1461 typically used as the citys founding date. The first known Ottoman governor of Bosnia, Isa-Beg Iaković, chose the tiny local village of Brodac as a good space for a new city. He exchanged land with its residents (Giving them today's Hrasnica neighborhood in Ilida), and soon began building his provincial capital as he envisioned it. He quickly built a number of key objects, including a mosque, a closed marketplace, a public bath, a bridge, a hostel, and of course the governors castle (Saray) which gave the city its present name. The mosque was named Carova Damija (the Tsars Mosque, the Imperial Mosque) in honor of the Sultan Mehmed II.
With the improvements Sarajevo quickly grew into the largest city in the region. Many Christians converted to Islam at this time, as Ottoman reports from the period often tell of residents with Muslim names but of Christian named fathers, such as "Mehmed, son of Ivan". Meanwhile, an Orthodox population first appeared in Sarajevo at this time, as the Orthodox Church was built. A colony of Ragusan merchants also appeared in Sarajevo at this time. Soon after, in the early 16th century, the Sarajevo Haggadah came to Sarajevo along with Sephardic Jewish refugees from Andalusia. For the first time in its history, Sarajevo was the city of four religions. The Jewish population made note of this, naming the city "The European Jerusalem"
Under the wise leadership of people such as Gazi Husrev-beg (the citys greatest donor who built most of what is now the Old Town) Sarajevo grew at a rapid rate. Sarajevo became known for its large marketplace and numerous mosques, which by the middle of the 16th century were over a hundred in number. Numerous other buildings appeared, including religious schools, such as the school of Sufi philosophy. Gazi Husrev-Beg himself established a number of buildings named in his honor, such as the Sarajevo library which, in its prime, was in the same category as the Madrassa of Beyazid II.
Gazi Husrev-Beg also built the city's clock tower (Sahat Kula). Sarajevo became one of the most advanced cities in Europe. It had its own water system, clock tower, bathhouses, and schools. In a time when education was merely for the wealthy, and most Europeans considered baths to be unhealthy, Sarayliyas (Sa-ray-lee-yas, residents of Sarajevo) were among the cleanest and most culturally advanced commoners on the continent. A famous Sarajevan poet of the time wrote, ''"There it seems to man that he can live for a long time, for in a thousand places in Sarajevo flows water from the well of longevity"''.
At its height, Sarajevo was the biggest and most important Ottoman city in the Balkans after Istanbul itself. By 1660, the population of Sarajevo was estimated to be over 80,000. Comparatively, Belgrade in 1838 had a mere 12,963 inhabitants, and Zagreb as late as 1851 had a lowly 14,000 people. If Sarajevo's fortune would have prevailed until 1700, it would have been the 10th biggest city in Europe. Had its population continued to grow significantly during that period of time, it would have likely been the 7th largest, just under Rome and Milan.
This period of early Ottoman rule will be long remembered as Sarajevo's golden age. The 16th century was its peak, when nearly the whole city area (that would last until the late 19th century) was built. During the 17th century, Sarajevo didn't expand, although its population continued to grow. Its residents lived luxuriously, and Sarajevo was the richest city in the West Balkans after Dubrovnik. However the 1600s also brought the start of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. With the defeats at Vienna, the empire grew weaker, and along with the empire as a whole did its various regions. Although Sarajevo would remain prosperous until the very end of the 17th century, the latter half of it proved to be the beginning of the end.
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The present day site of Sarajevo has a long and rich history dating back to the Stone Age. There were no people in the region in the Paleolithic era, although the remains of ancient animals have been found, such as those of the ancient bear species, Ursus Spelaeus. Excavation for the period has never been very comprehensive however, and if the Sarajevo area was indeed inhabited during the Paleolithic era, the residents were probably Neanderthals.
During the Neolithic era, the Sarajevo region was home to the Butmir Culture. Specifically, these people found themselves in Butmir, a satellite neighborhood of Ilida, Sarajevo's chief suburb. The area is rich in flint, essential for making tools and weapons, and was no doubt attractive to ancient man, as was the eljeznica river which flowed by.
The Butmir culture is most famous for their ceramics. Very unique and artistic, it is one of the chief reasons why today the Butmir people are identified as a unique culture. The finds were so sensational when they were made in the late 19th century that the International Congress of Archeologists and Anthropologists was held in Sarajevo the following year. Today, all excavated material can be found in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Butmir Culture disappeared around 2400 BC, probably conquered by the next prominent inhabitants of Sarajevo; the Illyrians. The ancient people that considered most of the West Balkans as their homeland had several key settlements in the region, mostly around the river Miljacka and Sarajevo valley. The most prominent of these was ''Debelo Brdo'' (Literally "Fat Hill") in todays Old Town, where there was an Illyrian fortification during the latter Iron Age. Numerous Illyrian forts also existed in other parts of the city, as well as at the base of Trebević Mountain.
The Illyrians in the Sarajevo region belonged to the tribe ''Daesitates'', a war-like bunch who were the last to resist Roman occupation. Their last revolt occurred in 9 AD, and was crushed by the emperor Tiberius, marking the start of Roman rule in the region.
During Roman rule, Sarajevo was part of the province of Dalmatia. A major Roman road ran through the Miljacka river valley connecting the rich coastal cities of Dalmatia and the Adriatic coast, with Pannonia to the North. The importance of the road can be seen by the numerous Roman artifacts found in the heart of Sarajevo itself over the years. On the left bank of the Miljacka there were once found Roman bricks and an inscription indicating a construction yard and, nearby, a bathhouse. The biggest known settlement in the region however was known as Aquae S... (Probably Aquae Sulphurae) on top of present day Ilida.
