In the Kakanj settlement of Crnoč, under the foot of the forest, there is a house built over 700 years ago, during the Ottoman rule. It still defies the time, in the same shape. The only change was the placement of roof tiles instead of stone plates, the replacement of beams in the attic, and a new color of the façade. Essentially, everything stayed the same.
“The house was made of stone and adobe. It seems that it has no choice. Although, when you see it, you think it will collapse at any moment. A Turkish soldier who served in Bosnia fell in love with my late great-grandmother, married her and built a house,” said Zumra Džider, owner of the house.
Džider has another house in Kakanj where she lives during winter, but as soon as the spring comes she is in this house.
“I do not want to change anything that was built so long ago and served its purpose all this time. Windows in the kitchen are in the same form as seven centuries ago. The kitchen is really big, while other rooms are quite small. The porch also has its function,” Džider said.
Several wooden stairs lead into the house and Zumra’s husband Mehmed Škulja warns the visitors to bend their heads, so that they would not hit their head on the beam.
“We have our own water in the basement. The water is specific because it is ice cold in the summer and somewhat warmer in the winter. One pot is always in the well. People paid attention to everything back in those days. They built a well in the basement, and then they built the house. Practically everything is at your fingertips,” Mehmed Škulja added.
(Source: avaz.ba/photo: avaz.ba)
