When I arrived through the airport in Sarajevo two weeks ago, it struck me that it was this same airport where the Yugoslav army abducted the former Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic during the war. It was this same airport that eventually fell under U.N. control as the parties to the conflict tried to seize and retain command of it. Since my driver was waiting to take me to Tuzla, I was quickly whisked away from Sarajevo. I knew that eventually, I’d come back to this city — a city that was brutally destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout history.

Last week, I had the opportunity to explore Sarajevo and all its glory, including its magnificent old Turkish quarters, the Ottoman inspired mosques and the 14th, 15th and 16th century old cathedrals, synagogues and churches.

This 16th century Orthodox church was located across from our apartment on Ferhadija street.

A glowing Roman Catholic church in the bascarsija.

This is Sarajevo’s stunning synagogue which stands right next to a mosque.

Inside the Gazi Husrev mosque. It occupies the entire block on the bascarsija. It is also an example of one of the most stunning works of Ottoman architecture.

My friend Shweta, another AP fellow who works at BOSFAM went along with me. You can read her story about our trip to Sarajevo as well. Check out the great snapshots that she posted on her blog.

We had a splendid time strolling through the bascarsija or the old city in Sarajevo.

There are about 40 small streets (carsija) which make up this beautifully covered market. The streets are named after the specific craft that was practiced in them.

The bascarsija market was built by Gazi Husrev-beg in 1555. Husrev-beg served as Sarajevo’s second governor of Bosnia in 1521. He was an effective military strategist, politician and the most notable architect of Sarajevo. Husrev-beg built many important cultural institutions in Sarajevo such as the city’s first library, the famous main mosque which is named after him, and a school for Sufi philosophy.

The bascarsija at night.

One of the best restaurants we dined at in Sarajevo was called Restoran Park Princeva. This is the view from the restaurant.

Restoran Park Princeva gave us a panaromic view of Bosnia. As Shweta and I ate, we both noticed how this country’s extraordinary beauty is sprawled with mass graves all across it. Bosnia has many compelling and competing ironies. You can find yourself, as Shweta and I did, at the intersection of so much beauty and horror. For many Bosnians, living in these contradictions is quite normal. As my neighbor said to me, what happened in the war happened. Now they want to “forget the past” and move on.

There were many bullet scattered buildings and homes that we saw in Sarajevo. Some people even tried to fill the bullet holes in with cement. These camouflaging efforts were useless because the bullet holes were still clearly visible.

We also visited the Tunnel Museum close to the Sarajevo international airport.

I learned about the tunnel that was dug by 150 Bosnian Army soldiers and volunteers in January 1993, a year after the war in Bosnia began. When it was completed it mid 1993, it was 800 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 1.60 meter high. The tunnel linked the city of Sarajevo which was entirely cut off by the Serbian military, with the “neutral” area at the U.N. controlled Sarajevo airport.

The Bosnian army used this tunnel to bypass the international arms embargo that was imposed on them. Weapons, food, and humanitarian aid were smuggled through this tunnel. As Shweta pointed out in her blog, the tunnel began from the garage of a house which still stands. Mr. Kolar, who runs the museum, was in the Bosnian Army at the time of the war. He opened it as a testament to the Bosnian people’s courage and resilience during the war.

The Kolar house.

I took a picture of many of the military honors and awards that Mr. Kolar won.

Visitors can walk through 20 meters of the tunnel. If you plan to visit Bosnia, you must see this museum!

Now that I’ve explored Sarajevo (at least partially), I would like to share a great song with everyone. It is called “Dabogda”. The video features the bascarsija and the many Ottoman reminiscent streets that Shweta and I walked through in Sarajevo. The famous Bosnian singer, Dino Merlin and Hari Varesanovic sing it. “Dabogda” is a single right now and everyone is playing it. Even Shweta is humming the song these days!