"The Feast of Sacrifice" or Eid-al-Adha

I didn't have anything monumental planned for today, but I decided to walk downtown to restock my groceries. In the distance, I heard the horns and drums of a small ensemble playing, but it didn't dawn on me. I kept walking, and then I remembered that my landlady was home, when I left...that was also unusual.

But I've never been one to deduce things from subtle clues that surround me, even though I love reading mysteries. It wasn't until I started passing darkened stores that I realized that today must be a holiday in Bosnia.

The Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid-al-Adha,  is a Muslim holiday that commemorates Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice Ishmael (Isaac) at Allah's (God's) command. (Isn't it funny how, most Americans see Muslims as strange, yet we share much of the same heritage?) It is considered the more significant of the two Eid holidays, the other being Eid al-Fitr, the "breaking of the fast" at the end of the month of Ramadan.

Eid-al-Adha doesn't fall on the same date of our (Gregorian) calendar every year, nor is it observed on the same date in each country.  It is traditionally celebrated by people attending mosque, dressing up and visiting neighbors, and slaughtering animals for a feast. Here is a Washington Post pictorial feature from last year covering two rural Bosnian communities' celebrations.

And here's a YouTube video from the Associated Press archive, showing Bosnians celebrating the holiday during the Siege era. Again this is twenty years old, as evidenced by the footage of  both Russian and American, peacekeepers who were part of  IFOR (Implementation Force) in Bosnia between 1995 and 1996. Another note about this clip: the man who appears in the mosque at the 25 second mark is Alija Izetbegovic, the first president of independent Bosnia, who died in 2003.

Sarajevo's Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral, with a "Sarajevo Rose" in the foreground, and the memorial to St. John Paul II to the right of the entrance. 

Sacred Heart Cathedral is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Bosnia and is located in Sarajevo's Old Town. It was built in the 1880s, but has been renovated/reconstructed on several occasions, most recently after the church sustained damage during the Siege.

The interior of the church is strikingly beautiful without being "over-the-top" ornate.

This wall painting by Ante Martinovic is a replica of the church's previous artwork.

It's quite evident by the two Sarajevo Roses (one directly in front of the entrance, the other at the base of the western wall) and the accompanying damaged marble at the base of the western exterior, that the church was targeted by Bosnian Serb forces during the Siege.

A "Sarajevo Rose" at the base of the western exterior wall of the cathedral, signifying the site of  civilian deaths by Serb shelling during the four year Siege of Sarajevo. 

The site is also known for the memorial statute of St. John Paul II located next to the entrance of the church.

This statue was erected in 2014, memorializing the Pope's two visits to Sarajevo. 

The church offers English-language masses at noon on Sundays.

FK Željezničar

The neighborhood of Grbavica is home to FK Željezničar, one of the two soccer teams that dominate Sarajevo’s soccer scene. The team derives its name from the railroad workers that founded the club back in 1921. In fact, there is a symbolic railroad engine parked on the edge of playing field. Grbavica stadium was partially destroyed during the Siege of Sarajevo, as it was on the front lines of the furthest Bosnian Serb advance into the city of Sarajevo. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mYf9GvrmgY

The stadium now has a reduced capacity of approximately 12,000, and looks like it has indeed, been through a war, but that shouldn’t affect the game, as the pitch itself looks pristine.

Bekric, an FK Željezničar midfielder prepares to take a free kick.

Željezničar has been one of the most successful clubs in the Bosnian Premier League’s relatively short history (2000-present) with 5 league championships, and 5 Bosnian Cups. This is also the club where former Manchester City, and current Roma striker Edin Dzeko started his career.

This year though, Željezničar is off to a slow start, with a record of 2-2-3, and only six goals scored, putting it in 8^th place. The squad is predominately Bosnian, including some players from the Republika Srpska, along with a few foreign players: several Serbians, a Croat, a young Italian defender on loan. They have just signed two new players: one Montenegrin, Markovic, and the other, Krizman, a Croat, both who would have an impact on today’s match.

