FIRST ISLAMIC EPIGRAPHS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The Middle Ages spawned the first form of nišans (Islamic tombstones) from the early stage in our regions, and for this reason a strong tinge of medieval culture can be observed on them. To make elaboration of the topic easier, it should immediately be noted that the first Islamic epigraphs passed from Bosniak stećak (medieval tombstone) to the first nišans. In this new form, it was a natural continuation of medieval literacy and epigraphs which we find on stećaks. In the almost unchanged form, they found their place on the first nišans. Centuries-long culture of carving markings on tombstones was transferred to the first nišans. In this cultural intertwining the authentic local Bosnian nišan emerged, which preserved many elements of the past. Today, the preserved nišans from the early stage of their evolution reveal that they emulate the upright stećaks to a large extent. Unlike the medieval Bosnian stećak, which was made and horizontally laid in a form of a slab, chest and vaulted capping, our first nišans vertically rise on the edge of the tomb. For a long time, they preserved many medieval carving decorations that we meet on stećaks. It is the resemblance to stećaks of the first nišans that clearly indicates that influence of one culture cannot suppress another. This trend of making nišans emerged in the 15th century and lasted until the mid-17th century.

Nišans from the early stage are recognizable by vaults resembling those on stećaks, though a turban sometimes appears on them. From the cultural and anthropological aspect, using the medieval decorative inventory on the first nišans in the form of stone-carving works, where besides letters we find floral stylizations, anthropomorphic and animal representations directly links them with medieval stećaks. It is for this reason that in a low and high relief on the first nišans we find carved figures of the man, deer, horse, snake, bird, rosettes, spirally twisted ribbon, representation of hunting, sword, bow, arrow, flag, hand, apple etc. The first forms of Bosnian nišans had a completely same geographic orientation as medieval stećaks, and at many sites in our country they are found next to stećaks. The farther we go to the past, orientation of our nišans toward Qibla is not so clearly defined as it is today; rather, it is obvious that it rests upon medieval practice. Unfortunately, these details from our past are barely known to public at large. Besides big dimensions, distinctive shape and medieval decoration, our first nišans are also characterized by local medieval script Bosančica. On territories encompassed my medieval Bosnia Bosančica developed into a distinctive of the script. Today, the preserved examples of Bosančica on the first nišans are testimony of cultural intertwining and a distinctive transition between two cultures in our regions. Together with Bosnian language, Bosančica as a local script is transferred to new tombstones and headstones of good Bošnjans, which engendered the first local Islamic epigraphs. When we read inscriptions on the preserved examples of early nišans today, we can see almost no difference from inscriptions on stećaks. Thus, it is evident that stećaks and the first nišans preserved the same word morphology and syntax. On these two kinds of our local tombstone markings we find identical words, as well as sentences with which epitaphs begin and end.  

On medieval stećaks our ancestors inscribed a text which often underscored that it was their biljeg (tomb) or kam (tombstone). At the same time, they gave messages to future generations and data on who was buried there, which function he performed, when and how he ended his life. Sometimes they would also give their blessing in epitaphs and implores all of us who remained after them to care for and guard their graves. On stećaks, we often find a text where they cursed all those who would lay a hand on their tombstone marking. A completely same practice and formulation of inscriptions continued on the first nišans. As the best illustration, it suffices to cite such contents on several nišans. In Dumanjići near Rogatica, right next to a necropolis of stećaks, there is an Islamic cemetery with nišans from the early stage. One of them belongs to Sulejman Oškopica and has the following inscription in Bosančica: ASI BILEG SULIMANA OŠKOPICE. We can clearly observe that the term 'biljeg' was used for the fist nišans, same as for stećaks. By its form, the nišan of Sulejman Oškopica belongs to classical forms of early nišans which were made in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The next example of medieval pattern of the first local Islamic epigraphs is found on the nišan of Mahmut Branković. This nišan also draws origin from Rogatica, where the greatest number of preserved nišans with inscriptions in Bosančica have been found. The nišan of Mahmut Branković has been brought to the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is now a constituent part of medieval collection. One part of the inscription on the nišan reads: ASE BILEG MAHMUTA BRANKOVIĆA NA SVOI BAŠTINE NA PETROVU POLU (This is the tomb of Mahmut Branković on Petrovo Polje). This example of our sepulchral art also reveals a tinge of local medieval tradition, and thus besides Bosančica we also see the representation of a living being, sword, crescent, flag, apple etc.

At a time, the following names were widely spread in medieval Bosnia: Radin, Bogdail, Radilo etc. In the village of Čadovina near Rogatica the nišan of brothers Ahmeta and Hasan has been preserved; by all accounts, they were sons of Radilo, and it has a text written in Bosančica on all four sides. In one of his works Vladislav Skarić recorded that the following was inscribed on this nišan: HASAN I AHMAT DOVA RADILOVIĆA SINA. I U TO STARI HASAN UMRE. I ŠTA BIJAŠE UZUR (UZOR) ČOVEKE (ČOVJEČE) A ONACE (JUNAČE) ONAKA. I TOJ (TU) NE ROVO BRATA AHMETA VELIKE ŽALOSTI RADI PISAŠE. I DA JE BLAGOSLOVEN TKO ĆE POJITI. PROKLET KOJI ĆE PRIVALITI. (Hasan and Ahmet sons of Radilović. And then old Hasan died. And he was a model man and a hero. And his brother Ahmed wrote, grieved. And let the one who will sing be blesses, and cursed the one who will damage it). We find almost the same ending of inscription on the nišan of Mahmut Branković, where there is a blessing: DA E BLA(GO)SOVENA RUKA KOJA SIEČE I PISA (Let the hand which carves and writes be blessed). Since it is found near stećaks, the data provided by this nišan, where two brothers, Hasan and Ahmet, share a single tombstone, lead us to think that it is also a case of inherited medieval practice.

Continuing folk custom and culture of making nišans according to local pattern, the first forms of Bosnian nišans continued nourishing medieval literacy. It is by means of nišans from the early stage that medieval Bosančica entered the memorial culture of Bosniaks. Although it emerged in the Middle Ages, Bosančica remained in use until the 20th century. Until now, a total of eleven examples of the first nišans with inscriptions in Bosančica have been preserved. There were certainly far more of them in the past. In the field I saw that this area has not been sufficiently studies, and therefore this number should not be taken as final. Moreover, if I underscore that no records of sites with nišans from the early stage have been made, nor of combined necropolises with stećaks and the first nišans next to each other, we realize that only partial research has been conducted in this area. Besides the necessary field research, a serious multidisciplinary approach should be taken in the future, which would ultimately yield relevant scientific facts of the links which, as we can see, existed, and which have been suppressed and marginalized for a long. Until then, forms of early nišans will be a firm foundation for all future studies, as well as irrefutable evidence that local medieval population, by adopting a new religion, continued to nourish old tradition and their cultural patterns.