Sabira Husedžinović

Architect, professor

Alma Hudović Kljuno

 

Name:

Sabira Husedžinović (born Smailbegović)

Life Dates:

1940-2015

Positions:

Architect and educator

Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo

Planning and Construction Institute of the City of Banja Luka

Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo

Field of expertise:

Architectural conservation

Education:

Faculty of Architecture Sarajevo, 1964

Awards:

Medal for the protection of cultural and historical heritage, 1985

Membership:

Society of Conservators of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Association for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage of FBiH

Short Biography

Professor Sabira Husedžinović, architectural historian and great expert in theory and practice of heritage protection, worked persistently to raise awareness of the importance of cultural-historical heritage as part of the cultural identity of all people living in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sabira Husedžinović was born on October 29, 1940. After primary and secondary school, she went to Sarajevo, where she graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism in 1964. After graduation, she was employed at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. She worked there for four years and then became a teacher at the Construction School (Građevinska škola).

She decided to move to Banja Luka, where she continued to work as a teacher at the Construction School. Between 1977 and 1992, Sabira Husedžinović worked at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage in Banja Luka. During this period, she was working on her master thesis “Analysis and criticism of the valorization of historical documentation on the urban development of Banja Luka until the beginning of the 20th century”. She obtained her master’s degree in 1989 at the Postgraduate Studies at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade in the field of protection of architectural heritage. She was dismissed from the Institute in Banja Luka in 1992, and in the political context of the war and ethnic cleansing in Banja Luka, she fled to Zagreb. She stayed there for a short time, until she finally moved to Sarajevo. In 1996, she became an adviser to the Minister of Culture and Historical heritage in the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. While being in Zagreb, she started to work on her doctoral dissertation “Valorization of the Islamic sacral architecture of Banja Luka with an analysis of its demolition and reconstruction throughout history”. Sabira defended her thesis at the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb in 1997 at the age of 57. After obtaining her doctorate, she became a professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo where she worked until her retirement.She has one daughter born in 1973 who became a famous Bosnian fashion designer. Sabira Husedžinović died in Sarajevo in 2015, at the age of 75.

Work

Through her professional engagement, enthusiasm and persistance, Sabira Husedžinović has greatly contributed in the field of restoration and protection of buildings of cultural and historical heritage of BiH. Some of her projects are: the restoration of the Husein-kapetan Gradaščević Tower, the restoration of the Fethija Mosque in Bihać and the Azizija Mosque in Brezovo polje near Brčko, the rehabilitation and restoration project for the fortress Kastel in Banja Luka, the rehabilitation and restoration of town houses: Šeranić House, Gušić’s house, Omerbašić’s house, Čejvan’s house and others.

The scientific research work of Sabira Husedžinović is related to the study and protection of numerous objects of cultural heritage, both sacred and residential, public buildings and old cities, and especially ambiental units. She participated in numerous scientific meetings with topics on the restoration of cultural heritage in various cities around the world. As coordinator of the Council of Europe for Cultural Heritage, she very successfully led the “Days of European Heritage” event. Witnessing the beginning of the Bosnian war in Banja Luka and the destruction of the cultural heritage in the city, she made an enormous effort in documenting the condition of these monuments before and after their demolition, particularly regarding Banja Luka’s mosques. This scientific research work was in 2005 crowned with the book “Documents of Survival”, one of the few of its kind published in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2020, five years after her death, her second great achievement was published, the book “The Construction of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Ages” („Graditeljstvo Bosne i Hercegovine kroz stoljeća“). This is an enormously important and valuable study in which she managed to map, consolidate, valorize and methodologically present more than 500 cultural monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Besides the great number of monuments that are covered in this book, its significance lies in the fact that for the first time, there is a study that summarizes the results of decades of research in the field of architectural heritage in BiH.

Sources

https://aabh.ba/knjiga-graditeljstvo-bosne-i-hercegovine-kroz-stoljeca-profesorice-sabire-husedzinovic/ (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

https://bedrudingusic.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/na-vijest-o-preseljenju-u-vjecni-svijet-prof-dr-sabire-husedzinovic-decenijski-strazar-nad-na-nasom-kulturnom-bastinom/ (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

Kamberović, Isma (2015). „Sudionici naše prošlosti − umrli u 2015. godini”. Godišnjak Bošnjačke zajednice kulture Preporod. Sarajevo: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod. XV: 663—665. (last accessed on 27.01.2023)

https://gusic.tripod.com/intervju_sabira_husedzinovic.htm (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

https://gracija.ba/2021/11/30/graditeljstvo-bosne-i-hercegovine-kroz-stoljeca/ (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

Prnja, Jagoda (28. 2. 1992). „Zaštitari i nasljeđe (1) : Više znamenja”. Glas. XLIX (6539). Banja Luka. p. 10. (last accessed on 27.01.2023)

http://www.bosnjaci.net/prilog.php?pid=25107 (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

http://bhmedia.se/banjaluka/tekstovi/unistavanje.htm (last accessed on 10.02.2023)

Books

  • Husedžinović, Sabira (1998). Kulturna baština posebnih vrijednosti porušena u ratu 1992.-1995. = Cultural heritage of special value destroyed in the war 1992-1995 [katalog]. Sarajevo: Federalno ministarstvo obrazovanja, nauke, kulture i sporta/športa
  • Husedžinović, Sabira (1999). Sanacija i obnova sakralnih objekata oštećenih u ratu 1992/95. : Umjetnička galerija Bosne i Hercegovine, 9—19.11.1999. [katalog]. Sarajevo: Kantonalni zavod za zaštitu kulturno-historijskog i prirodnog naslijeđa.
  • Husedžinović, Sabira; Hećimović-Kamberović, Zahida; Kamberović, Husnija (1999). Kula Husein-kapetana Gradaščevića : vrijednosti i stanje poslije rata 1992./95. Sarajevo: Federalno ministarstvo obrazovanja, nauke, kulture i sporta/športa
  • Husedžinović, Sabira; Balić, Fuad (2004). Šeranića kuća u Gornjem Šeheru : adaptacija Šeranića kuće kao prilog vraćanja autentičnosti Gornjem Šeheru. Banja Luka: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod
  • Husedžinović, Sabira; Balić, Fuad (2004). Bosanska kuća u Banjaluci. Banja Luka: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod
  • Husedžinović, Sabira (2005). Dokumenti opstanka: vrijednosti, značaj, rušenje i obnova kulturnog naslijeđa. Zenica: Muzej grada Zenice
  • Husedžinović, Sabira; Balić, Fuad; Smailović, Ismet [edt.] (2007). Usmene predaje o Banjaluci i Banjalučanima. Banja Luka: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod
  • Group of authors (2007). Rezolucija hrabrih banjalučkih muslimana 1941. : sa tri priloga. Banja Luka: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod
  • Group of authors (2007). Vakufnama Sefer spahije iz Banja Luke 1618. Banja Luka: Bošnjačka zajednica kulture Preporod

Journal articles

Guides

  • Husedžinović, Sabira (2001). Svrzo’s house: Origin and Development / Das Svrzo Haus: Die Entstehung und Entwicklung. Sarajevo: Turistička zajednica kantona Sarajevo.
  • Husedžinović, Sabira (2008). Sarajevo kroz historiju / Sarajevo durch Geschichte. Sarajevo: Turistička zajednica kantona Sarajevo.

We assume that all images used here are in public domain. If we mistakenly use an image under copyright then please contact us at info@womenbuildingsocialism.org or here.

Illustration credits

Main image: Published with permission of Emina Husedžinović

We assume that all images used here are in public domain. If we mistakenly use an image under copyright then please contact us at info@womenbuildingsocialism.org or here.