For centuries, Sarajevo was occupied by Ottomans. The Ottoman Empire's stranglehold on modern day Bosnia-Herzegovina explains as to why there exists a majority of people who are of the Muslim faith. In the old town of Sarajevo, there exists a bazaar which is the remnant of the old Turkish Bazaar. Nowadays, artisans continue to sell metal and wooden crafts, along with souvenir items. The entire center of the city is comprised of cobble-stone steps. The most significant site in the old town is the wooden fountain.
The wooden fountain sits at one end of the old town, and from there on, one can stroll through artisan shops, kebab restaurants, Turkish coffee lounges, etc. It was extremely pleasant to have Turkish coffee with friends while staying warm from the rain. Mainly, seeing the difference between Sarajevo (characterized between legacies of two former empires) and another capital city like Belgrade (characterized by old communist architecture), was absolutely astonishing.
Outside of the old town, one can begin to see very different architectural styles. Mainly, the buildings resemble classical western architecture. Many of the buildings look as though they belong in Vienna, for example. This contrast is due to the fact that in the 19th century the Austrian-Hungarian Empire took control of Bosnia.
The history that lines the streets is extremely interesting. For example, it was absolutely fascinating to see the site where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on June 28, 1914. This precipitated World War I, which in turn was one of the main reasons for the outbreak of World War II. I went into the small museum dedicated to this momentous event. Basically, the museum had some remnants of Austro-Hungarian press which reported the killing, the murder weapon, and a model of the murdered Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia.
In Sarajevo we visited the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Court and Parliament. The State Court was extremely interesting as they handle war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina. For the most responsible and high priority perpetrators, there exists the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. That court handles cases of notorious figures like Ratko Mladic or Radovan Karadzic. However, their mandate is slated to end by 2013. All other cases of war crimes are handled by courts of the individual countries of the region. These courts are highly sophisticated and are under the advice and training of the international community. Thus, some of the judges are international. We spoke to two American judges who talked about the difficulty of such cases. They added that the courts function on a hybrid of common and civil law systems. Most international judges will end their tenure there soon, as they are passing responsibility along to Bosnian judges. The court itself was very modern and functioned effectively. After speaking to other outside figures, I found that many respect the work of this court and see that it is needed in order for Bosnia-Herzegovina to push forward.
The Parliament was a really interesting experience as well. We received a tour of the building, which is quite modern and renovated. The chambers of Parliament are quite impressive. One especially, stuck out to me. It was a completely white room (named the "White Chamber") that looks rather futuristic. And the back wall is all glass. Behind there stand journalists during sessions. In this room we spoke to a couple members of Parliament (MPs). They spoke about a variety of issues such as national identity, the constitution, foreign policy, etc. It is important to note that the MPs belonged to the SDA (Party of Democratic Action), which is a multi-ethnic, yet predominantly Bosniak, party. They MPs stressed the need to adopt a national identity and stop identifying as Serb, Croat or Bosniak. They stated that they believe in advancing the Bosnian identity in order to bridge ethnic divides. Also they stated that their number one foreign policy goal is acceding to the EU. However, they recognize that it will take time and considerable reforms. Most notably, they acknowledged that the constitution as written in the Dayton Agreement, is not legally acceptable for the EU. This is the due to the fact that it only allows for Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks to become President, which discriminates from other groups (Roma, Jewish, etc.). Efforts have taken place to reform the constitution, but have failed thus far. In the end, I believe that the country is extremely divided among ethnic lines and there is no political will to push strongly for a national identity. And also, constitutional reform will not be easy, as domestic politics is extremely divisive as well.
All in all, I loved Sarajevo. It is a very diverse and fascinating city. The history that has passed through the streets of Sarajevo is extraordinary. Events in this city brought about WWI, and more recently in the Bosnian War, the city was laid siege by Bosnian Serb forces on the hills surrounding the city. One can still see remnants of the siege on many old and unreformed buildings. In conclusion, I wish to come back some day and explore the city more extensively. I hope to try more of its food (Cevapi is delicious!), meet more of its people, and understand more of its complex history. I will return one day, inshallah.
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