''Gazi Husrev-beg's bezistan'' is one of the preserved

bezistan A bedesten (variants: bezistan, bezisten, bedestan) is a type of covered market or market hall which was historically found in the cities of the Ottoman Empire. It was typically the central building of the commercial district of an Ottoman town or ...

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, from the Ottoman period in the history of the country. Built in 1555 in

Baščaršija Baščaršija (Cyrillic: Башчаршија; ) is Sarajevo's old bazaar and the historical and cultural center of the city. Baščaršija was built in the 15th century when Isa-Beg Ishaković founded the city. Baščaršija is located on the n ...

, ''bezistan'' still serves its purpose - trade.

History

Bezistan is part of the endowment of

Gazi Husrev-beg Gazi Husrev-beg ( ota, غازى خسرو بك, ''Gāzī Ḫusrev Beğ''; Modern Turkish: ''Gazi Hüsrev Bey''; 1480–1541) was an Ottoman Bosnian sanjak-bey (governor) of the Sanjak of Bosnia in 1521–1525, 1526–1534, and 1536–1541. He w ...

. It was built in 1555 in the immediate vicinity of the Kuršumli Madrasa, the Bey's Mosque and the Clock Tower, with which it is connected by an eastern entrance. It is rectangular in shape with entrances, which border the 109 m long street in which small shops are located. Gazi Husrev-beg Street (also called ''Zlatarska'') runs parallel along the bezistan. Dubrovnik craftsmen took part in the construction. Due to the slightly lower temperature achieved by building below the level of the surrounding streets, the original purpose of the bezistan was to trade in groceries. This still makes shopping on warm, summer days enjoyable. With its appearance, Gazi Husrev-beg's bezistan is reminiscent of the Kapali Bazaar and bezistan in Istanbul or souk in the cities to the east.

National Monument

Gazi Husrev-beg's bezistan has been declared a

national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: * sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis ...

. The decision was taken by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments at its session held from 4 to 11 September 2006, composed of: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović (Chair), Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik. In addition to the ''bezistan'', there was also the Tashlihan, which was built at the same time as the bezistan, also as the waqf of Gazi Husrev-beg. It suffered great damage in the fire of 1879, and the last walls of the Taslihan disappeared in 1912.

Gallery

File:GaziHusrev-beg'sBezistanSarajevo.JPG File:Gazi Husrev-Bey’s Bezistan (marketplace) (6086716410).jpg File:Sarajevo - Gazi Husrev-begov bezistan (49090126528).jpg

Literature

*Ahmed Mehmedović, ''Gazi Husrev-beg i njegove zadužbine'', Sarajevo 2005. *Behija Zlatar, ''Zlatni period Sarajeva: Prilozi historiji Sarajeva'', Institut za istoriju, 1997. *Alija Bejtić, ''Ulice i trgovi starog Sarajeva'', Sarajevo 1973.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 43.8586, 18.4279, display=title National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina Buildings and structures in Sarajevo B Baščaršija Ottoman architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina