ACCOMODATION AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ARE ORGANIZED BY SEDEF BOSNIA ORGANIZATION

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An excursion program will be organized on August 24-25 2017.

Sarajevo City Tour

Baščaršija

Bascarsija, also known as the Old Market, is not only one of the most important meeting and shopping centers in Sarajevo but also in all Balkans during the history. Famous Ottoman bazaar which was located in the center of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was founded in the 16th century. It still is in use today and the heart of Sarajevo. It was one of the main targets that Serbian army tried to destroy during the Bosnian War. Bascarsija, surrounded by the Ottoman Mosques, has a Han (inn), a madrassa and many hospices which were built by Gazi Husrev-Beg. Known as the Turkish region, Bascarsija has a very nice Sebil which has become the symbol of the Sarajevo. Also it consists of many buildings that are the property of the Gazi Hüsrev Bey Foundation.

 
Careva Mosque

It was founded by Isa Beg in 1457 as a gift to Fatih Sultan Mehmet Khan. The original mosque was built like a large complex, including a “palace” (the name of Sarajevo derives from Saraj), a bridge, a caravanserai, a hammam, a han, a mill, a tekke(lodge) and various stores. Its present shape with several additions was given in 1566, period of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. The complex was rebuilt during Abdulmecid, by adding a library and expanding the tekke. Ulema council was added to the complex in 1912. Considered one of the architectural masterpieces of Sarajevo, the mosque serves as the Religious Affairs of the Bosnia and Herzegovina today.

Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque

The mosque was financed in 1531 by Gazi Husrev-beg, the provincial governor of Bosnia, whose tomb was located in the courtyard of the mosque. It was built by architect Sinan. Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque is located in Bascarsija, which is considered the heart of Sarajevo. Popularly known as the “Bey's mosque“, it is one of the prominent example of the Ottoman architecture. Serbian army purposely targeted all the cultural and religious monuments in Sarajevo during Bosnian war. As the largest and best known, the Beg's mosque was an obvious target. The mosque was restored in 1996 in accordance with the Ottoman architecture. Complex of the Bey's Mosque consists of the mekteb (Muslim primary school) building, and the muvekithana building (for prayer calling).

Alipasina Mosque

One of the most beautiful cupolaed mosques, built in 1561 beside the tomb of the founder of Bosnian governor of the sandjak province (sandzak bey) Ali-pasha. He died in Sarajevo in 1557, and prior to his death in the sickbed, he dictated his testament ordering thereby a mosque to be built next to his tomb with the funds from his foundation, which was obeyed.

Gazi Husrefbegov Bezistan

Extending over a length of 109 meters along the streets of the same name, Gazi Husrefbegov bezistan was built according to an order by the Bosnian sandzakbeg Ghazi Khusraw Bey, from the 1542 to 1543 years. It has 52 shops arranged in two rows inside the building and a third series of shops on its outer side. It sells textiles, mainly imported goods.

National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 1888 during Austria-Hungary period. Following the founding of the National museum during the last century it has been able to collect and preserve a large part of the national cultural heritage of the country. The construction of the museum began in 1909 and was completed in 1912 and mansion type museum consists of a botanical garden located in the middle of four separate buildings. Botanical garden contains many endemic plants from Bosnia and all over the world. The tomb stones exhibition was open to the public on 1 October 1913. One of the most important exhibits in the museum is the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, the traditional Jewish book by the Sephardim brought to Sarajevo by his exile from Spain. Museum suffered from serious damage in the war between the years of 1992-1995.

Brusa (Bursa) Bezistan

With six-domed structure, Bursa bezistan is one of the most interesting architectural monuments in Bascarsija. It has rectangle-based architecture and contains entrance from four different streets. It is able to connect the streets of craft because of its occasion. It was built in 1551 by order of the Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha. The name Bezistan was derived from Bursa, where silk trade is famous.

Museum Alija Izetbegovic

Museum Alija Izetbegovic as an extension of the Museum of Sarajevo was opened four years after the death of the president, on 19 October 2007. Alija izzetbegovic and his monuments such as photos and personal belongings explaining his life and struggle were exhibited in Tower Ploca and Sirokac, known as Vratnik Gates towers which are old Ottoman fortress near to Kovaci Cemetery. Svrzo House, Glodina 8, Sarajevo Centre 71000 Svrzina House is one of the most important examples of traditional Bosnian architecture in Sarajevo. It is the best example of house remaining from Ottoman Period of Bosnia.

