Badžijanis in Sarajevo and Bosnia

Abstract

The terms „badža, đulbadža, badž-kaduna or badžijanija appear in different meanings in the course of time. The term originates from the Turkish word „baci” with the meaning of elder sister. At the first time that term designated women in tarikat (dervish order) analogously to the term brother for the male members of tarikat. A tarikat feature of the expression „badž” was forgotten later but it revived in Sarajevo
and Bosnia in the second half of the 17th century. The author proves that a famous poet who wrote in Turkish and Serbo-Croatian Sheik Hasan Kaimija from Sarajevo (died in 1691/92 and buried in a special turbeh in Kula at Zvornik) who, as the rebel had to escape from Sarajevo, was the first one who established the association of women-dervishe. He transformed his house to the tekiya - vekilhana appointing his
wife to be „vekil” (sheik representative) there.

Later, the residence of „vekilhana” was moved to Hošin Brig at Sarajevo under the leadership of „đulbadža” who died probably in 1757/58. There are indications which point out to the existence of these women-dervishes also at Tuzla, Mostar and Banja Luka until the second half of the 18th century. They developed, among women, not only a greater degree of spiritualism but they
had an educational role as well. One of them founed Medresa at Tuzla. At Sarajevo, they belonged to the „Kaderi” tarikat. In common people’s religion of Muslims in Sarajevo the cult toward some women-badžijanijas existed until the beginning of the World War 2. The traditions about them are numerous too.