Sarajevo Memorial Plaques from the Ottoman Age

Abstract

Among the numerous and diverse monuments from bygone times in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo memorial plaques from the Ottoman period represent a characteristic phenomenon and practice. Ten of them are mentioned in sources and literature. Their purpose was to preserve and bring back memories of the life and work of those who, with their spirituality and learning, testified that they were worthy of the vocations they had (sheikh and mufti), those who were the pride of the class to which they belonged (mudarris, sitte-qadi, muallim), those who measured up to the role that was given to them at a particular historical moment and who showed exceptional courage and heroism (bayraktars), those who rose in rebellion (the Morići brothers), those who were aware of the goals for which they had made sacrifices and the honor they had earned (nakibul-eshraf) and those who spent their youth and childhood in this city and withered like a bud in it (mula’s and wali’s son). They were usually placed in the harem (courtyard) wall facing the street in order to be seen by those who pass by, to be read by those who stop in front of them, to be remembered by those who receive edification and to be kept in mind by those who walk further through life.