Željezničar’s opponent is FC Krupa, currently in fourth place and the league’s most prolific scoring side to this point in the season, and as the game unfolds, it is easy to see why. Their number 9, Peric, is big, strong, and fast.

Before the start of the game, the crowd sang a rousing team anthem, with everyone in the stands holding their scarves high. This was followed by a minute of silence for a club legend, Josip Bukal (1945-2016). 

By the eighth minute, Krizman, one of FK Željezničar's debutantes, scores the first goal. The fan club, The Maniacs, have been singing the entire game, and get a little louder, but I'm disappointed by the lack of typical "ultra" fireworks...not a single flare! Maybe they're saving them for the upcoming game against their cross-town rivals, FC Sarajevo.

Meanwhile, about five yards from my corner of the pitch ground level seat,  a pair of 40-something youth team coaches, in their blue Željezničar tracksuits are shouting instructions to the ball boys, complaining about the refereeing, chain smoking, and repeatedly ordering coffee from the stadium vendor who carries a tank of coffee in a backpack equipped with a cup dispenser and long filler hose. It's really comical. If I knew how to turn my camera's flash setting to off, I would so photo-stalk these guys!

FC Krupa will tie the game with this penalty kick

Twenty minutes later, and nearly as many cigarettes, the massive forward for Krupa get sandwiched high and low by blue defenders in the penalty area,  earning a PK; which is converted.

The rest of the first half is rather uneventful, other than the unrelated five minutes of fireworks in sky just to the east of the stadium.

 As the second half starts, so does the rain. I'm sensing a pattern here: September means afternoon and early evening showers in Sarajevo, regardless of how sunny the day may have looked earlier. It does little to deter the chain-smoking youth coaches, who are now snacking on some sort of dessert between cigarettes. The rain only lasts fifteen minutes, but I'm glad the stands have a roof. 

Finally, in the 83rd minute, the other debutante, Markovic, volleys in the winning goal for the home team. Allowing team management to breath a sigh of relief that their recent signings are proving to be a good decision.

The winning squad thanks its loyal supporters.

Sarajevo's historic eastern heights

While my colleagues are frantically readjusting to the first day of school...I went trekking through the light drizzle, up the formidable plateau, located in the neighborhood of Vratnik, that protects the city from approaches from the East. I also passed through several of the ubiquitous cemeteries that swathe the Sarajevo slopes.

As the afternoon wore on, the 40% chance of rain became 100%. Drivers struggle to maneuver their cars up the winding, cobblestone alleys, with the spinning of tires as if they were on ice. Hobbling down the precarious narrow walkways with the occasional handrail lead me to wonder how on earth do people get around in snow and ice. It's difficult to capture how steep, uneven, confined and serpentine some of "streets" are. I almost expect to see wagon axle grooves in the walls of buildings.

The Šehidska cemetery consists primarily of graves dated from 1992-1995, the time of the Siege. It  is located at the based of the Yellow Bastion, (Žuta tabija) the remnant fortifications can be seen at top left.

At the entrance to the  Šehidska cemetery, this stone honors those who died fighting in the Bosnian war.

The western view from the Yellow Bastion. The actual historic site was strew with trash, though some people sat on the remnant walls taking in the panorama.

The Sarajevsko Brewery (red buildings with gold trim) and  immediately behind, St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery and Church. Is such proximity coincidence? I think not. During the Siege, the brewery continued to make beer, and was a primary source of drinking water for the city...I'm definitely going to research further.

To the right of the Miljaka River, the recently restored city hall, (Vijećnica) that had served as the city library until it was destroyed during the Siege, as seen from the Yellow Bastion. It made news headlines when it was destroyed, and again when Vedran Smailović, a cellist with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, played music in the ruins. This in turn was the inspiration for Steven Galloway's novel, "The Cellist of Sarajevo", as well as several pieces of contemporary classical music.

Not far from the Yellow Bastion, stands (barely) the ruins of the Jajce Barracks which was destroyed by Serb shelling during the Siege. The barracks was constructed during the First World War for Austro-Hungarian forces, and was later used as a hospital in the war.

