Bosniaks: Europe�s native Muslims

Bosniaks live primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a region of Serbia known as the Sandzak. They are the descendants of members of the Bosnian Church; a distinct form of Christianity which was aligned neither with Rome nor Constantinople. The Bosniaks left tombstones throughout the country called stecci which are found nowhere else on earth.

Stecci tombstones in the village of Dejcici, near Sarajevo:


At the beginning of the Ottoman Empire in this part of the world, Bosniaks were being targetted for extermination by both the Catholic forces of the Vatican and Eastern Orthodox missionaries from Serbia. This is why, historians believe, Bosnians converted so enthusiastically to Islam after being conquered by the Ottoman Empire. A sort of 'hiding between big brother's legs' response.

The oldest mosque in the Bosnian city of Bihac is a unique example of this process. It was converted into a mosque when the people of what was then a town converted to Islam. What makes the Bihac mosque so unique is, firstly, the original church was a Bosnian Church. Secondly, the church was converted into a mosque within a single lifetime of being built so many of the same people who helped build it certainly helped convert it:


It's interesting to note, however, that the Bosniaks fought off the empire almost 100 years longer than their neighbors in the region.

The Queen of Bosnia at the time, Katarina Velika (Catherine the Great), refused to recognize the Ottoman Empire, screaming "This is Bosnia and I am her Queen!" from the belltower of St. Luke's Bosnian Church in Jajce, the Bosnian capital at the time. It became a famous battlecry. Her heretical beliefs were forgiven by the Vatican and she was allowed to flee to Rome, where she died.

Jajce, Bosnia's old capital. The yellow arrow points to the old St. Luke's Church, where Katarina's body now lies. The pink arrow points towards the new St. Luke's Church, which will feature a museum of Bosnia's Christian heritage. The green arrows point to the city's most famous mosques:


Bosniaks were, for centuries, among the Ottoman Empires most dedicated supporters. They were the only Muslims in the whole of the Ottoman Empire to insist their sons be taken and trained for the Sultan's armies as well.

At the end of the Ottoman Empire, Bosniaks led the collapse in this region. The city of Gradacac became the center of the Bosniak independence movement which speak to Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania at roughly the same time. The leader of the Bosniak rebellion,  Husein-kapetan Grada�čević, cried: "God I fear slightly, the Sultan not at all, and the Grand Vizier no more than my own horse."

The Bosniak form of Islam was, and remains today, very secular, with strong Sufi and Hanafi traditions. It also has weak connections to the former Bosnian church, especially in terms of how Bosniaks bury their dead.

Bosniak's traditional burried their dead without any rhyme or reason. The separation of life and death was blurred, and bodies were placed on any patch of open earth - even in the middle of town:





However, it is also very spiritual. Surveys have shown that a large percentage of Bosniaks (78%) are "spiritually satisfied", the highest percentage of any people, of any faith, polled.

Here is a little look at Bosniaks, their fashion, their lifestyle, and their architecture...

The re-opening of the Sultan's Mosque in Plav-Gusinje, 2005:






Bosmal City Center, Sarajevo:


Marshall Tito Boulevard, Sarajevo:


Ferhadija Street, Sarajevo:


The red-tile suburbs of Sarajevo:


Graduation at the Tuzla Medresa, Tuzla:


Preparing a meal in Dejcici village, near Sarajevo:


Random shots of girls in Sarajevo by online nightlife sites:










Contestants in the Miss Bosnia 2005 pageant:




Selma Sejtanic:


Emina Jahovic:


Zvejzdana Sehovic:


Mariana Kvasina:




Irna Smaka, Miss Bosnia 2003:




More random shots from downtown Sarajevo:




























The village of Pocitelj:




Photo by Harun:


The Rimski Most, or 'Roman Bridge', Sarajevo:


The old East End of Sarajevo:























Edited by Mila

nice pics thanx,




btw bosnian girls are pretty

yeah a lot of bosnians moved to turkiya in 1878

thanks alot for the photos.. they're great...

Edited my first post with more pics and information.

Originally posted by Artaxiad Great pictures! Why don't don't the Muslim women wear the head scarf? Only the ones from the medrese are wearing them.

Veils here aren't considered a social necessity. For example, if a very religious Muslim man - say, even an Imam - saw a Bosnian woman wearing a veil downtown he'd wonder why. He'd think maybe she was going to a Medresa, or a relative had died, or she'd recently gotten engaged, or she was from a more traditional area of the Balkans, etc. His first thought would never be 'oh, it's a normal, Sarajevo-born-and-raised Muslim woman'.

Me, for example. I wear a veil to mosque, to weddings, to funerals, on important religious holidays, and that's about it.

Weddings are a time when women generally will wear a veil. But even then, it's short lived. These two photos are of the same bride, at the same wedding:

Edited by Mila

Now I need to put Sarajevo on my itinerary when I make my next trip to Europe. Thanks for the pictures. My mothers side of my family lived in Saray Bosna before emigrating to Turkey. That was back in the early 1900's.

Edited by Seko

GREAT PICTURES MILA  I HAVE LOT OF BOSNIAN FRIEND IN TURKEY.