Roman Bridge

While Goat Bridge symbolically represented the eastern entry of Sarajevo, the Roman Bridge represents the western entry. This bridge, located on the Bosnia River, belongs to the architectural heritage of the Ottoman period. It was built between 1530 and 1550, and until today it has retained its original shape. The construction of the bridge was ornamented stones from the Roman period, that it why the bridge is better known as the "Roman Bridge". National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina Constructed in the period Austro-Hungarian Empire as a municipality building, it represents the architectural style of Bosnia and Herzegovina in that era. The building which was opened in 1896 served as municipality building until the end of the Second World War then served as the National Library. Burned and damaged building during 1992-1995 war in Bosnia has been restored nowadays.

Morića Han

In the 16th century also called "golden age" of Sarajevo, there were over 50 hans (Inns). Only Gazi husrev Beg han has survived until today. It was constructed as a facility that provided shelter and hospitality merchants and travelers in the first half of the 16th century. It fulfilled all requirements for a Han in those days: large enclosed square yard, storerooms and areas for horses on the ground,on the upper floor rooms for sleeping. Han had 44 guest rooms with 300 beds. It was burned in a fire in the 1957 then renovated in 1970s.

Sebilj ( Fountain)

Sebilj, which has become a symbol of the city, was built in 1891.The original Sebilj built by Kukavica Vizier Mehmed Pasha in 1754, which was located slightly below from the current location of the Sebilj was destroyed in the fire 1852.

Svrzina House

Svrzina House is one of the most important constructions which symbolize the culture, life style and philosophy of the period before Europeanization. Mansion which is a beautiful example of Ottoman life-style has interior courtyards surrounded by high walls, haremlik (the part of a house for women), selamlik (the part of a house for men), and interior decorations. It is one of the rare structures that have managed to maintain its authenticity.

Mostar - Blagaj - Pocitelj Tours

Mostar

Mostar is a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inhabited by 113,169 people, it is one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. In 1468 Mostar came under Ottoman rule and the urbanization of the settlement began. Following the unwritten oriental rule, the town was organized into two distinct areas: čaršija, the crafts and commercial centre of the settlement, and mahala or a residential area. In 1468 Mostar acquired the name Köprühisar, meaning fortress at the bridge, at the centre of which was a cluster of 15 houses. The town was fortified between the years 1520 and 1566, and the wooden bridge was rebuilt in stone. The stone bridge, the Old Bridge (Stari Most), was erected in 1566 on the orders of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman ruler. Later becoming the city's symbol, the Old Bridge (Stari Most) is one of the most important structures of the Ottoman era and perhaps Bosnia's most recognizable architectural piece, and was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. In the late 16th century, Mostar was the chief administrative city for the Ottoman Empire in the Herzegovina region. The Stari Most bridge: 28 meters long and 20 meters high (90' by 64') quickly became a wonder in its own time. The famous traveler Evliya Çelebi wrote in the 17th century that: the bridge is like a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to the other. ...I, a poor and miserable slave of Allah, have passed through 16 countries, but I have never seen such a high bridge. It is thrown from rock to rock as high as the sky.

 

 

Blagaj

Blagaj is a village-town (kasaba) in the southeastern region of the Mostar basin, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the edge of Bišće plain and is one of the most valuable mixed urban and rural structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, distinguished from other similar structures in its urban layout. Blagaj was most likely named for its mild weather patterns since "blaga" in Bosnian means "mild". Blagaj is situated at the spring of the Buna River and a historical tekke (tekija or Dervish monastery). The Blagaj Tekija was built around 1520, with elements of Ottoman architecture and Mediterranean style and is considered a national monument.

 

 

Pocitelj

Počitelj is a town in the Čapljina municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The historic site of Počitelj is located on the left bank of the river Neretva, on the main Mostar to Metković road, and it is to the south of Mostar. During the middle Ages, Počitelj was considered the administrative centre and centre of governance of Dubrava župa(county), while its westernmost point gave it major strategic importance. It is believed that the fortified town along with its attendant settlements were built by Bosnia's King Stjepan Tvrtko I in 1383. The walled town of Počitelj evolved in the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Architecturally, the stone-constructed parts of the town are a fortified complex, in which two stages of evolution are evident: medieval, and Ottoman.

