SHAHID NIŠANS – WITNESSES OF CENTURIES-LONG TURBULENT PAST

Although the practice of making nišans (Islamic tombstones) in accordance with the social status of the deceased person came into use in the mid-17th century, one kind of Bosnian nišan has this significance from its early period. It is the shahid nišan, which has changed its appearance over the past but has never changed its meaning. There is almost no place in our country where this kind of nišan cannot be found. It is interesting to point out that in our country shahid nišans were made from the 15th to the 20th century, which clearly shows that this whole period was permeated with conflicts and that there were no longer periods of peace in this timeframe. During the entire period of Ottoman rule over Bosnia, western border leant on this region, and such a geographic contact was often the reason for many war conflicts and socio-political instability.

The first forms of shahid nišans were made by local stone carvers and had decorations transferred from stećaks (medieval tombstones). They primarily included decorations in the form of a sword, hand, shield, bow and arrow, flag, rosette, celestial bodies etc. We also often encounter some interesting decorations such as the presentation of round protrusions on the body of the nišan, popularly called lump or apples, which signify wound that the person sustained in the battle and died from. Exactly same decorations are also found on medieval stećaks. Some examples of early shahid nišans have presentations of the sword with flat blade, which is a feature of the European form of medieval sword used in Bosnia. In a later period, shahid nišans would obtain presentation of the sword, i.e. the saber with curved blade, which is a feature of Oriental design. The best-known example of such making is the famous Damascus saber. It is known that the curved blade was developed for use in the cavalry, where the flat sword proved to be harder to use and less effective. The same phenomenon is observed in presentation os the bow and arrow on shahid nišans, where one can clearly distinguish the form of Bosnian bow, which has the form of the capital Latin letter D, compared to the eastern, i.e. Ottoman type of bow, the ends of which resemble the Latin letter S. In brief, medieval knight symbols which are found on many stećaks were transferred to the earliest shahid nišans. During the early stage of making nišans local stone carvers made nišans according to the local medieval pattern, carving nišans which resembled stećaks by dimensions and decorations. The first period of making shahid nišans encompassed the first years or the earliest period of Ottoman presence in these regions. This period is also called the period of fetha. According to the available data, we can establish that the period of fetha lasted from 1463 to 1480. Folk stories and legends often associate nišans in necropolises from this period to killed Ottoman soldiers.

To align the local practice of making nišans in accordance with the social status of the deceased person with the rest of the Ottoman Empire, in the 17th century the authorities of the time imported already made nišans, to provide local masters with the template according to which they could continue to make local nišans. Thus, the so-called Skoplje or Uskup nišans were imported from Skoplje to Bosnia, after which local carvers began to make status symbols on nišans, which are primarily found on turbans and caps. Signs of social status from this period are found on tops of nišans, while on their bodies the established practice of carving various objects was continued. Such carving of decorations in the form of some objects is not related only to shahid nišans. On our nišans, we can see carved presentations of writing implements, inkpot and pencase, which marked nišans of scribes. Such decorations on nišans are characteristic only of our region and cannot be seen in other parts of the former Ottoman Empire. In this period, shahid nišans received were still carved on the bodies. One can hardly find an old cemetery in Bosnia and Herzegovina without a form of shahid nišans with a visible presentation of the saber, spear (džilit), war axe (balta), combat hammer (nadžak), enamluk (case for a booklet with the text of the Qur'an), the dagger, military standards, maces and guns. Thus, over centuries, all these signs from shahid nišans testify of war happenings and very turbulent times in our regions.  

Some sites of old nišans are often referred to as wedding cemeteries. If we thoroughly analyze this term, which is quite widespread in folk stories and collective memory, we find out that it is to a great extent associated to shahid cemeteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Memory of the original interpretation of this term has fairly faded among public at large, and therefore some isolated necropolises of medieval stećaks were named in the same way. Today, in brief, the name 'wedding cemetery' is explained as sites where two columns of wedding guests met and where they killed each other in the conflict. All nišans of this type are found outside populated areas and cannot be related to any family or a family cemetery. There are no inscriptions on them. It should be noted that nišans at many so-called wedding cemeteries have carved symbols such as the saber, bow and arrow or axe, which strongly associates to the warrior rather than wedding symbols. These decorations clearly reveal that they are old shahid nišans. According to tradition, the status of shahid is related to a solemn act or a ceremony similar to a wedding. It indicates a special status of the shahid and his passing away, i.e. his position and journey near Maker. If we find a suitable correlation, we will see that the identical form is found in Sufism, where the day of janazah of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi is called Šebi-arus or Bridal Night. Figuratively, it reminds of the ceremony of leaving for the hereafter, while the day of burial is associated to the feast which is compared to the wedding. It is in this name that the strong influence of Sufism on the spread of Islam is revealed, the deep trace of which can be seen on this example as well. In accordance with this teaching and such a tradition, due to the greatness of the status of shahid, these cemeteries are called cemeteries of celebrants, or wedding cemeteries.  

Insight in the current conditions in the field clearly reveals that old nišans are our cultural heritage, which does not receive the attention it deserves. After all the above-provided descriptions of shahid nišans, it is clear that they are a very significant part of our past. Every generation of shahid nišans which we find in Bosnia and Herzegovina indicates heroism, bravery and great commitment of our man to protecting and preserving the homeland for future generations.

It is useful to note that the design of the contemporary shahid nišan, which marks cemeteries of shahids from the period from 1992 to 1995, united many local traditional elements and significant symbols from the past. Its form and dimensions strongly associate to the first forms of nišans and carvers' medieval signs. The sphere on the top of nišan underscores decoration resembling the past apple or a lump, which is identical with old shahid nišans. Therefore, on the example of the latest form of shahid nišan we can observe its strong transgenerational significance and character. I sincerely hope that in our country, making of this form of shahid nišans will be the last in our history and that it will not have its successors.