A rich and stunning multi-cultural and interfaith city, Sarajevo simultaneously emanates its ancient roots and resonates its modern mindset. Nestled in Bosnia's Sarajevo valley, the city emits a glow at night that is nothing shy of mesmerizing.
Sarajevo's past, unlike our own, is written all over. Where we, on days like November 11th, organize and gather to remember, in Sarajevo it's hard to forget.
The most striking reminders of war and loss in Sarajevo are not the messages spray painted on the walls of places of worship, but the once open spaces that were transformed into graveyards during the four-year siege of Sarajevo from 1992-1996.
Surrounded and trapped in the valley and cut off from outlaying cemeteries, loved ones buried the dead of Sarajevo in any open spaces they could find - schoolyards, alleys, parks, gardens - the spaces in between the cityscape became resting places for more than 4,000 people. Some families buried members directly outside their homes.
The graves are permanent fixtures of the urban capital's landscape. Known by some as 'the largest graveyard in the world', the makeshift burial grounds are disconcerting to many who consider the health risk of bodies buried improperly. Certainly, the white monuments have become commonplace to those who pass them daily and but are a stark reminder to a good deal of North America that for so many others, "over there" is in your front yard.
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