On the initiative of the Sarajevo Museum, the “Bosnian Rug” has been included in the Preliminary Open List of Intangible Cultural and Historical Heritage of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the Preliminary Open List of Intangible Cultural and Historical Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In partnership with the Regional Museum of Travnik and Bosnian rug researcher Amila Smajović, an application with complete documentation was submitted for registration with the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport.
Since 1949, the Sarajevo Museum has been collecting, studying, preserving, publishing, and presenting the social, economic, and cultural history of Sarajevo from ancient times to the present.
Within the Ethnological Collection and in the museum annexes Svrzo’s House and Despić’s House, the Sarajevo Museum holds a significant collection of Bosnian rugs, which have been documented, cataloged, and professionally described with photographs.
This achievement places the Sarajevo Museum among the largest Bosnian and Herzegovinian museum institutions that preserve and professionally elaborate the complete ornamentation, symbolism, materials, and other unique aspects of the Bosnian rug.
Inclusion on the list allows for the institutional recognition and protection of the Bosnian rug as a cultural asset.
The Bosnian rug represents one of the most authentic forms of material and spiritual creativity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a textile combining functional, aesthetic, and symbolic dimensions, it was not only an object of everyday use but also a bearer of collective memory, family identity, and the cultural continuity of the community.
The Sarajevo Museum, together with its partners and relevant state authorities, will work on fulfilling the requirements and criteria for the inclusion of the “Bosnian Rug” on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the museum announced.