Enroute to the Bijela tabija, looking west toward the city. This angle is rather deceptive, as the twin towers directly behind the destroyed barracks are at least 3 miles away.

A view of the Jajce barracks from just outside the White Bastion.

A view from the White Bastion.

The White Bastion, (Bijela tabija) dates back to medieval times, though most of the battlements that can be seen today where constructed in the late 19th century.

A view to the east from within the White Bastion. Steep valleys and a series of bridges lead to the vulnerability of any land invasion approaching to the city.

A view to the west from the White Bastion.

A view of the White Bastion from the steep northeastern slopes of the Sedrenik neighborhood.

Bosnia crushes Estonia 5-0 in first Russia 2018 qualifier

Bosnia handily defeated Estonia, asserting their dominance from the opening kickoff. HSV Hamburg defender, Emir Spahic put Bosnia in the lead the 7th minute with a header, Edin Dzeko put away a penalty kick in the 23rd minute, and the team added another three goals after halftime, while the anemic Estonia only forced two saves the entire game.

I had originally planned on attending this game until I realized that it was being played in Zenica, a 45-minute drive northeast of Sarajevo. Therefore, I opted to watch the game from the comfort of my Airbnb flat. When I asked a local why the game wasn’t being played in the capital, he informed me that none of the stadiums in Sarajevo meet UEFA’s international standards, therefore all the national team games are played in Zenica.

The current national squad consists of players who, all but one, play their soccer in other parts of Europe, with half the team playing league ball in either Germany and Italy. Probably the most recognizable players are Roma striker Edin Dzeko, Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic, and Chelsea’s backup keeper, Asmir Begovic.

Bosnia, which if one bothers to rely on the idiosyncratic algorithms of the fickle FIFA ratings system, is currently ranked 28th in the world. (As a point of reference, the USMNT is currently tied for 26th with a considerably weaker than normal Dutch side.) They are in Group F for the first round of European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, along with Belgium(2nd), Greece (surprisingly low-52nd), Cyprus (86th), Estonia (117th) and first-time entry, Gibraltar.

First place in the group earns an automatic trip to Russia, whereas the 2nd place finisher in the group phase plays a home-and-home against another 2nd place team to qualify. So this is a terrific start for Bosnia, giving them a healthy goal differential, which will be beneficial if they are tied on points at the end of the qualifying round.

First Impressions of Sarajevo

The Sebijl, an 18th century wooden fountain in Sarajevo's Old Town is a famous landmark and popular tourist attraction. Interestingly, my photo is devoid of the usual flocks of pigeons surrounding the area.

Walking the streets of Sarajevo I can clearly see why many observers call it a cultural crossroads. (They even have an East-West demarcation labeled in the street!)  It definitely has the feel of a merging of cultures, Ottoman-era structures stand next to modern glass buildings, interspersed with abandoned, board-up buildings; mosques and churches intermingled. 

Women sporting bare mid-drifts and miniskirts walk side by side with more modestly dressed women in a variety of coverings ranging from colorful hijabs to black niqabs, the latter only revealing the wearer's eyes through a narrow rectangular slit. (Here's an interesting NY Times piece on variations of what most Westerners call a hijab.) 

Besides Bosnian, I've heard German, Arabic, and Spanish as well, though English seems to be the "go to" language when waiters or shopkeepers identify someone as a foreigner.

Other random observations: 

• I know I'm vertically challenged at only 5"6", but Bosnian men seem like giants, and after a little trivia trolling on the internet, Bosnians indeed are among the tallest nationalities, with men averaging over a lofty 6 feet in height! 
• Cars tend to be much older and not kept as meticulously as compared to Germany or Italy, and there also seems to be fewer motorcycles and scooters.
• Sports-based gambling shops are located ever couple blocks. 
• Staring at cellphone screens is as ubiquitous and obnoxious an obsession here as it is at home. (Though I don't see much laptop/tablet/iPad use in cafes here.) 
• Television broadcasts here show many American movies, and television series with Bosnian subtitles. They also are plagued with cheesy talent shows and late night psychic hotlines.

Scooters are not nearly as prevalent as they are in Italy.