Placed in the heart of Sarajevo, Bascarsija is full of craftsmen shops that are still preserving the spirit and nurturing the tradition of the good, old past times.
During the last thirty years coppersmith craft has unfortunately collapsed. The old traditions are being lost and the new generations of artists are coming, which is the reason why craftsmen today are mainly focused on the production of souvenirs.
However, this is not preventing young people to continue with their interest in this job and to keep the tradition and old customs. One of them is a 27-year-old Azra Hamzic from Sarajevo, one of the very few girls who decided to engage into the coppersmith’s craft.
Even though she is university-educated, and she will soon get the master degree, Azra says that this craft is her love and a job she decided to do. She has been working for the last 4 years, and she recalled how it all started.
“A few years ago, I volunteered in a charity where we were working on a project whose aim was to present B&H and Sarajevo in all its authenticity to the foreigners and our investors. I walked the streets of Bascarsija and came across a gentleman who recommended me to look for Ismet Huseinovic, a craftsman from one of the oldest families in Bascarsija – guardian of our traditions, history and customs. I came to his shop and saw him making decorative coffeepots, and whereas everything interests me I decided to try it by myself, “said Azra.
This job enabled her to meet many people and visit many countries such as: Germany, Croatia, Austria, Turkey, Dubai and the Ambassador of Malaysia in BiH invited her to visit this country as well.
