The Layered World of Esotericism and Ottoman Cultural Heritage The team of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina found exhibits in its rich fund that have never been presented to the public until now. It is not known who they are or when they were brought to the museum, reports Anadolu. The honor of researching them fell to Sarajka Amila Buturović, a full professor of the history of religion and culture at the Department of Humanities at York University in Toronto, specializing in Islamic Studies. In her hometown, she graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies and then earned her master's degree and doctorate from the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal. Her scientific research work covers issues of the relationship between culture and religion, mystical teachings, the culture of death and health, and the transmission of knowledge in the pre-modern period. He is currently researching the interfaith culture of health with a focus on esoteric manuals and the occult use of amulets, talismans, and herbs in Ottoman Bosnia. You are the first to embark on a research adventure. What did you discover? What kind of exhibits are in question? Who else was on the research team besides you? BUTUROVIĆ: The objects stored in the National Museum are related to the esoteric tradition and occult practice from the pre-modern period in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They include writings and talismans that are part of everyday life throughout BiH, but also complex talismans that reveal visual and narrative representations of the cosmos, astronomy, astrology, numerology, and mystical teachings present in our region for centuries. I am primarily grateful to Dr. Mirsad Sijarić and the ethnological team from the National Museum, who enabled me to be the first to approach this topic and these artifacts in a systematic theoretical and methodological interdisciplinary way. Some important and rare examples among them date from the Middle Ages, but most of them were created in the Ottoman period and testify to the complex tradition and practice in BiH that permeates many spheres of private and public life, regardless of religious, gender, economic, and sociopolitical categories of affiliation. All these items have been stored in the museum for more than a hundred years, that is since they became part of its holdings. Rare, valuable, multilingual, and formed through a rhizomatic ritual and intellectual genealogy, they indicate a dynamic transmission of knowledge across several geographical, imperial, and cultural zones. The artworks we focus on vary from the simple and every day to the extremely complex, both genre-wise and symbolically. The most complex is the large talismanic canvases that originate from a long and very rich practice of Islamic esotericism and are the main focus of this research. Complex cryptograms, religious symbols, Quranic verses, unusual prayers, detailed astrological and narrative representations of the visible and invisible worlds, and calligraphic and decorative elements are intertwined on these canvases. They are layered, that is, both in form and in content. From the first meeting with them, I understood that they must be approached methodically, through detailed processing and contextual analysis, to understand their value not only laterally, in terms of our cultural heritage, but also through the fact that they are a valuable archival document for wider scientific research of this genre of esoteric practice. That is why I sent an invitation to one of the world's greatest experts in the history of Islamic esotericism, Dr. Bink Hallum from the National Library of Great Britain, who enthusiastically joined the research process when he realized what kind of objects were involved. Our research so far has directed us in several areas of intellectual tradition and social history, and geographically very widely from the Balkans to South Asia, so that the research has become a great and interesting adventure of finding and connecting the points that make up the layered world of esotericism and Ottoman cultural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The director of the National Museum, Mirsad Sijarić, once said that the exhibits in question are of the same value as the Haggadah and testify to a Bosnian man who possessed incredible knowledge and even knew sciences that were not typical for that time. BUTUROVIĆ: The Sarajevo Haggadah is unique not because it is the only text of its type, but, among other things, it points to the richness and diversity of Jewish cultural heritage within the medieval written and artistic tradition of southern Europe and depicts the paths of cultural contacts of Spanish Jews before the exile. and later on the way from Spain through Italy to Ottoman Bosnia. So these talismans, which, unlike the Haggadah, were created on our soil, equally fascinatingly represent the extent to which there was contact with various cultures in our region, specifically those related to esoteric thought and practice. According to these traditions, we and the world form a unity, and everything that happens inside us is a reflection of the world outside us. Esoteric theory and practice aimed at spiritual realization and true connection between physical and metaphysical systems of meaning. These systems have been elaborated for many centuries within the framework of Indian, ancient Greek, ancient Persian, Arab, and Ottoman thought. So, the tradition is extremely eclectic and wide-ranging, but at the same time, it is also local, i.e., Bosnian in its provenance and use. What was the purpose of the exhibits, who were their creators, and who were their users? Are there other similar specimens anywhere in the world? BUTUROVIĆ: Esoteric teachings are activated through various activities, from alchemy and astrology to talismanic practice (current astrology is a simplified and popularized version of the much more complex science of the stars from the pre-modern era, op.a.). Since the primary premise of esotericism is that true knowledge is reached through inner knowledge and not just through empirical work and rational arguments, people who have spiritual authority are attached to its practice. In daily practice in our country, hojas and priests wrote in records and made amulets, but complex talismans were made by people who, through inner enlightenment and ritual discipline, had extensive knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, hagiography, Qur'anic exegesis, and alchemy, and in addition, they had inspiration resulting from the transmission of mystical knowledge and crafts among certain followers. Through this knowledge and inspiration, they found meaning in phenomena and events related to earthly life, so they used scientific and geometric methods to compose complex talismanic diagrams. In our country, it was mostly related to the Sufi tradition, but not among all Sufis, but exclusively among experts dedicated to that activity. The talismans were never signed, so their authorship is unknown, although it can be guessed or assumed from other sources. The users of these talismans belonged to all walks of life and all religious groups. If we are talking about the complete collection of these objects from the museum, we are witnessing the general need for protection against uncertainty and somatic, psychological, health, and social adversities. What is very important is that many objects in their form and content indicate mutual reliance and support and represented a certain form of pre-modern inter-religious dialogue between Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics, and Jews, who confided in the sages from these areas and often counted on their help, often regardless of religious affiliation. Many written texts from that period note this connection, so it is extremely important to have examples from material culture as an illustration and evidence of these interactions. As for the large talismans, they were addressed to a clientele that probably belonged to a higher social stratum and was professionally bound to great travels, exposure to the unknown, possible conflicts, and political turbulence, so it required much more "extensive" protection. It was important for many to find meaning in the vague phenomena and events related to earthly life, and this was a way of searching and finding that meaning and protection from meaninglessness. When will you present the exhibits to the public? BUTUROVIĆ: We are currently dealing with the acute issue of the conservation of exhibits, and for that, we rely on international and domestic experts. We are extremely grateful that the world's leading textile conservator, Dr. Fenella France, who is a member of the Council for the Protection of Historical Heritage of the United States of America and heads the Department of Artifact Protection Research at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, agreed to evaluate and determine the process of their conservation. At the same time, we assembled an excellent, experienced, and interdisciplinary expert team for the production of the exhibition, led by the director of the museum, Dr. Mirsad Sijarić. We are now working on planning an exhibition that aims to present these exceptional findings as well as the broader context of esoteric practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This includes the creation of an educational segment aimed at interactive audience engagement. With the exhibition, we want to present all the important elements of these artifacts, emphasize their importance as cultural heritage, their relevance for the understanding of esoteric thought and occult practice in the pre-modern Balkans, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire, and encourage visitors to see in a new light the intellectual and ritual presence of this tradition in the written and material culture of BiH. In the end, we all search for the meaning of life, health, love, and interpersonal relationships in various ways, through secular and religious teachings and values, art, social networks, and self-examination. What these artifacts represent is one fascinating way of finding that meaning. I am sure that everyone in the audience will find at least one part in this exhibition with which they will feel a special connection with their own experience, either in the content, form, or aesthetic presentation of these unusual and valuable artifacts, but also that everyone will take away new knowledge about diversity with pride. and the exceptional wealth of our cultural treasures. (https://www.aa.com.tr/ba/)
English
Bosanski
