Sarajevo is capital and cultural centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it lies in the narrow valley

of the Miljacka River. Before Ottomans invasion the area of present-day Sarajevo was part of
the medieval province of Vrhbosna, which is near the centre of the Bosnian medieval kingdom.
In this Vrhbosna province two places are mentioned, first was place called Tornik, small village
very important by Ragusan merchants, and second place was Hodidjed medieval fortress which
was defended when it fell to the Ottomans. This province was occupied by the Ottomans in
1429. Present-day Sarajevo was founded by first known Ottoman governor of Bosnia, Isa-Beg
Ishaković, who choose this place for a new city and his new residents. He built a number of
key objects, mosque, market place, public bathe and governor’s castle Saray, and place was
named after his castle Sarajevo (field under castle), that is what all Ottomans governor did
when they conquer new region. The first mosque was The Imperial Mosque in honour of Sultan
Mehmed II. Sarajevo quickly grew into the largest city in the region, and became one of the
most important city for the merchants. Under the Gazi Husrev-beg Sarajevo became known for
its large market place and lots of buildings, including mosques, religious schools, and clock
tower (Sahat Kula), and Sarajevo became one of the most advanced cities in Europe. This
period, the 16th century was golden age for Sarajevo, city continued to grow, and it’s residents
lived luxuriously. After Ottomans war defeated against Austrian Empire in Battle of Vienna,
Prince Eugene of Savoy in his raid in 1697. Where city was without any defence, he burned
the city. Sarajevo after that had to start rebuilding, and Bosnian government centre is
transferred to Travnik till 1850. When Bosnian Vilayet was occupied by Austria-Hungary in
1878. This period of Sarajevo history was characterized by industrialization, development, and
social change. In 1880s city architects and engineers desired to modernize Sarajevo, and the
result was a unique blend of the remaining Ottoman city market and contemporary Wester
architecture. For the first time in centuries, the city expanded outside its traditional borders,
The central municipality was constructer during this period. The largest and most
representative building of the Austro-Hungarian period in Sarajevo is Sarajevo City Hall. The
end of the Austro-Hungarian rule was ended in the most famous event in the history of Sarajevo
its Assassination in Sarajevo during which Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz
Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, and started a chain of events that would lead to
World War I. After WWI, Sarajevo became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and centre of
first the Bosnian region and after that Drinska banovina, during World War II, Sarajevo vos
conquered by the Independent State of Croatia. After the war Sarajevo was liberated by
partisans led by Josip Broz Tito became capital of the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, they invested heavily in Sarajevo, bulding
many residential blocks, and developing the city industry and transforming Sarajevo into one
of the biggest and the important city in the region. The crowning moment was the Winter
Olympics in 1984. Whit the declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from
Yugoslavia the city became the capital of the new state in 1992. The following three years
Sarajevo being the centre of the longest siege in the history of modern warfare. Many of the
cultural sites was destroyed in the war. After the war, the next several years were a period of
heavy reconstruction.