From the everyday life of Ottoman Sarajevo companionships and amusements

Abstract

The article presents different forms of amusement and leisure during the Ottoman period by giving concrete data related to Sarajevo. It is based on written historical sources composed by contemporary persons. The sources provide concrete material about the ways in which citizens satisfied their needs for companionship and amusement. In terms of their organisation, parties and gettogethers are divided into three categories: those promoted by the state centre, outings which reflect local society even though they did not differ from those taking place in the imperial centre or in other parts of the empire, and finally parties created by individuals or citizens’ groups. The article shows how this way of living, as a culture of living, was incorporated into the local knowledge about Bosnia.