The Sarajevo Haggadah and the city of four faiths: the back story

About The Sarajevo Haggadah and the city of four faiths: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sarajevo Editorial Team

The National Museum’s most famous treasure is a small book: the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 14th-century illuminated Jewish manuscript whose survival is one of the great stories of European culture.

From Spain to Sarajevo

The Haggadah, the text read at the Passover meal, was made in Catalonia in the 14th century and is richly illustrated in gold and colour. After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, it travelled with its owners around the Mediterranean, and it reached the National Museum in Sarajevo in 1894.

Saved twice

During the Second World War, the museum’s librarian Derviš Korkut, a Muslim scholar, hid it from the occupying forces. In the 1990s it was again protected in a bank vault and survived the siege.

One small book tells the story of a whole city’s tolerance.

The Sephardic city

Sephardic Jews arrived in Sarajevo in the 16th century and lived around the Velika avlija near the bazaar. Their Old Synagogue now houses the Museum of the Jews of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Ashkenazi Synagogue across the river is still in use.

Where to see it

The Haggadah is displayed at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, usually in a special room; check whether it is on view during your visit, as display arrangements vary.

Our advice: visit the National Museum for the Haggadah, the archaeology and the stećci in the garden, then go to the Museum of the Jews in the old town and walk to the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the Old Orthodox Church and the Catholic cathedral, all within ten minutes of each other.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Sarajevo Haggadah and the city of four faiths: the back story before you go.