MONUMENTA SREBRENICA Research, documents, testimonies BOOK 1. SREBRENICA THROUGH CENTURIES PAST A.Dozic, E. Mutapcic, R. Djedovic SREBRENICA THROUGH CENTURIES PAST Adib Dozic, Prof. PhD Edin Mutapcic, Ass. Prof. PhD Rusmir Djedovic, MSc. Reviewers: Enver Halilovic, Prof. PhD. Jusuf Ziga, Prof. PhD. Anita Petrovic, MSc. Editor: Rusmir Djedovic, MSc. English translation by: Lemana Bajrektarevic, BA Lector: Nihada Ibrisimovic, BA Public: Institution Institute for the Protection and use of cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Tuzla Canton Press: OFF-SET Tuzla Printing: 500 Tuzla – Srebrenica 2012. ISSN 2233-162X CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 7 Edin MUTAPCIC, ASS. PROF. PhD, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL STATUS OF THE TOWN OF S REBRENICA IN THE MIDDLE AGES ..................................................................... 11 Adib DOZIC, PhD., SREBRENICA TOWN MOSQUES ........................................................................... 37 Rusmir DJEDOVIC, MSc. URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN OF SREBRENICA FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY ......................... 57 Adib DOZIC, PhD, GENOCIDE IN SREBRENICA PARADIGM OF BOSNIACIDE ............................ 87 APPENDICES Enver IMAMOVIC, PhD, SREBRENICA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS DURING THE ROMAN PERIOD ............................................................................................ 103 Tatomir VUKANOVIC, SREBRENICA IN THE MIDDLE AGES ................................................................ 133 DOCUMENTS Kemal NURKIC, M.Sc. SREBRENICA REGISTERS IN THE TUZLA CANTON ARCHIVES AS HISTORICAL SOUCES FOR THE PROOF OF OWNERSHIP ....................... 167 Edited by: Dzevad MAHMUTOVIC, phd JUDGEMENT FOR GENOCIDE IN RADISLAV KRSTIC CASE ........................ 173 5 Preface Srebrenica as a social, historical, cultural and civilizational concept, is a universally known global symbol. Here we are mostly referring to the concept of Srebrenica as a place of the most recent occurrence of genocide in Europe. For the above-mentioned reason, there is a social and scientific justification for an extensive research and publishing project which would contribute to a comprehensive illumination of the present global symbol which is known to us under the name of Srebrenica. Therefore, a group of researchers gathered around the Institute for the Protection and Use of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of the Tuzla Canton from Tuzla [Zavoda za zastitu i koristenje kulturno-historijskog i prirodnog naslijeda Tuzlanskog kantona iz Tuzle], and the Institute itself launched the project of publishing an edition under the name Monumenta Srebrenica. The edition of Monumenta Srebrenica will be published at regular one year intervals in the form of separate books – monographs – collected papers. The first edition will be printed in 500 copies and over 300 pages. The entire text will be available in two languages, Bosnian and English. This edition opens with a special book consisting of a collection of several author papers written by Adib Dozic, PhD, Edin Mutapcic, PhD, assistant professor and Rusmir Djedovic, MA, which provide a basic overview of the cultural and historical development of Srebrenica. In addition to the contributions mentioned above, this book also contains other research appendices and documents, which deal with the development of Srebrenica and the genocide that occurred in Srebrenica towards the end of the 20th century. A book entitled Srebrenica through the centuries past, through relevant scientific contributions and documents mentioned above, offers the truth about the basic moments in the historical development of Srebrenica and its surroundings. In scientific and methodological terms, BOOK ONE entitled Srebrenica through centuries past, should, among other things, serve as an introductory to other and more explicit research. In the following books in the series, the term area of Srebrenica will be used to refer to the entire Bosnian central Podrinje. Consequently, in addition to the municipality of Srebrenica, the territory of the respective municipalities of Bratunac, Milici and Vlasenica will also be researched. Authors 7 Introduction Srebrenica is a town, a municipality in historical and geographical respect and a region, located in Bosnian Podrinje, that is its central part. Srebrenica, not only in terms of geography, but first and foremost, in social, historical, cultural and civilizational terms, today is a globally known symbol. There are several important reasons that made it such. First of all Srebrenica is a well-known mining center of Bosnia and