MUSAFIRHANA: A “LIKEABLE” WELFARE-CHARITY INSTITUTION

Musafirhana, the Bosnian adjustment of the Arabic-Persian coinage (Ar. musafir – traveler; Pers. hane – house, home), refers to the guesthouse (lodging house) or a residential building for lodging or a short stay of travelers, primarily poor ones, on a free-of-charge basis.  

Hamdija Kreševljaković believes that musafirhanas and imarets are some of the “most likeable institutions which Turks brought to our regions” (Kreševljaković, 36). Musafirhanas are welfare-charity institutions where travelers and the poor were provided with free lodging, typically for three days and, if they had a horse as a means of transport, food for the horse. Some Musafirhanas were constituent part of larger complexes with the imaret (public soup kitchen), and some were independent. They were mostly built at smaller centers.

Musafirhanas were used by travelers regardless of religious affiliation. Poor citizens and villagers also took care of travelers. In town neighborhoods and villages they would share costs and build a small building (lodging house) for travelers' accommodation, and provide food alternately, taking turns. By the mid-19th century, there was one house of the kind in Sarajevo, called čiftekonak, with two departments, for men and for women (Kreševljaković, 37).

Musafirhanas were also built by Catholic and Orthodox monasteries. Musafirhana of the Franciscan monastery in Fojnica is well known, and there were musafirhanas by other monasteries in Bosnia (Kreševo, Kraljeva Sutjeska, Olovo and Srebrenica) and by Orthodox monasteries on Ozren, Paprača, Lomnica, Tavna etc.

The first musafirhana in Bosnia was established by the founder of Sarajevo Isa-beg Ishaković in 1462, next to the tekke at Bentbaša; it consisted of three houses, a stable, a fenced yard and, according to vakufnama (deed of endowment), travelers were given free-of-charge soup and bread. The founder left behind the necessary assets for financing and functioning of this charity institution. Pursuant to provisions of the founder, the first musafirhana employed: manager (shaykh), a cook, a doorman, an officer for preparation of wheat, a storage guard (Kreševljaković, 37).

Musafirhanas could be found in many cities and by roads. Travnik had a particularly large number of musafirhanas, and Kreševljaković writes that the last musafirhana in Travnik, which was funded by the Teskeredžićs, ceased activity after 1918. Musafirhana in Fojnica is also well known (Salihagić house in Fojnica); even today, on its roof, there is “a sign by which a traveler knew that he had free lodging there”, and the sign resembles a wooden minaret positioned in the middle of the rooftop (Kreševljaković, 45). Stolac has a well-known Šarića musafirhana, a waqf of the well-known Stolac waqif Silahdar Husein-pasha from the famous family of Stolac captains Šarićs. Silahdar Husein-pasha commissioned building of 10 shops around the musafirhana, and rent from them ensured food for travelers and maintenance of the musafirhana.

Musafirhanas were typically founded by rich people as part of their respective waqfs, and they would endow assets for their maintenance. The facility had several rooms for lodging, a stable, a kitchen, barns for wheat, a woodshed etc.

Care for travelers and charity for travelers are some of the important and strongly highlighted recommendations of Islam. From the standpoint of obligatory religious rituals, Islamic legal thought discussed in detail and defined the traveler (musafir) as a “person who embarks on a journey from his place of residence to another place ˮ about 90 km away; such a person is granted religious and ritual reliefs on the journey, which include shortening of obligatory namaz (daily prayers), exemption from the obligation of Ramadan fasting on the road etc. Besides, Islamic regulations highly value and strongly encourage charity to travelers and making their journey easier. It is based on these Islamic recommendations and strong incentives that many charity and welfare institutions of Islam were developed, including care for travelers, which is confirmed by the development of a system of musafirhanas and lodging houses for travelers and their means of transport. If one bears in mind difficulties and dangers of traveling at the time when these institutions were developed, one can more thoroughly understand what these institutions meant for travelers of the time and for communication between people.

Reference:

• Kreševljaković, Hamdija (1957), Hanovi i karavansaraji u Bosni i Hercegovini, Naučno društvo NR Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajevo