Several new documents about waqfs left by great Sarajevo philanthropists hajj Hasan and hajj Mehmed Meddibesarević in the 17th century

Abstract

Based on previously unpublished court documents, the work describes two forgotten Sarajevo philanthropists, a father and his son, hajj Hasan and hajj Mehmed Meddibesarović from the 17th century whose endowments were a powerful and dynamic force in the economic, social and cultural growth of Sarajevo immediately preceding and during the aftermath of Eugene of Savoy’s sack of the city in 1697. Through a comparative analysis of various documents from the second half of the 17th and the early 18th century, the author proves that these were two benefactors, and not one as previously thought and written. The author also presents his new findings: The endow- ments by hajj Hasan and hajj Mehmed Meddibesarević were not linked to Bakir-babina mosque in Atmejdan. Instead, hajj Hasan had his mosque and muallim-hana built before 1658 in Kučuk Katib mahalla, popularly known as Nadmlini, and endowed 1.290.000 akçes in cash for their upkeep. Using three manuscripts stored in Gazi Husrev-begova Library, the article makes an important discovery: the existence in 17th century Sarajevo of the Meddibesarević madrasa, which perished in 1697, but was never restored before its memory gradually fell into oblivion.