On the Ajvatovica plateau above Prusac, the central ceremony of the “511th Days of Ajvatovica” event was held yesterday, attended by thousands of visitors, and a message was sent that the identity and tradition of Bosniaks will live on for centuries.
Ajvatovica represents the largest Muslim pilgrimage site in Europe, and even though the 511th event was held yesterday, the exact year since this religious event was marked, whose beginning is related to Ajvaz-dedo and his story, is not known. Preservation of tradition, identity, and pointing out the permanence of Bosnia and Bosniaks is the main message that was sent this year from the pilgrimage site above Prusac.
Ahmed Effendi Adilovic, the mufti of Travnik, stated that Ajvatovica was significant for the identity of Bosniaks and that it was banned in the period when it was worked on it to cause the disappearance of Bosniaks from this area.
“Since the 1990s, this event has been organized again and it will stay like this. It reminds us who we were, who we are today, and who we will be in the future. Due to the many influences of globalization, it is important to know that 550 years ago we were peaceful and honest people, that we lived with everyone and that we never caused problems, ” told Adilovic and added:
“Even today, despite the severe wounds after the aggression, we advocate coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and claim that this is the united state as it has been for hundreds of years without taking anyone’s right and demanding that everyone’s right be respected. BiH can be a stable and prosperous state. If everyone works on it, BiH will prosper. Through this event, Bosniaks must know what their tradition is, what their identity is, who is their people and nation, what is our language, because through all this we confirm it, even though it is being denied nowadays. “
Before the bayraktars and imams passed by, several thousand visitors from all over BiH passed through Ajvaz-dedo’s rock, and one of them is Sefik Okic from Sjenina near Doboj, who said that his chest was full of pride when he came to Ajvatovica.
“This is my fourth time coming here, by God’s decree we are here, and the story of Ajvaz-dedo is known to all of us. Our chests are full of pride because all of this is a part of us,” Okic said.
In the past 11 years, a frequent visitor at Ajvatovica is also Kemo Osmanovic, who is also from Doboj and believes that only by coming here and preserving this event can partly preserve the tradition.
As part of yesterday’s program, a mosque was opened at the Ajvatovica plateau, whose construction was financed by the Turkish municipality of Bursa, and the mayor of Bursa, Alinur Aktas, attended an event at Ajvatovica yesterday which was enhanced by the performance of members of the Turkish military orchestra Mehter, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
