Sarajevo and its surrounding area have been inhabited since the Neolithic period, but the urban development of present-day Sarajevo can be traced only from the 15th century onward. From that period until the second half of the 19th century, the city developed under strong Oriental cultural influence. This historical development is most clearly visible today in the very core of the old town – Baščaršija.
Baščaršija is the main square and a commercial center of Oriental character around which the city developed. It represents the heart of Sarajevo’s craft, trade, and cultural life. Its name comes from the Turkish words baş meaning “main” and çarşı meaning “square,” “market,” or “bazaar.”
For centuries, various crafts operated in Baščaršija, organized into guilds. Each guild had its own specific characteristics, rules, and customs. Because of this system, Baščaršija became a symbol of craftsmanship in Sarajevo and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, while its artisans and masters were widely known for their skill and the quality of their work.
In Sarajevo, as in the rest of the Ottoman world, crafts were organized into guilds—associations of artisans of the same trade. These guilds had their own rules, codes of conduct, and endowments (vakufs). Such an organization ensured product quality, fairness in work, and mutual support among members.
To this day, many traditional crafts have been preserved in Baščaršija, including coppersmithing, goldsmithing, saddlery, dyeing, tailoring, cloth-making, and others. Together, they form a unique image of the city and its spirit.
The coppersmithing craft in Sarajevo has been known for more than 500 years. During the period of Ottoman rule, coppersmiths formed the largest guild in the city. This tradition was passed down from generation to generation and had deep roots in Oriental-Islamic culture, where craftsmanship, skill, and a refined sense of aesthetics in the production of functional objects were especially valued.
The most common products made by coppersmiths were household and everyday items such as ewers, coffee pots, shallow bowls, buckets, trays, and braziers. Coffee sets, copper trays, decorative plates, and engravings were particularly distinctive, often created using the repoussé technique, which involves hammering and embossing patterns into the metal surface.
In the past, coppersmith products were an essential part of every household, serving both practical and decorative purposes. With the development of industry and the appearance of enamelled and aluminium cookware in the 19th century, the coppersmithing craft experienced a decline, but it never disappeared completely. Coppersmiths adapted to new circumstances by focusing more on decorative objects, souvenirs, and artistic works inspired by traditional forms.
Coppersmiths were known not only for their work but also for their honesty. Their guilds operated under strict rules, a clear hierarchy, and a code of conduct. Apprentices spent many years learning and proving themselves before becoming journeymen and eventually masters. The master’s examination was a special occasion, marked by the presence of other masters and guild members.
At first, the craft was passed down within families, and later workshops were established where apprentices and assistants worked together. The street most closely associated with coppersmiths in Sarajevo is Kazandžiluk, which still bears the name of this historic craft today.
The coppersmiths’ guild also played an important social and humanitarian role. It supported its members in cases of illness, death, or poverty. Clear rules governed fair relations among craftsmen—competition was allowed, but care was taken to ensure that no master endangered another’s livelihood.
Today, coppersmithing is one of the few traditional crafts in Sarajevo that has been preserved in an almost original form. The products of Sarajevo’s coppersmiths have become a recognizable souvenir and a symbol of Baščaršija, and the craft continues to survive thanks to the efforts of several families who have preserved it for centuries.
The Bosnian language contains many words borrowed from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, including terms used to describe certain crafts and professions. One such word is kujundžija, which originates from the Arabic word kunudž and refers to a goldsmith or jeweler.
Goldsmithing, or the craft of the kujundžija, is one of the oldest and most esteemed trades. Goldsmiths produced gold and silver jewelry such as belts, rings, earrings, brooches, pins, clasps, diadems, and necklaces. Gold and silver jewelry played an important role in people’s lives, serving as a symbol of wealth, social status, and belonging to a particular social class, as well as being an essential part of a bride’s dowry.
Goldsmithing in Sarajevo developed a highly refined tradition. As early as the 17th century, kujundžije had their workshops in Kujundžiluk Street, today located between Baščaršija Square and Gazi Husrev-beg’s Bezistan. The street still bears the same name, testifying to the continuity of the craft.
In their work, goldsmiths used various techniques, the most renowned being filigree. Filigree involves intertwining thin gold or silver wires into intricate forms, often further adorned with precious stones. This technique required exceptional precision, skill, and a well-developed sense of aesthetics.
Learning the goldsmith’s craft was a long and demanding process. Apprentices spent years in training and practice before becoming journeymen, and only after extensive experience could they attain the rank of master. Knowledge and craft secrets were often passed down within the same families.
Goldsmiths produced not only jewelry, but also everyday items and religious objects such as lamps, decorative plaques, book covers, and items intended for mosques and churches. The goldsmiths’ guild in Sarajevo was highly respected, and goldsmiths were known for their honesty, quality of work, and mutual respect. Their honor and reputation were considered just as important as their technical skill.
The goldsmithing craft reached its peak in the 19th century, when Sarajevo was home to a large number of workshops producing items for both local and foreign clients. This tradition has been preserved to the present day through artistic goldsmithing and metalwork, forming an integral part of the city’s cultural identity.
Unlike crafts that relied on metal and leather as their primary raw materials, textile crafts in Sarajevo were less developed. This was likely due to the fact that textile trades in medieval Bosnia did not reach the same level of development as metalworking and leatherworking, which is why there is no strong pre-Ottoman tradition of this activity.
With the arrival of Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, textile crafts experienced solid growth. In Sarajevo, seven textile-related guilds developed. The raw materials used in these crafts were of both animal and plant origin. Animal materials included wool, coarse hair, hair from cattle hides, and spun silk, while plant materials consisted of flax, hemp, and cotton.
Cotton and silk were mostly imported, while the other raw materials were of local origin. A particularly important place among textile crafts was held by the tailoring trade. The term terzije referred to tailors—both women and men—who produced clothing from various types of fabric.
It is difficult to list all the products made by tailors, but among the best known are čaksire (trousers), fermeni, džemadani, džubete, libade, and hirke. Tailors were often highly skilled craftsmen, and their mastery was especially evident in the making of fermeni and džemadani.
The tailors’ guild also included arakdžije and čaprdžije, craftsmen who produced various types of caps made of leather and fabric. They were considered among the wealthiest artisans of their time.
Academician Hazim Šabanović (1916–1971) is considered one of the most important scholars who thoroughly researched and defined the archival heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. He records an interesting account related to a highly developed tradition of metal forging that is more than 200 years old, and he cites a passage attributed to Alibaba Kazi.
The quotation emphasizes the strong spiritual and moral tradition of the guilds, particularly the Islamic–Sufi foundation of craft education. Alibaba, as a spiritual and moral authority within the guild, addresses a newly appointed master and advises him on how to continue the craft tradition.
What follows is a lesson highlighting honesty, patience, hard work, the preservation of faith and moral values, and the rejection of quick and dishonest gain. At the end, the apprentice accepts these teachings, after which the tools are symbolically handed over to him with a warning to avoid what is forbidden (haram). The message is clear: a craft can only be practiced if it is done honestly and honorably, because morality is more important than the craft itself.
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