Seeing Bosnia Through Its People: How Old Photographs Preserve a Living History

History often arrives in the form of dates, battles, borders, and political turning points. But the truest record of who we are usually survives in quieter places: in family albums, studio portraits, wedding snapshots, market scenes, school photographs, and the small, unposed moments that rarely make it into textbooks.

Early Bosnia: A Diverse Landscape and Historical Crossroads

Bosnia is a land defined by rugged terrain, from the dense forests and verdant pastures of central Bosnia to the arid, rocky expanses of western Herzegovina. Crisscrossed by largely unnavigable rivers, the region's geography has historically provided both refuge and isolation. Situated between key migration routes—the Dalmatian coastline and the lowlands stretching from Belgrade through … Continue reading Early Bosnia: A Diverse Landscape and Historical Crossroads

Celts, Goths, Illyrians, Slavs and Ancient Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mountainous country. The terrain ranges from the dense forest and lush upland pastures in north-central Bosnia to arid and gaunt landscapes in western Herzegovina. Throughout history, the land that comprises modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina attracted many peoples and tribes. Today, the people speak a Slavic language, but the remnants of a diverse past remain.

The Sarajevo Haggadah

The Power of the Sarajevo Haggadah

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the Sarajevo Haggadah is its seemingly everlasting power to connect people. Not just people across the Seder table, although judging from its wine-stained pages, it did that, many times across the years. But more than that, its power to connect people from various backgrounds in the celebration of life. … Continue reading The Power of the Sarajevo Haggadah

Baščaršija – Sarajevo’s beating heart

The bascarsija is Sarajevo's historic and cultural center as well as a fully functioning market that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Pocitelj – the ancient city carved out of sun-drenched cliffs

Looking at the pale grey, sun-drenched stones from a distance, one is reminded of Tolkien's mythical city Minas Tirith. This is no fantasy, however, but very much a real-life place, steeped in thousands of years of history and tradition. Pocitelj is located in the Capljina municipality in the southern portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, directly … Continue reading Pocitelj – the ancient city carved out of sun-drenched cliffs

Why Our Yearly Trip to Bosnia Is so Important

Like a flock of migratory birds, Bosnians all over the world look forward to summertime with great yearning. It means the smell of cevapi and lamb over coals, the sight of family and friends that were only available over phone and computer monitors for most of the year, and the sounds of the mosque’s call … Continue reading Why Our Yearly Trip to Bosnia Is so Important