Muslim Old Town

The Muslim side of old town Sarajevo has a lot of bazaar stuff and little shops.  There are many brass smiths, too.  The second photo of this series is from inside the coffee shop we stopped to get warm in.  Also, by the fountain, there are huge numbers of pigeons.

Madrasa Museum

We visited this museum, not knowing what it was when we entered.  The Larsons had not been in it either, so it was new to all of us.  The original structure was built in the 1500's and was used as a school.  There is still a school right next door to it, run by the same organization that built this.  There were some textiles in there, and it was interesting to see.  There was also a video describing the history of the place.  It was definitely worth the watch.

Religious Monuments

All from outside their boundaries, here are some photos of churches and mosques in the old part of Sarajevo.

City Ruins

These ruins are right across from the main hotel in Sarajevo.  They think these are from an early bazaar in old town.  For now, there's not much happening.

Handmade Jewelry

I picked this up at the winter bazaar at the embassy.  I need a chain for the pendant.

A Walk Around Sarajevo

We went to Sarajevo for Thanksgiving a couple of months ago.  It was a good, if short, visit, and we took a walk around the town with the Larsons on that Friday.  The museum in the top picture is of the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand, which started World War I.

In The Courtyard

The building at the bottom is the chapel that holds all the frescos.  Outside of the roof, it is original fourteenth century construction.  You can tell it was autumn because of all the red leaves on the mountains.  The top building is one of the outer, sheltering buildings of the monastery.  It is next to the entrance gate and portcullis.  The only way to get to this monastery is to go through the UN checkpoint at the front.

To The Ceilings

The ceilings have a lot of decoration, too.  I was disappointed, though, that the embroidery was obviously machine...

Up The Columns

The chapel columns are covered in frescoes resembling tapestries.  Now that they've been cleaned, they're beautiful.  Even the ceilings are decorated.

In The Sanctum

These photos are of Decan monastery's inner area.  For a long time, this area was barred off from all but monks and priests, as in most Orthodox churches.  The Orthodox churches are opening up more now and making things more accessible to worshippers.