AJVATOVICA

In the heart of the great Koprivnica forest, in the Prušačka valley, the sacred rock of Ajvatovica has been a symbol of Bosnian identity for over five centuries. It is the most important Muslim pilgrimage site in Europe. Dominated by the peaks of Mala Šuljaga (1,229 m, to the west) and Velika Šuljaga (1,517 m, to the southeast), this beautiful natural site sees record crowds in June. For the rest of the year, it's a pleasant place to stroll. The road leads first to a clearing with a platform for prayers. From here, it's a 1-km walk through the woods to the sacred rock.

Legend and history. Ajvatovica owes its name to Ajvaz Dede ("the venerable Ajvaz"), spiritual leader of a Sufi brotherhood who arrived in the region shortly after the Ottoman victory at Jajce in 1468. In 1510, Ajvaz went to Prusac (then called Akhisar, "the white city" in Turkish) and discovered that the hamlet lacked water, a fundamental element of Islamic culture. He scoured the surrounding area in search of a spring, eventually discovering one at the foot of Mount Šuljaga. But, according to him, it was blocked by a huge rock 70 m high and 30 m wide. Legend has it that Ajvaz began to pray, and after forty days of invoking Allah, the rock opened up and let the water flow out. The people of Prusac immediately saw this as a miracle. As they built a wooden aqueduct to allow the water to reach their village, they celebrated Ajvaz as a saint. Thus was born the Ajvatovica pilgrimage, which celebrated its five hundred and tenth anniversary in 2020. According to some historians, the reason it has endured is that it is in line with the rites of Christians in medieval Bosnia, in particular those linked to the cult of water celebrated in the region by the Bogomils and the faithful of the Bosnian Church. In any case, Ajvatovica has established itself as an alternative for most Bosnian Muslims too poor to travel to Mecca. Anchored in local tradition, the pilgrimage was banned during the socialist period. But it has been revived with even greater vigor since the end of the last war.

Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage was revived in 1990, and takes place every year for twenty days in June. Ajvatovica welcomes thousands of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. With its dervish dancers, parade of horsemen, traditional Bosnian songs and roadside stalls, the pilgrimage takes on the air of a carnival, with a good-natured, alcohol-free atmosphere. June 26 is the most important day. On this day, between 3,000 and 5,000 men and women set off at dawn from Prusac to reach the astonishing little canyon of Ajvatovica, where the old wooden canals have been reconstructed. After a collective prayer in a nearby clearing, the pilgrims return to the village on foot. The festival also serves as a platform for certain Bosnian leaders, who see it as an opportunity to highlight Islam within Bosnian culture and to reaffirm ties with Turkey. But as this Sufi tradition is frowned upon by Sunni extremists influenced by Wahhabism and Salafism, the festival is now held under police surveillance.