Bosnian carpet added to preliminary list of Intangible Cultural-Historical Heritage of BiH

In partnership with the Homeland Museum Travnik and Bosnian carpet researcher Amila Smajovic, an application with complete documentation was submitted to the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports for inclusion on the list.

Since 1949, the Museum of Sarajevo has been collecting, researching, preserving, publishing, and presenting the social, economic, and cultural history of Sarajevo from the earliest times to the present day.

Within its ethnological collection, as well as in its museum annexes, Svrzo’s House and Despic House, the Museum of Sarajevo holds a significant collection of Bosnian carpets that have been documented, inventoried, and professionally described, accompanied by photographs.

With this collection, the Museum of Sarajevo ranks among the largest museum institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina that preserve and professionally study the ornamentation, symbolism, materials, and other distinctive features of the Bosnian carpet.

By being added to the list, the Bosnian carpet receives institutional recognition and protection as a cultural asset.

The Bosnian carpet represents one of the most authentic forms of material and spiritual creativity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As a textile form that combines functional, aesthetic, and symbolic dimensions, it was not only an object of everyday use but also a carrier of collective memory, family identity, and the cultural continuity of the community.

The Museum of Sarajevo, together with its partners and relevant state institutions, will work on meeting the requirements and criteria for the inclusion of the Bosnian carpet on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Museum of Sarajevo said in a statement.