The domestic and the oriental in the material cultutral heritage of Bosnian-Herzegovinian muslims Cover Image

The domestic and the oriental in the material cultutral heritage of Bosnian-Herzegovinian muslims
The domestic and the oriental in the material cultutral heritage of Bosnian-Herzegovinian muslims

Author(s): Džemal Čelić
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Orijentalni Institut u Sarajevu

Summary/Abstract: After the acceptance of Islam, Bosnians and Herzegovinians did not break their earlier cultural and civilizational streams off. On the contrary, long lasting symbiosis started between the existing, autochtonous culture and Oriental- -Islamic influences. That symbiosis was visible in the intellectual and even more in the material sphere of cultural heritage of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Muslims. Medieval art of old Bosnian pre-Islamic tombstones (stećak) continued to exist in Islamic nishan-tombstones which could be found in more than hundred sites. Epitaphs on that tombstones were written in vernacular called “Bosnian language” (bosančica). Oriental-Islamic form of bashlik-tombstones, with Arabic-Islamic epigraphy, started to prevail during and after the 16th century, but the difference between tombstones still existed in some regions. Regional differences were especially visible in architecture, with three basic regional characteristics prevailing: Medieval-Bosnian, Sarajevo-Foča region and Herzegovinian, as well as with lot of transitional areas and appearances. Valualbe heritage of Ottoman-Islamic architecture was mainly on the decline from the 16th century, and the beginning of the 17th century. But, the number of monuments was limited to about thirty mosques and hardly the same number of other buildings. All other monuments, i.e. over 1000 mosques, the majority of public buildings, all the private houses, trade and handicraft places, although being under the influence of Orient and Islam, belonged to native regional schools of architecture. Housing architecture was based both on native and Oriental influences: in Central Bosnia prevailed houses in form of closed cube with high and inclined four-sided pavilion roof, in Herzegovina stone houses with low, flat roof, in Sarajevo and Foča houses with open hayats (porches) and spacy open divanhanas (anterooms), covered with low pantiles roof (direct influence of the East, but the roof was unsuitable to weather conditions). Basic characteristics of dwelling architecture were transfered to mosques and other public buildings. Bosnia developed its own type of wooden minarets in more than 70% of mosques, while Herzegovina mainly changed minarets for wooden tower in the style of late Romanticism. Other forms of art like wall painting, wood carving, processing of metal and textile, produced an outstanding results by combining Islamic-Oriental and native motifs. All these facts gave the proof that native man did not surrender but enriched his creativity with the influences coming from the Islamic East.

  • Issue Year: 2002
  • Issue No: 50
  • Page Range: 353-364
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English