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SMAIL BALICIT~~ Cultural Achievements of Bosnian Muslims
and cases, clocks, plates, mocha and punch sets, basins, pitchers, pots, and
shoes with gold embroidery.
The skilful ornaments of artists of Mostar, Herzegovina, deserve special
attention. They have created an extremely attractive and solid architecture, not
only in their native town but also in the surrounding area, e.g. in PoEitelj on the
Neret~a.~~
DWELLINGS
Three types of Muslim dwellings distinguished for their individuality, solidity
and beauty are the kula, the tardak, and the odiak.
The kulas, built on a round or quadrangular foundation, are massive
castles of two, three, or four stories which formerly served as family seats and
fortresses for the Bosnian nobility. An interesting feature of these buildings is
an extended, alcovelike upper storey, sometimes enlarged into a pavilion. Some
of these towerlike buildings have an additional storey built of wood and a roof
of pyramid shape; others are covered by a dome.48 The lower levels have only
a few small windows or loopholes, which served for defence against attackers.
Except for this feature, the interior architecture corresponds largely to that of
other Muslim dwellings.
With the decline of the Bosnian nobility in the nineteenth century, the
kulas fell into ruin. Today only seven remain standing. Two of these, built of
handsome, rough-hewn stone, are in Odiak near Bugojno and in Bila between
BrEko and Gradatac. In 1943, the lovely castle of the IdrizbegoviC family in
Vrili, near Kupres, became a casualty of the last war. The beautiful KolakoviC-
House in Buna near Mostar, which "owes its origin toathe wish of a cultured
person for peace in a beautiful house and for the pleasure to be derived from
observing nature",49 looks much like a lordly castle.
The eardaks are two-storied homes, built partly of stone, partly of
wood, belonging to wealthier Bosnians. In the upper story the windows are
fashioned with semipointed arches in the oriental style, and the interiors contain
beautifully furnished reception rooms or women's quarters. Frequently the
upper storey is built with adjoining alcoves. Larger Eardaks, whose roofs have
peculiar littlechimneys about a foot and one-half high, are called odiaks. These
are homes of the wealthiest and most elegant families. At the tip of the
chimneys rises the family emblem, a so-called "apple" (iabuka), made of carved
wood or silver or gold-plated metal. This "apple" served as a sign for travellers
that a free night's lodging and board could be obtained in the house. Special
quarters, called akhars, musdfirkhdnes, konac'niks, and baikaluks, were provided
for the lodging of guests.
Whatever the type of dwelling, however, the religious influence led
Muslims to place their doors so that the back of the entering visitor would not
be turned to the southeast, i.e. towards Makkah. Such religious scruples are
rare even in Arabia, the cradle of Islam.
The interior decoration of Muslim houses is more beautiful than the
exterior. The carved wooden ceilings, with their meticulously executed central