Baščaršija and Sebilj Fountain

Baščaršija is the old Ottoman bazaar and historic core of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, centred on Baščaršija Square, popularly called Pigeon Square. It grew from a trading settlement established in the 1460s under the Ottoman governor Isa-beg Ishaković and developed through the 16th century into a network of lanes organised by craft, with coppersmiths, saddlers, goldsmiths and leatherworkers each occupying their own street. Street names such as Kazandžiluk (coppersmiths) and Sarači (saddlers) still record this guild structure. Major fires, notably in 1697 and in 1879, destroyed large parts of the quarter, and the present buildings reflect rebuilding in both Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian periods. The Sebilj is a wooden pavilion-style public drinking fountain at the square's centre. The original was built in 1753 and stood elsewhere in the city; the current structure was designed by the Czech-born architect Alexander Wittek and erected on this site in 1891 during Austro-Hungarian rule, in a Moorish-influenced Ottoman style. Water from the fountain is drinkable, and tradition holds that those who drink from it will return to Sarajevo. Around the square stand the Baščaršija Mosque, the Brusa Bezistan, a covered market built in the 16th century, and the Morića Han caravanserai, along with cafés serving Bosnian coffee, burek and ćevapi. The quarter was damaged during the 1992-1995 siege and has since been restored and remains a living market rather than a museum. Its pedestrian lanes mix souvenir shops, working copper workshops and traditional eateries. Visitors typically wander the alleys, watch craftspeople hammer copper coffee sets, and sit by the fountain. Shops generally operate from around 08:00 to 20:00, while the streets themselves are open at all times and free to enter.