The Old Jewish Temple
The most important testimony of the life and work of Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina is situated in the
Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is located in the former
premises of the old Jewish temple.
The object was built in 1580, when the Rumelia beylerbey Sijamus-Pasha ordered to build a large residential facility for Sephardic Jews who in 1566 after the expulsion from Spain, arrived in Sarajevo. Sephardim brought with them and their customs as well as one of the most important manuscripts from the 15th century, the famous Sarajevo Haggadah . Documents and moving objects in the museum testify about the life and work of another nation which has a significant share in the total historical picture of this country. Construction has begun on the site of the former Sijavuš pasha daira or Large courtyard, that by the end of the 16th century in the area of Great courtyard formed first synagogue, the old Jewish synagogue. The building was badly damaged by fire in 1697 and 1788, and was renovated in 1821.
The last prayer of the old temple
was heard six days after the April occupation of Sarajevo, in 1941. During
World War II, the synagogue was turned into a prison and then a warehouse. From
1966, after the restoration, the synagogue becomes the Jewish Museum of Bosnia
and Herzegovina.
