Description

Muhammed Seid SERDAREVIĆ (1882 -1918).

Sarajevo: [Dž. Čaušević] Islamska dionička štamparija, [1336/1918].

8°, 219 pp., [10 pp.], later wrappers (missing title page, paged 1-2, and starting with the introduction on unnumbered page 3, some words underlined, old and later annotations in blue ink, red pencil and ballpoint pen, pp. 97-100 with small loss of paper in inner upper blank margins, slightly stained, small tears in margins).

AREBICA

Arebica, also known as Arabica, matufovica, or mektebica, is a script used to write the Bosnian language using Perso-Arabic characters. This script developed during the Ottoman Empire, merging local lettering with the Slavic language spoken in the northernmost Balkan region of the Empire.

The use of Perso-Arabic letters among South Slavic nations is unique to the Muslims from present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. In contrast, other South Slavs in the Ottoman Empire predominantly used different scripts that aligned with their identities; for instance, Orthodox Serbs and Bulgarians primarily printed in Cyrillic script.

Although Arebica was uncommon, it was comprehensible to many South Slavs who could read the official Ottoman script. Arebica adapted letters from the Ottoman alphabet and introduced additional characters to clarify letters and vowels, making the script easier to read. Notable new characters include ڄ for ž, ۉ for u or o, ڵ for nj, ٖا for lj, ـںٛ for i, and ـج for c. Some letters also began to denote specific sounds common in Bosnian but were ambiguous in Ottoman, such as آ or ا for a, ه for e, and و for v.

The origins of Arebica trace back to the 15th century. Though used in rare manuscripts, the first book printed in Arebica was “Ovo je od virovanja na bosanski jezik kitab” (This is a Book on the Believe in Bosnian Language) by Mehmed Agić from Bosanski Brod, published in Istanbul in 1868.

Fewer than ten books were printed in Istanbul in Arebica before the establishment of the first printing press with this type in Sarajevo in 1907. This press published around 50 books, as well as magazines such as Muallim, Tarik, and Misbah, along with two yearbooks named Mekteb.

A significant reformer of Arebica was Bosnian scholar and imam Mehmed Džemaluddin ef. Čaušević (1870-1938), whose version was widely used in 20th-century publications. This reformed version is known as matufovica, mektebica (مهقتهﺐاىڄا), or reformirana arabica (رهفۉرماىرانا اراﺐاىڄا).

During the war under the regime of the Independent State of Croatia—a puppet state of Nazi Germany, marked by extreme antisemitic and anti-communist policies—Bosnian Muslims played a particularly influential role. Ante Pavelić, the fascist ultra-nationalist governor, who was born in Herzegovina, also supported the Bosnian Muslims. After the war, however, the Tito government did not support the Bosnian Muslim press in Arebica.

The first original work in Arebica published after World War II was a comic titled “Hadži Šefko i hadži Mefko,” released in 2005.

References: Fatima Omerdić, Bibliografija Štampanih Djela Arapskim Pismom Bosanskohercegovačkih Autora u Gazi Husrev-Begovoj Biblioteci.

Literature: Omerdić, no. 81.