Brusa Bezistan

BRIEF DESCRIPTION


In the very heart of the old town of Sarajevo, connecting the craft streets of Kundurdžiluk, Veliki Čurčiluk and Mali Čurčiluk with Abadžiluk and the bazaar, Brusa Bezistan is located. Brusa Bezistan was built in 1551 by Rustem Pasha, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Bezistan got its name from the Turkish city of Bursa, from which the silk that was sold in Bezistan was brought. Back then, in Brusa Bezistan, along with silk, household items and smaller furniture were sold. The Brusa Bezistan symbolizes Ottoman architectural mastery. It is unique by its six domes which create an ambiance of times gone by, connecting past and present. The Brusa Bezistan talks about strength and the meeting of cultures, endured so many years of wars and natural disasters. Although today it is a museum showcasing the rich history of Sarajevo, one can still feel the lively trade that took place there.


What We Love About This Place

What makes Brusa Bezistan quite unique is the appearance of the structure that provides an entrance into one of the most vivid memories of the town of Sarajevo. Residents value it not just as a monument, but as an embodiment of their rich history of Ottoman culture. Even today, the debel stone arches transport one to a time when traders used to yell at each other to strike deals over exquisite silks days. Nowadays it is beaten up by frequent museum visitors, but the atmosphere of the former Brusa epidemic is still very much present. Brusa Bezistan’s display is another achievement that combines history and advocates today’s Sarajevo. In summer, the exhibitions typically engage the surrounding streets, and this strikes most of the exhibition participants; one moment you are in Brusa Bezistan contemplating an exhibition, then the next you are enjoying a warm open-air concert or a busy terrace of a local bar. There is a perfect mosaic between the new and the old. People do not see history as something that is locked in an archive, but as an integrated part of their lives. Today people find such a balance pretty appealing and, together with guests of the cities, enjoy their history serving them Aspen-like waves.

This Place is Important Because

Brusa Bezistan has a special place in the hearts of Sarajevo’s people and is not only an ancient monument. It was built in the sixteenth century in the epoch of Ottomans Empire. It was located at the place where merchants came to sell silk and other bests which increased significance of the city on routes from East to West. It was a place for people of different cultures, languages, ideas to come together. In the context of its time, Brusa Bezistan is the cultural architectural heritage of the Ottoman Empire. Its unique domes and thick stone walls and arches are the evidence of craftsmanship of the time. For current day, in the role of a museum it preserves the past of the city of Sarajevo showing numerous remnants of the history from Medieval, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian period. For the local people, it is a living connection with the past, a space that has accounts of strength, endurance, and integration of cultures. It is still a meeting point for people from all roles of life. Its historical significance encourages both the local people and the guests of the city because of the coverage of several strains of history.

Special Tips

During their visit to Brusa Bezistan, guests are advised to take a slow walk within the stone hallways, look at the six domes that once protected bustling traders. Real beauty, however, is in decelerating and properly visualizing how it used to be, feel the strongness of the years that have passed with looking on the floor. The main advice is to not hurry up and to deeply admire all the details. Another attraction is the small museum located inside. It might be overlooked as a trivial place, but it has enormous value since it possesses rare items like Ottoman structures and ancient coins which narrate the complexities of Sarajevo’s history. In order to understand this better, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine a trip here with a walk over Baščaršija. If you are a curious traveler who wants to dine like a local, there’s a great place for you to stop after going around Brusa Bezistan. It’s a coffee shop where you can enjoy a cup of traditional Bosnian coffee, one that much of the locals love. It’s an excellent opportunity to enjoy everything at a comfortably slower speed and really take in the local environment. You may even be privileged to see a local artisan using age-old skills that have been in their family for years and remember that the story of Sarajevo is written not only in books and exhibited in museums but is always there, everywhere, around you.

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