Sarajevo
The library was founded in 1537 by Gazi Husrev Bey, the governor who did more than anyone to build Ottoman Sarajevo, as part of the endowment of his madrasa.…
The library was founded in 1537 by Gazi Husrev Bey, the governor who did more than anyone to build Ottoman Sarajevo, as part of the endowment of his madrasa. It is one of the oldest libraries in the Balkans and one of the most important collections of Islamic manuscripts in Europe, with works in Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, Persian and Bosnian. During the siege of 1992-95 its staff moved the manuscripts from one hiding place to another and saved the collection, while the National Library across the river burned. Since 2013 it has had a purpose-built home just behind the Gazi Husrev Bey Masjid, with reading rooms, conservation workshops and exhibitions that visitors can see.