The Slavs came to Bosnia in the 7th century, but details of their movement and settlement through the country remain a mystery. Some Slavic artifacts remain from the time however, and it is pretty much certain that they settled in the Sarajevo valley, replacing the present Illyrians. ''Katera'', one of the two original Bosnian towns mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus in De Administrando Imperio, was found to the southeast of Sarajevo. However, by the time of the Ottoman occupation there was little settlement left in the region, leaving the history of the Sarajevo region during the middle ages not well understood.
When Bosnia first appeared, it was based on Bosnia proper, which was basically the Bosna river valley, stretching from modern day Zenica to Sarajevo. The area of present day Sarajevo was part of the Bosnian province of Vrhbosna near the traditional center of the kingdom. Though a city called Vrhbosna existed, the exact settlement of Sarajevo at this time is debated. During the high middle ages various documents make note of a place called Tornik in the region. By all indications however, Tornik was a very small marketplace surrounded by a proportionally small village not considered very important by Ragusan merchants. Even the local fortress of Hodidjed, was defended by a mere two dozen men when it fell to the Turks.
Others meanwhile say that Vrhbosna was a major city located in the middle of modern day Sarajevo. Indeed, Papal documents say that in 1238, a Cathedral to Saint Paul was built in the city. Considering the importance of Saint Paul, this would have to have been a very important cathedral, yet none are quite sure where it is. Some have speculated that it was located in present day Sarajevo neighborhood Skenderija, as it is said that during construction in the late 19th century, there were found Roman style columns, dating to sometime around the 12th century.
Even disciples of the famous Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius had stopped by the region, establishing a church at Vrelo Bosne. Churches, like cathedrals, aren't built in the middle of nowhere, and especially not by disciples of the saints who brought Christianity to the Slavs. Perhaps a village existed on the outskirts of the city itself, near present day Ilida, one of the most attractive regions for settlement in the area, which had been significantly populated for pretty much every other period of its history.
Whether this city was indeed located at modern day Sarajevo or not, an important city called Vrhbosna did indeed exist at the time and the region was of great importance. Still, it is somewhat strange that the location of such an important city is unknown. It is not unlikely, that the city may have been destroyed sometime between the 13th century and the Ottoman occupation. It is a well known fact that foreign armies had often made their way to Vrhbosna in wars with Bosnia, perhaps one of them razed the city, leaving it in the condition that the Turks found it in the mid 15th century.
Sarajevo as we know it today was founded by the Ottoman Empire in the 1450s upon conquering the region, with 1461 typically used as the citys founding date. The first known Ottoman governor of Bosnia, Isa-Beg Iaković, chose the tiny local village of Brodac as a good space for a new city. He exchanged land with its residents (Giving them today's Hrasnica neighborhood in Ilida), and soon began building his provincial capital as he envisioned it. He quickly built a number of key objects, including a mosque, a closed marketplace, a public bath, a bridge, a hostel, and of course the governors castle (Saray) which gave the city its present name. The mosque was named Carova Damija (the Tsars Mosque, the Imperial Mosque) in honor of the Sultan Mehmed II.
With the improvements Sarajevo quickly grew into the largest city in the region. Many Christians converted to Islam at this time, as Ottoman reports from the period often tell of residents with Muslim names but of Christian named fathers, such as "Mehmed, son of Ivan". Meanwhile, an Orthodox population first appeared in Sarajevo at this time, as the Orthodox Church was built. A colony of Ragusan merchants also appeared in Sarajevo at this time. Soon after, in the early 16th century, the Sarajevo Haggadah came to Sarajevo along with Sephardic Jewish refugees from Andalusia. For the first time in its history, Sarajevo was the city of four religions. The Jewish population made note of this, naming the city "The European Jerusalem"
Under the wise leadership of people such as Gazi Husrev-beg (the citys greatest donor who built most of what is now the Old Town) Sarajevo grew at a rapid rate. Sarajevo became known for its large marketplace and numerous mosques, which by the middle of the 16th century were over a hundred in number. Numerous other buildings appeared, including religious schools, such as the school of Sufi philosophy. Gazi Husrev-Beg himself established a number of buildings named in his honor, such as the Sarajevo library which, in its prime, was in the same category as the Madrassa of Beyazid II.
Gazi Husrev-Beg also built the city's clock tower (Sahat Kula). Sarajevo became one of the most advanced cities in Europe. It had its own water system, clock tower, bathhouses, and schools. In a time when education was merely for the wealthy, and most Europeans considered baths to be unhealthy, Sarayliyas (Sa-ray-lee-yas, residents of Sarajevo) were among the cleanest and most culturally advanced commoners on the continent. A famous Sarajevan poet of the time wrote, ''"There it seems to man that he can live for a long time, for in a thousand places in Sarajevo flows water from the well of longevity"''.
At its height, Sarajevo was the biggest and most important Ottoman city in the Balkans after Istanbul itself. By 1660, the population of Sarajevo was estimated to be over 80,000. Comparatively, Belgrade in 1838 had a mere 12,963 inhabitants, and Zagreb as late as 1851 had a lowly 14,000 people. If Sarajevo's fortune would have prevailed until 1700, it would have been the 10th biggest city in Europe. Had its population continued to grow significantly during that period of time, it would have likely been the 7th largest, just under Rome and Milan.
This period of early Ottoman rule will be long remembered as Sarajevo's golden age. The 16th century was its peak, when nearly the whole city area (that would last until the late 19th century) was built. During the 17th century, Sarajevo didn't expand, although its population continued to grow. Its residents lived luxuriously, and Sarajevo was the richest city in the West Balkans after Dubrovnik. However the 1600s also brought the start of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. With the defeats at Vienna, the empire grew weaker, and along with the empire as a whole did its various regions. Although Sarajevo would remain prosperous until the very end of the 17th century, the latter half of it proved to be the beginning of the end.
