Bascarsija is the real pearl of tourist offer of Sarajevo, and in its very heart are steep settlement of Kovaci with their five living pearls who represent an increasing tourist attraction.
Reshad Strik, Husejin Dzirlo, Nermina Alic, Sulejman Hrgic and Haris Lagumdzija are dealing with old crafts and attract a lot of visitors to Bascarsija in a very special way.
Always smiling and with a hat on his head, Strik became one of favourite members of Bascarsija.
“People from all over the world are coming to have a good cup of coffee, and some of them are coming to see me too,” said Strik, and posters on the walls of his “Ministry of Cejf” witness his acting performances.
Another member of the fantastic five that revitalizes the old spirit of Kovaci and Bascarsija is Husejin Dzirlo, who opened one of the few teahouses in the region five years ago. The entire interior of the teahouse represents a combination of oriental and Bosnian style, and there is a sofa in the middle of the room where everyone is welcome to “take a seat” and drink one of more than 50 kinds of tea.
The only woman in the fantastic five is the only woman between coppersmiths, Nermina Alic.
She inherited the craft from her father, and she noted that preserving the tradition is very important and she is also proud to be able to give her contribution.
Just a few meters away from Nermina’s workshop, there is another specific workshop of the youngest coppersmith, as well as the great skateboarder, Sulejman Hrgic.
“When it comes to my looks, people are still giving me weird looks, because they cannot understand how I, a skater and an urban figure, can be engaged with an old craft. I think this is an ideal combination and I am grateful to God for the opportunity to learn this craft,” said Hrgic.
And the last member of the “fantastic five” is Haris Lagumdzija, who is known as a healer because he is dealing with traditional medicine methods.
“My job is also a certain kind of craftsmanship. It is more than 5,000 years old. I am very proud of the fact that we are all like one family here. This is a nice neighbourhood and ambience and tourists just love this street,” said Lagumdzija.
He also added that more than 3,000 people visited him in the past six years.
(Source: Faktor.ba/AA)
