The heart of Sarajevo is the Baščaršija and one of the oldest streets of the Baščaršija is Kazandžilu, or the Coppersmith Street. Baščaršija comes from the Turkish language and means primary market. Walking in the Baščaršija transported us back in time to the 16th century when the copper craft guild of Ottoman Sarajevo made metalwork, jewellery, and pottery.
As we passed through Coppersmith Street, the sounds of tiny hammers on copper drew us into shops where we saw shop keepers making copper products decorated using special techniques passed down through the generations.
At the bazaar we found a variety of products from beautiful bracelets and jewellery to ornately decorated Turkish coffee sets and platters. Each unique piece hand hammered and decorated. The sun glinted off silver platters decorated with sky blue enamel. Red enameled coffee sets sparkled like rubies.
We even found the coppersmiths had found a unique use for the millions of shells that rained down upon the city during the four year siege from ’92 – ’96 (more on that to come soon). Shells of various sizes were made into ballpoint pens and engraved, soldered together to make fighter planes and tanks, and the largest ones were engraved and sold as vases.
The copper work is very beautiful and even if you don’t go home with any souvenirs, a visit to the Coppersmith Street is well worth it.
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
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We’re Jennifer and Tim and We love adventure and we love wine, so we often try to combine the two! By day, you’ll find us out on some crazy adventure like snorkeling in Iceland in winter, but by night, we’re creatures of comfort. We both work full time, so we bring you practical tips for how anyone can fit travel into their busy lives – just like us! So far, we've visited 43 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
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Ali
September 17, 2012 at 1:43 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Wow, very creative use of ammo shells! I like that they made art out of the reminders of such a horrible time in history.
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Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
September 17th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
We brought home a fighter plane and a tank for the boys next door that help take care of Emma and Angel when we’re away. We had them engraved with their names and they loved them! Tim got two pens and they are even refillable. Definitely a creative use of all those shells.
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Laurel
September 17, 2012 at 5:08 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I love seeing artists at work, and love the idea of pens that refillable. I’m sure I would have walked away with spending at least a bit of money.
Laurel recently posted..My Favorite Oktoberfest Song: Fliegerlied (Learn the Dance Moves)
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Shamis @ Gawaya Travel Blog
September 18, 2012 at 7:56 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Amazing craftsmanship there. Everything looks so beautiful, especially the coffee sets and platters.
Shamis @ Gawaya Travel Blog recently posted..Bora Bora Resorts On The Water
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Seven Must See Sights in Sarajevo - Jdomb's Travels
October 1, 2012 at 8:32 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
[...] is a great place to start off a visit to Sarajevo. Wandering Sarajevo’s Coppersmith Street might leave you thinking you’re in Istanbul as the sounds of craftman’s hammers on [...]