Sebilj in Sarajevo

Sebilj
Sebilj
	The Sebilj in Baščaršija
General information
Location	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Completed	1753, destroyed by fire in 1852, reconstructed 1891
Design and construction
Architect	Mehmed Pasha Kukavica born in Foča

The Sebilj is an Ottoman-style wooden fountain (sebil) in the centre of Baščaršija Square in Sarajevo. The original Sebilj was built by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1852. It was reconstructed by the Austrian architect Alexander Wittek in 1891, and was relocated to its present site several metres away from the position of the earlier structure. According to local legend, visitors who drink water from the fountain will return to Sarajevo someday.

Replicas

Various cities have or had replicas of Sarajevo's Sebilj:

Belgrade, Serbia: donated by the city of Sarajevo in 1989 as a gift ahead of the 9th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Birmingham, United Kingdom: A public art piece based on the Sebilj was unveiled in 2008.
Novi Pazar, Serbia: also a gift from the city of Sarajevo, made in 2010.
St. Louis, Missouri, United States: donated by the Bosnian community to the city of St. Louis for the city's 250th birthday in 2014.
Bursa, Turkey: built as a symbol of friendship between the city of Bursa and the city of Sarajevo.^{[citation needed]}
Rožaje, Montenegro: built in 2018
Utica, New York, United States: built in 2025 by local Bosnian American association

References

↑ Clancy, Tim (2007). Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bradt Travel Guide. ISBN 9781841621616.
↑ Steves, Rick; Hewitt, Cameron (10 July 2018). Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia. ISBN 9781641710060.
↑ "Sebilj Fountain". Tourist Organization of Belgrade. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15.
↑ "Sebilj na Skadarliji". Nesvrstani.rs, Museum of African Art, Belgrade. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
↑ "Sebilj: An Arabic word for a kiosk-shaped public fountain". New Generation Arts. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009.
↑ "Project B: sebilj". Oxford Brookes University. Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
↑ "Project B: sebilj". Axis.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ A1 portal (2018-12-10). "Sebilj-Fontana iz perioda Osmanlija". A1-Net Novi Pazar (in Serbian). Retrieved 2025-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ "Sebilj Groundbreaking". St. Louis Bosnians.
↑ "Sandžak: Sebilj od danas ukrašava centar Rožaja". Miruh Bosne (in Bosnian). 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
↑ Lewis, Zach (2025-11-06). "Community to Celebrate Opening of Traditional Bosnian Fountain in Utica". WKTV NewsChannel2. Retrieved 2025-11-07.

External links

[1] Clancy, Tim (2007). Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bradt Travel Guide. ISBN 9781841621616.

[2] Steves, Rick; Hewitt, Cameron (10 July 2018). Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia. ISBN 9781641710060.

[3] "Sebilj Fountain". Tourist Organization of Belgrade. Archived from the original on 2013-10-15.

[Nesvrstani.rs-Sarajevo-4] "Sebilj na Skadarliji". Nesvrstani.rs, Museum of African Art, Belgrade. Retrieved 1 February 2024.

[5] "Sebilj: An Arabic word for a kiosk-shaped public fountain". New Generation Arts. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009.

[6] "Project B: sebilj". Oxford Brookes University. Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-04-10.

[7] "Project B: sebilj". Axis.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[y208-8] A1 portal (2018-12-10). "Sebilj-Fontana iz perioda Osmanlija". A1-Net Novi Pazar (in Serbian). Retrieved 2025-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[9] "Sebilj Groundbreaking". St. Louis Bosnians.

[a516-10] "Sandžak: Sebilj od danas ukrašava centar Rožaja". Miruh Bosne (in Bosnian). 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-07.

[o510-11] Lewis, Zach (2025-11-06). "Community to Celebrate Opening of Traditional Bosnian Fountain in Utica". WKTV NewsChannel2. Retrieved 2025-11-07.