the Balkans. This is relative to all historical periods, pre-historic, antique, mediaeval, Ottoman and modern. Mining, in Srebrenica, was pursued by the Romans, Saxons, Bosnians and other peoples who left behind, not only traces of mining business but also traces of social and cultural life of the past centuries. Rich and heterogeneous geological and tectonic history of the area of Srebrenica conditioned the formation of huge mineral wealth, primarily noble and colored metals. Mineral wealth, from the earliest period, attracted people who wanted to exploit it. This mining exploitation of, first and foremost, the silver ore, lent a recognizable name to this area, Srebrenica and Argentaria. The mining exploitation in the area of Srebrenica reached its peak in the Roman and mediaeval periods. At that time, Srebrenica was among the most famous mining and economic centers of the vast Roman Empire and the Balkan Peninsula. From ancient times, through the Middle Ages and the Ottoman period, Srebrenica was also an important urban center for the larger area. As early as the antique period, in the area of Srebrenica, two large and significant urban and cultural centers of the Roman Empire were developed. Those were the famous settlements in Domavia and Malvesiatium. Each of these settlements, two millenniums ago, had a population of several tens-of-thousands, numerous urban and cultural facilities. During the Middle Ages, on the site of the present-day settlement of Srebrenica, a significant urban agglomeration with numerous urban and cultural facilities, was developed. These include: mine, square, mediaeval fortress, panadur [trade fair], monastery, church... Also, during the Ottoman rule, Srebrenica was an important urban and cultural center. This is especially true for the period of the 17th century when the town of Srebrenica was experiencing its golden age. According to some sources, in the area of Srebrenica there are as many as 48 medicinal springs, which were registered as a cure in the medical encyclopedias all around the world. The most famous is the spring of Crni guber [Black Guber], whose medicinal properties are being compared to those of the most important mineral springs in Europe. Only the following, of numerous mineral springs with medicinal properties, 8 were researched: Kozna voda, Mali Guber, Sinusna voda, Ljepotica, Ocna voda, Mala and Velika Kiselica. Medicinal properties of these springs contributed to the development of a notable healing tourism. Multiethnicity and multiconfessionality of the area of Srebrenica is also one of the world-renowned features of this area. Since the periods of prehistory and antiquity, this was the area where different peoples, religions and civilizations could be encountered. This trend continued in the ensuing historical periods. All this made Srebrenica a constant and harmonious meeting point of different cultures and civilizations, until the events in recent times. The crime of genocide was the event that made Srebrenica the center of attention of the world public in the late 20th century. Due to this horrible crime, unprecedented in the history of the modern Europe after the Second World War, Srebrenica became a global symbol of suffering and mass murder. Srebrenica was also a UN safe area, where, unfortunately, in 1995, an unprecedented crime of genocide was committed. Today, Srebrenica represents a historical example of the endeavor of the Bosnian people to overcome the troubles of the past and restore the multiethnic and democratic social reality, which, in the area of Srebrenica, as well as the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a rule of life, was present for more than twenty centuries. The above-mentioned, briefly put, reasons provide a social and scientific justification for the launching of an extensive research and publication project. Due to its global importance, its rich history and especially after the genocide committed against Bosniaks of the ‘UN safe area’ of Srebrenica in 1995, it is necessary to research from the scientific point of view its history without the influences of the ideological stereotypes and prejudices, in order to, on the foundations of scientifically established truth, help restore co-existence, trust, understanding and tolerance, which for a short period of time stopped existing among the citizens and peoples of Srebrenica, to the state that they were during its two- millennium long history. There are many scientific papers on Srebrenica, but, regardless of that, the history of Srebrenica and its surroundings, both political and cultural, is not fully researched and complete. Many scientific papers, first of all, as regards the political history of Srebrenica, were written