Ottoman Heritage

Have you ever heard the story about Outlaws and Janissaries?
What about the tribute in blood phenomenon (devshirme)?

Welcome to Belgrade, an important borderline settlement of the Ottoman Empire, a religious center that had over 200 active Islamic religious objects, and where Islamic schools worked for decades. Numerous Ottoman armies went from and through Belgrade on their conquest of central European cities.

Join us on a unique tour that will bring you back five centuries in the past. Their influence can be seen today in the Belgrade Fortress, Nebojsa’s Tower, as well as the 15th-century Zindan Gate and drinking fountain of Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic, erected in 1576.

We will take a walk through the old parts of the city to the Cukur drinking fountain, a place where a Serbian boy stood up to Turkish Soldiers and caused an international crisis. See the Bajrakli Mosque as one of the flag places in the city, the only preserved example of Islamic sacral architecture in Belgrade. Not far away from the mosque, you will be able to visit Sheikh Mustafa’s Türbe (tomb), erected in the late 18th century.

The story will continue with the history of the great struggle against the Ottoman Empire and the increasing implementation of Turkish words into the Serbian language that last up to this day. We will sum it all up by entering the House of Princess Ljubica, where you will be able to see how everyday life looked in Ottoman-ruled Serbia. In the localities we mentioned, every rock impatiently waits to tell its story.

Join us in discovering numerous influences of the Islamic civilization, which makes Belgrade as it is today.