Bosnia Blog

Bosnia Blog…about travel and culture experience in sarajevo and beyond…

Archive for June 15th, 2006

Video: Damir Niksic’ “If I wasn’t muslim”

My Croatian friend, V. once said that among the ex-Yugoslavia, the Bosnians are most famous for their humors. I cannot comment on that since I have little command of the Bosnian language. "If I wasn’t Muslim" is a sarcastic song about being Bosnian Muslims in Europe, surrounded by Christian European neighbors (*). Again, I cannot [...]

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Video: Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24

Reader’s comment: “Christmas Eve” was inspired by a true incident in which a young couple — a Serbian boy and Muslim girl — tried to escape Sarajevo by crossing over that city’s one remaining bridge. “When the girl was shot and killed by a sniper, the boy refused to leave her and he got shot, [...]

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Video: “Burek:” a Dino Merlin’s crazy song

I will ask one of my friend to translate the Bosnian lyrics. The last time I talked to a religious Bosniak friend of mine, I got a "It’s too vulgar. He says everything about men and women, I can’t translate it to you." Hmm,make me wonder. Burek is the second popular fast food meal beside [...]

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Singer Sami Yusuf

A Muslim singer who lives in England. He is very popular here in Sarajevo, at least among the more religious Bosniaks. I really liked the song "Supplication" when I first heard it. I’ve always had a thing for music exotic Middle Eastern and Arabic elements. As a non-Muslim, I care little about the lyrics, however, [...]

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Photos: Gazi Husrev Bey mosque

Built in 1530/1 modeled after early Istanbul style. Is the most significant Islamic building in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The architect was a Persian, Adzem Esir Sli, the main architect of the Ottoman Empire at the time. This mosque was destroyed and restored a few times in the past. It includes the fountain (ssadravan), Moslem primary [...]

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Ethnic groups

There are three main groups who inhabit this country: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. The Bosniaks are mainly Muslims, the Croats are Catholic and the Serbs, exclusively Orthodox. There is a small fraction of the Bosnians who are not affiliated with any religious group, which is inordinary. A Bosniak friend of mine has an uncle who [...]

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