PHOTO Sarajevo Haggadah - a witness to times when cultural heritage was cherished

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - On the occasion of the 132nd anniversary of the National Museum, the room of the Sarajevo Haggadah was opened yesterday. The Sarajevo Haggadah is a Jewish handwritten-illustrated codex that originated in the second half of the 14th century in northern Spain.

It was brought to Bosnia and Herzegovina by expelled Sephardim. This Haggadah belongs to the group of Sephardic haggadahs, of which a total of 15 have been preserved worldwide. In Hebrew, haggadah means story and is considered one of the most beautiful books of its kind.

During the war, the Haggadah was preserved in one of the mosques on Bjelašnica, and before that, it belonged to the Sarajevo Jewish family Kohen.

The Haggadah is written in beautiful script and decorated with miniature paintings on processed and refined leather, which has 142 parchment leaves, making it unique in the world. Although the author of the Haggadah is unknown, it is almost certain that it was created as a wedding gift.

Many interesting stories are associated with this Haggadah, which is more than 500 years old. The book, which survived the Inquisition, World War I and II, and the recent war in BiH, testifies to times when cultural heritage was greatly cherished.