The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
A Sultan’s Resting Place
Pristina | 31 July 2009 | By Shega A'Mula
Judging by the excellent preservation work and commemorative nature of the tomb, Murad was lucky enough to kick the bucket in Kosovo, as generations of the same family have tirelessly safeguarded his place of departure, which happened during the Battle of Kosovo between the Serb Empire, and it allies, and Ottoman Turks in 1389.
Just as the history of the Balkans is sometimes baffling and contested, so is the story of Murad’s death. But regardless of tales depicting either a brave fall in battle or perhaps a murder plot, visiting the sultan’s tomb is a great way to discover ancient Ottoman remnants in Kosovo.
Fadil, the admissions clerk, will greet you upon entering the large courtyard of the memorial grounds, which is shaded by dozens of trees bearing fruits such as plums, apples and pears. Directly to your right is a house which functions as a biographical museum of the fallen sultan, funded by both Kosovo’s and Turkey’s ministries of culture, as is the maintenance of the tomb. One mulberry tree is believed to be the only living survivor of the battle, 700 years on.
Straight ahead is the stone building surrounding Murad’s tomb, a large dome covered mausoleum constructed using a traditional Ottoman design. Fadil will ask you to take off your shoes before you enter. At this time do not forget to invite Sanija along, the elderly and brisk Kosovo-Bosnian woman whose family has lived on, and maintained, the grounds for centuries. She serves as the perfect tour guide, but only speaks Bosnian and Turkish. Fadil therefore works as a translator. One or two visitors stop at the site every couple of days, says Fadil.
Sanija tells Prishtina Insight that her deceased husband’s family, who were early immigrants from Uzbekistan, travelled to Kosovo during the years of Ottoman occupation. They took up the responsibility of protecting the tomb. Many members of her husband’s family are buried in the back garden of the tomb.
Murad’s tomb is placed under a beautifully hand panted dome which incorporates Ottoman floral patterns with Arabic scripture. The tomb is wrapped in Islamic-influenced green fabric, again using Arabic scripture which is a common throughout tombs in the Islamic world.
Sania tells Prishtina Insight that Murad’s body was returned for a traditional burial in the city of Bursa in Turkey. Whether the site of the mausoleum is the location where his tent was pitched, he died, or neither of these, is shrouded in the haze of history. It is believed his organs may have been buried on the battlefield.
And if you are not interested in trying to unpick the history of the site, the bucolic scenery is also worth the trip, and would be a perfect destination for a peaceful lunch or picnic away from the hectic nature of Prishtina.
The Sultan Murad I Turbe Complex is on the main Prishtina to Mitrovica highway.
