Sarajevo at Night [Part 1/3]: Stories from the Dark

This series started out with an idea for high quality, city, nighttime photography filled with traffic lights, fast moving subjects, life in the streets, and while I was editing the images turned out to be quite the opposite. The images were more a personal, in depth story of this city, the unique charm it has, and the transformation that begins within a city after the sun is long gone.

This is a multi part series. Other parts include:
Part One: Stories from the Dark
Part Two: Life in the City
Part Three: Far from the Lights

click on the images for a bigger view

Vilsonovo Lane is depicted on the next two black and white images, and it is a walking path along the river Radobolja, which floats through Sarajevo. The streets are closed off for cars after 5 o'clock in the day, and also on weekends, which makes for a nice walk. Also just near, there are National and Historical Museum with their belonging attractions, or Church of Holy Transformation so this area offers a lots of possibilities for a person desiring nature and culture.

Next we have the Ali Pasha Mosque. The Ali Pasha's Mosque was constructed in Sarajevo during 1560-61 as a vakuf (legacy or perpetual endowment) of Hadim Ali-pasha, the former Ottoman governor of the Budapest administrative district and the Bosnia Pashaluk. The night gave actually more sight into the structure and various knocks and crannies, hidden in the shadows. The mosque was built according to the classical Istanbul architectural style.

The night gave a rather beautiful glow to the Eternal Flame of Sarajevo. The Eternal flame is a memorial to the military and civilian victims of the Second World War in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The memorial was dedicated on 6 April 1946, the first anniversary of the liberation of Sarajevo from the four-year-long occupation.

Written behind the flame:

With Courage and the Jointly Spilled

Blood of the Fighters of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian,

Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian Brigades

of the Glorious Yugoslav National Army; with

the Joint Efforts and Sacrifices of Sarajevan Patriots

Serbs, Muslims and Croats on the 6th of April 1945

Sarajevo, the Capital City of the People's Republic

of Bosnia and Herzegovina was liberated.

Eternal Glory and Gratitude to the Fallen Heroes

of the liberation of Sarajevo and our Homeland,

On the First Anniversary of its Liberation--

a Grateful Sarajevo

The Bascarsija is the old town of Sarajevo. Baščaršija was built in the 15th century when Isa-Beg Isaković founded the town. The word Bascarsija derives from the Turkish language. The word "bas" which is "baş" in Turkish literally means "head" and "carsija" which is "çarşı" in Turkish means "bazaar" or "market". Due to the large fire in the 19th century, today Bascaršija is half the size that it once was.

Many restaurants and shops are located in this part of the city. In the night the warm colors of the shops filled the dark streets.

More images from nightly Sarajevo, await in part two. I hope you have enjoyed the stories thus far.

What does your city look like in the dark? Is it moody and secluded or fast and full of life? Or something in between...