The Balkan identity has an interesting history. The origin of the word Balkan is obscure; it may be related to Persian bālk 'mud', and the Turkish suffix a 'swampy forest' or Persian balā-khāna 'big high house'. Related words are also found in other Turkic languages. The term was brought to Europe with Ottoman Turkish influence, where Balkan means 'chain of wooded mountains' in Turkic languages. Once you arrive in Sarajevo and look around, you’ll see houses rising from the surrounding hills. The hilly landscapes enchant with Orange roofs contrast with blue sky and green hills, with a minaret announcing the call to prayer. These are Sarajevo’s oldest residential areas. People have long lived in small hillside neighbourhoods, only coming down to Bascarsija to trade. These neighbourhoods often have a mosque. This is so that residents didn’t have to go up and down five times each day for their prayers. Here I walk through steep roads and lose myself along old streets to record this glimpse of Sarajevo's daily life. 



Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides