Sebilj Fountain

Sebilj is an oriental wooden fountain-kiosk in the heart of Sarajevo's Baščaršija and by far the city's most recognisable symbol. It stands on Baščaršija Square, popularly called "Pigeon Square" for the many pigeons that gather there. The word "sebilj" is of Arabic origin and denotes a charitable public fountain, where an attendant, the sebiljdžija, freely offered water to thirsty passers-by.

The first Sarajevo sebilj was raised in 1753 by vizier Mehmed-paša Kukavica, but it burned down in a fire in the mid-19th century. The present fountain, in a distinctive pseudo-Ottoman style, was designed by the architect Alexander Wittek and in 1913 moved to where it stands today. Sebilj is an octagonal wooden structure with carved lattices and a copper dome of green patina, and its water is still drinkable. A fond legend goes with it: whoever drinks from the Sebilj will one day return to Sarajevo.