A look at Bosnia

[Desert Fox]

Beautiful thread brother. Bosnia is a great country. Allah swt bless you.

Let me tag some friends who may be interested.

@ghazi52 @Hakikat ve Hikmet @Itachi @Psychic @Nein @Moonlight @Azadkashmir @Mangus Ortus Novem @Desert Fox @Crusher @bsruzm @PakAlp @airmarshal @graphican @Musings @Waqas @nascar 42 @Old School @Starlord

Thanks for the tag brother.

Bosnia is definitely on my list of countries to visit.

 

[Elvin]

The second update has very interesting information. I was wondering why the capital seems familiar, it does have resemblance to Turkish cities. The european aura along with muslim architecture. This mix is indeed very interesting and shows best of both the worlds east + west.

I see Pan said ey vallah, is that term used in Bosnia too?

I don't think people use it commonly. However, I wouldn't be surprised

I will focus on the newer areas of the city. Here we can see modern and socialist era architecture.

Jewish Synagogue

Catholic Church:

Former Protestant Churhc, but it has been converted to the academy of fine arts:

This house named "Inat Kuca" translates to "Spite House." A century ago, the city wanted to build the city hall, and the owner of this house refused to sell his house and land. The city and the citizen couldn't agree on the terms. Therefore, the man requested that they tear down his home, and rebuild it brick by brick across the river. The city accepted the challenge and today the same house exists, but on the other side of the river. Therefore it is known as the "Spite House."

Here we have a typical Mosque in the new area of the city:

 

[Elvin]

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Do most Bosnian religious scholars get trained in Turkey?

 

[Elvin]

Do most Bosnian religious scholars get trained in Turkey?

There are Medresas throughout Bosnia, many of them were built 400+ years ago and they educate most of the Imams and Scholars. However, there are Bosniaks that go to TR and some even went to Cairo to do their studies.

Sarajevo:

Medresa in city of Tuzla:

Medresa in the city of Mostar:

Medresa in the town of Travnik:

There are many more

 

[Clearly]

Super impressed with the developed outlook of the city. Looks structured and doesn’t look dark/gloomy which seems to be a negative about most europa countries.

 

[Elvin]

Let's continue getting to know Sarajevo more!

Sarajevo was the host of the 1984 winter Olympics, it has many beautiful mountains around the city and some great ski slops and resorts:

Vucko- the official mascot of the 1984 winter olympics:

Here are the resorts of today:

 

[Elvin]

Some Nature:

 

[Elvin]

Traditional Bosnian Houses:

One of the biggest natural lakes in the country:

I have read that Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian are three regional names for one and the same language, don't know how accurate this information is.

All three are official languages of Bosnia, however, Bosnian is spoken by 55% of the population. The difference are primarily grammar and punctuation oriented. Accents (the way you say the words and speak them) are different. Serbian is written in Cryllic, while Bosnian and Croatian is written in Latin.

For example, the work song and Summer in all three languages:

Song
Bosnian: Pijesma
Serbian: Pesma
Croatian: Pisma/Pijesma

Summer:
Bosnian: Ljeto
Serbian: Leto
Croatian: Lito/Ljeto

There are numerous such differences, couples with pronunciation and accent. However, the Bosnian Serbs (i.e. Bosnians who follow the Serbian Orthodox church) speak Bosnian and claim they speak Serbian. However, when they go to Serbia everyone calls them "Bosnian" as soon as they start speaking lol. Kind of ironic and sad.





Croatia is a bit odd because certain region of Croatia speak completely differently (i.e. Dalamtia vs. Northern areas). The North is similar to Bosnian, but the south is different.

One worthy fact to mention:

Bosnian was codified by in 1631 while Serbian was codified in the 17th century)150+ years after Bosnian.

 

[Elvin]

Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia, beautiful to say the least. Arguably the most beautiful city in Bosnia

 

[Pakistansdefender]

Let's continue

Bosnian is regionally famous for it's "Burek," however, Burek in Bosnia is a sub dish of the "Pita" family and it can only be made with meat. Unlike our friends in the region and Turkey, Burek typically stands for all types of Pita, but in Bosnia it only stands for the one made with meat. We call it the king of Pitas:

My personal favorite (Zeljanica) Pita with Spinach and Feta Cheese:

An of course the National Dish of Bosnia: Cevapi also known as Cevapcici:

These delights are made from beef and spices. They are stuffed into a bread which soaks up the juices from the Cevapcici and puts you into a taste coma. They are typically eaten with onions and Ajvar (Crushed Pepper), however lately people add many other things to it. After eating this expect to have "killer" breath (you've been warned).

Here we have a dish named "Bosanski Lonac" with meat, potatoes, carrots, etc. all slow cooked to perfection:

Here we have "Bosanska Sarma", a common meal in the Balkans and the ME, however they are slghtly different from region to region. In Bosnia it is typically made with soured cabbage stuffed with beef and rice, slowly cooked with a nice sauce to dip your bread into (common thing )
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Here we have "Grah sa suhim mesom," basically beans with beef jerky that is made by people themselves or their neighbors (it tastes great especially the beef jerky gives it a kick).

Bosnian people love their "Dried Meats" people dry all kinds of meats and we are somewhat popular for that. Our neighbors from Serbia and Croatia don't want it unless it's "Bosanska" lol. We cut these in very thin slices and eat them with home made bread (that is all you need). Some people add olives or cheese.



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Let's go back to Sarajevo for a little bit. Even though Bosnia was part of a couple of very powerful empires (i.e. Ottoman and Austro-Hungaria) it always managed to put it's identity into the buildings. For example, the national library (former city hall) has the Bosnian Lillium (national Symbol of Bosnia) on top:

Bosnian Lilly: Since the Kingdom of Bosnia, and throughout it's history one symbol appears to have always been present and that is the Bosnian Lillium, this beautiful flower is native to Bosnia and is part of the Lilium bosniacum species.

Early Symbol of the Bosnian Kingdom with the Lily:

Bosnian Coat of Arms during the Austro-Hungarian empire:

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1991) flag:

These are fox tail lilies. Not fleur di lis, which actually means flower of iris.
The symbolism might contain it.

 

[Nefarious]

That lake with islands like mini carribean

 

[Elvin]

Bosnia's derby, two largest football clubs clash..

 

[Elvin]

Some more pics of the beautiful city of Mostar in Southern area of BIH:

One of the main buildings of the United World College campus in Mostar. This school is home to students from all over the world. Once graduated, students typically get scholarships to some of the best Universities in the US, EU and Asia.

 

[masterchief_mirza]

Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia, beautiful to say the least. Arguably the most beautiful city in Bosnia

No wonder you fought tooth and nail for your country. It's absolutely stunning.