Baščaršija is Sarajevo‘s old bazaar and the historical and cultural center of the city. Baščaršija was built in the 15th century when Isa-Beg Isaković founded the city.

Baščaršija is located on the north bank of the river Miljacka, in the municipality of Stari Grad. On Baščaršija there are several important historic buildings, such as the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and sahat-kula. Today Baščaršija is the major tourist attraction of Sarajevo.

Etymology

The word Baščaršija derives from the Turkish language. The word “baš” which is “baş” in Turkish literally means “head”, in some contexts however also “primary”, “main”, “capital”, and “čaršija” which is “çarşı” in Turkish means “bazaar” or “market”.

The suffix ‘ja’ (modern Turkish: ‘(y)a’) means ‘to’ in Turkish, meaning the full name of the district translates to ‘to the main bazaar’ in Turkish. However, it is more likely that the ending -ija is a Bosnianism, as many Turkish loanwords have the same ending to conform to Bosnian grammatical rules. In the nominative case, the place has always been referred to in Turkish as “Başçarşı” only, without “ya”.

Important buildings

• Emperor’s Mosque
• Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
• Morića Han
• Old Church
• Old Synagogue (Stari Hram or Old Temple), home of the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• New Synagogue (Novi Hram or New Temple), home of the Novi Hram Gallery
• Vijećnica