 

 

Konjic

Konjic is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northern Herzegovina, around 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Sarajevo. It is a mountainous, heavily wooded area, and is 268 m (879 ft) above sea level. The municipality extends on both sides of the Neretva River. The town of Konjic, housed about a third of the total municipality population. The city is one of the oldest permanent settlements in Bosnia, dating back almost 4000 years; the city in its current incarnation arising as an important town in the late 1300s. Today, the population of Konjic municipality is estimated at 26,000 people.The area near the town is believed to be settled up to 4000 years ago, and settlements around 2000 years ago by Illyrian tribes travelling upstream along the Neretva River have been found.Konjic was earliest recorded by name in the records of the Republic of Ragusa on 16 June 1382. The town, being part of the Bosnian kingdom, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, of which the lasting feature for the town (apart from the many mosques and bringing of Islamic faith) is the Ottoman-inspired bridge which features in the town's coat of arms, and later into the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

 

 

Vrelo Bosne – Tunnel of Hope Visit
Vrelo Bosne

Vrelo Bosne is a public park, featuring a spring of the River Bosna, at the foothills of the Mount Igman on the outskirts of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vrelo Bosne, in the municipality of Ilidža, is one of the country's popular natural landmarks and provides a quiet escape from an otherwise busy city life. A Roman Bridge is located not far from Vrelo Bosne on the Bosna river in the Ilidža municipality, which was built sometime between 1530 and 1550 from the original Roman stones and ruins of the bridge that stood there during the Roman period used to connect the Romans with the village of Aquae Sulphurae at the time. Ilidža is also known to have been an archaeological site dating 2400–2000BC. The spring water at Vrelo Bosne is drinkable, however not recommended. On a typical year more than 60,000 tourists visit the park. The park is usually entered by foot or, for a reasonable price, by horse-carriage via the 3 kilometer straight main avenue (Velika Aleja) leading into it. The avenue itself contains traditional buildings from the Austro-Hungarian-era offering a peek into the luxuries of the past. The paths and roads inside the park are ideal for walks and bicycle riding and give the visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at the bubbling streams and waterfalls. Outdoor cafés and restaurants are available offering drinks and food but opening times vary from season to season. Typical animals are ducks and swans among others. During the Bosnian War the park was not maintained and trees were chopped and used for heating by the local citizens. In 2000 the park was restored to its former look by local youths led by an international ecological organization. Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is known to hold their training sessions at the Vrelo Bosne park. Team also stays at near by Hotel Hercegovina.

 

Tunnel of Hope (War)

The Sarajevo Tunnel was constructed between March and June of 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo in the midst of the Bosnian War. It was built by the Bosnian Army in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut off by Serbian forces, with Bosnian-held territory on the other side of the Sarajevo Airport, an area controlled by the United Nations. The tunnel linked the Sarajevo neighbourhoods of Dobrinja and Butmir, allowing food, war supplies, and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and allowing people to get out. The tunnel became a major way of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry. After the war, The Sarajevo Tunnel Museum was built onto the historic private house whose cellar served as the entrance to the Sarajevo Tunnel. Visitors can still walk down a small length of the tunnel (approximately 20 metres). The "house" museum exhibits archival materials including an 18-minute long movie, war photographs, military equipment, flags, military uniforms, and flotsam and jetsam. In 2004, local planning authorities were seeking funding for a "full reconstruction of the tunnel" and the "construction of museum buildings at its entrance and exit points". Regarding the museum's purpose Vladimir Zubić, deputy of the City Council of Sarajevo, noted that the museum is "a reminder of everyone, so that a thing like this tunnel, that provided the people of this city with the minimum subsistence, will never have to be used again. It will be a place where younger people will be able to study a part of our recent past and it will be proof that this part of our history will never be forgotten". The house and the land around Sarajevo Tunnel's entrance are owned by Bajro Kolar, a local man who runs the private museum. In a documentary about the Sarajevo War Tunnel, he talked about his reasons for turning the house into a war facility. He said, "whatever we have, we gave for the defense and liberation of Sarajevo." Having existed for 15 years without any governmental financial support, the museum is becoming one of the most visited sites of the Bosnian capital, with hundreds of daily visitors. Many guided tours in Sarajevo include the Tunnel Museum as one of the war sites most worth visiting in the city. The museum is open to visitors every working day from 9am to 4pm.