Horsemen from At Mejdan set off towards Ajvatovica, the youngest Samah is 12 years old

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - From At Mejdan park towards Prusac near Donji Vakuf, where the traditional manifestation ”508. Dani Ajvatovice” is being held, about 30 horsemen set off this morning, and the youngest among them is Samah Ališah, who is only 12 years old. Municipal Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić proudly handed over the municipality's flag again this year, which will flutter along the way to Ajvatovica, and emphasized that this tradition has been nurtured for years.

- For nine years now we have been seeing off the horsemen from At mejdan, and I am especially pleased that this manifestation is gaining increasing importance, public interest, and media attention, which is growing. The send-off of the horsemen and Ajvatovica itself are also significant from a tourist aspect because they enrich the offer of the city, as well as the country - said Hadžibajrić.

Samah is the granddaughter of Jusuf Pušina, Chairman of the Stari Grad Municipal Council, and they ride to Ajvatovica together.

- This centuries-old tradition has always carried a message of peace. That is why it is constantly renewed and attracts an increasing number of participants, not only from BiH but also from the region - said Pušina.

Samah is looking forward to her first experience on such a journey.

- I am 12 years old and this is the first time I am going to Ajvatovica. I have been actively riding for three years. Although my peers choose other sports, because of my great love for horses I chose this sport - said Samah.

Among the horsemen who set off from At Mejdan today were guests from Morocco and France, as well as the wartime commander of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Srebrenica, Naser Orić.

The prayer before the departure of the horsemen was recited by the Grand Mufti of the Islamic Community in BiH, Husein ef. Kavazović.

The horsemen, riding specially decorated horses, paraded across the Latin Bridge through Zlatarska Street, then through Ferhadija and Maršala Tita streets. They attracted the attention of citizens who watched the passage of the horsemen through Sarajevo's streets with enthusiasm.

This year, there are also many women among the horsemen, including Jasmine from Paris.

- I live in Paris, I am originally Moroccan, and I came exclusively for the journey to Ajvatovica. This manifestation is truly incredible, I cannot believe it has lasted over 500 years and that people have always ridden to that destination. I have been to BiH five times already, I have been riding for a long time, and when I heard about this manifestation, that is, that people go on horses to Ajvatovica, I decided to come immediately, without much thought - said Jasmine.

The horse column continued its journey to the National Museum of BiH, where the horses were loaded into appropriate vehicles and then transported to Fojnica. From Fojnica, via Vranica and all the way to Bugojno, that is, Prusac, the horsemen will reach their destination.

Ajvatovica is the largest prayer site of Muslims in Europe and one of the oldest in BiH. It is located at the foot of Mount Šuljaga and is seven kilometers away from the old town of Prusac. Ajvatovica is a specificity of Bosnian Muslims, as it has an autochthonous character. It is not known for certain when the first pilgrimage to Ajvatovica was held, but it is known that Ajvatovica got its name from Ajvaz-dedo, an Islamic scholar and dervish who came to Bosnia in the 15th century from the area of present-day Turkey. After 1947, the holding of Ajvatovica was banned, and the tradition was renewed in 1990.

Ajvaz Dedo, a dervish and Islamic scholar who settled in the area of present-day Prusac in the 15th century, after a long drought in this place, prayed for 40 days and 40 nights, asking for water on a rocky area above the town. According to traditions about Ajvaz-dedo, on the fortieth night after arriving at the prayer site, the rock split, and water flowed from it, which visitors to Ajvaz Dedo's rock still have the opportunity to taste today. Ajvaz-dedo's prayer site is today a meeting place for tens of thousands of Muslims from BiH, the region, Europe, and Asia.