![]() The head end of the tombstone bore the coat of arms of the Sephardi family. The symbols present are universal sepulchral designs: a felled tree, a broken rose, a skull, hair, a torch on its side, an hourglass, the genius of mourning, Biblical scenes and so on. These large, heavy pieces of stone were intended to prevent anyone from moving or desecrating the grave. During the baroque period, tombstones were decorated in a similar style to the memorial plaques set in church walls. More highly finished examples consist of sarcophagi with gabled roof and stepped plinth. The care lavished by the Sephardim on their tombstones, even when living in exile, is evidenced by their cemeteries in Amsterdam, London, Altona and elsewhere. These tombstones often take the form of a slab as large as the grave itself. These tombstones follow the model of Spanish tombstones, and have nothing in common with those of Sarajevo. Traditional Sephardi tombstones are simple horizontal slabs or empty sarcophagi in shape, with incised epitaphs. The third gate is at the South West corner of the cemetery. The main, monumental gate is in the North wall, facing the city, and a smaller one on the opposite, South side of the cemetery. The Complex of Jewish Cemetery comprises the following: The exhumation of Geniza to determine its content is under way (Tauber, PP for the Commission). It is known that 14 crates of holy books were buried in the second burial ceremony. The first burial took place on 3 July 1916. It is supposed that "Geniza" (the grave for damaged books) is located in the southeastern part of the cemetery. It is typical of the Jews to "bury" damaged books and records in a separate vault known as a Geniza, as is also the case with this cemetery. In 1966, the cemetery was closed for burials. The complex also includes a big Ashkenazi ossuary built in 1962 after the exhumation of the old and the new Ashkenazigraveyards. There are more than 3,850 tombstones in a total of seven plots, along with four memorials erected to the victims of Fascist terrorand several cenotaphs. The burial complex lies on a steep site and covers a total area of 31,160 sq.m. The methodology was proposed as an example of work which could be used for other cemeteries, since the serial nomination should be based on common principles and methodologies. At the conference in Berlin in April 2011, the initiative and examples of Jewish cemeteries in European countries (Poland, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, etc.) and the cemetery in Berlin were presented with the methodology of recording the cemetery. There is no sound documentary evidence of the origins and development of the cemetery prior to the 16th century, but it may be safely deduced from information derived from the records of the Jewish community that it was founded in 1630.Īt the conference in Berlin in April 2011, the Jewish cemetery in Sarajevo was recognized as important cultural property which could be included in the serial nomination together with other possible partner countries.Īn initiative for a serial transnational nomination of Jewish cemeteries was proposed by ICOMOS Germany and the Jewish Community of Germany. Shortly after this, in 1558, the Hevra kadiša burial society was set up. Historiographical information suggests that the Sephardim settled in Sarajevo in several stages during the 16th century, and that the first Jewish community was established by around 1550. Following the Austro-Hungarian occupation, Ashkenazi Jews moved into Sarajevo too, and a year later, in 1879, they already decided to set up their own community and build a synagogue (Zlatar, pr. ![]() At the end of the 17th century in Sarajevo there were over 50 Jewish households (Istanbul, Maliyeden mudewer defter No 1439). Travelling through Sarajevo in 1659, the famous travel chronicler Evliya Çelebi noted that the Jews lived in two neighbourhoods ( mahalas) in Sarajevo (Čelebi, 1954, p.117). Its architectural style echoes that of their temples in the faraway Spain. In the late 16th century, the Grand Vizier Sijavush Pashabuilt a large caravanserai known as Sijavush Pasha’s Daira, which Jews called Kortiž. Somewhat later the Old Jewish Synagogue was built alongside itas the first sacral edifice of Sarajevo Sephardic Jews. Another surviving Sarajevo sijill dating from the 16th century, more precisely from 1565, refers to Jews as traders in fine cloth and fine leather ( sahtijan). The earliest documentary source referring to their presence is a document in the sijill of the Sarajevo court dating from 1557. Jews began to settle in Sarajevo in the early 16th century, at a time when the city was beginning to experience a rapid development (Zlatar, p. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |