Every time I get a chance to peek into some corner of the past, I feel very excited. The museum that left a strong impression on me a few weeks ago is Pasha's Konak (house) Selamluk in Vranje, a town in the south of Serbia.
Pasha was the title of officer of high rank in the Turkish Empire and konak is a large Turkish house. In Vranje, in the same yard, there are two Pasha's konaks, Selamluk and Haremluk, and each one has a different purpose. The Selamluk is the men's part inside a house or a separate house in the yard where guests are received. The Haremluk is a female part of house or a separate house where men who were not relatives or household members were not allowed to enter.
Pasha's konaks in Vranje were built in the 18th century, at a time when my country, Serbia, was under Turkish rule, and today Selamluk is a museum that preserves authentic and precious objects from the time of the Turkish Empire.
Pasha's konaks are buildings of the Balkans-oriental architecture style and one of the oldest preserved objects from the Turkish period. They have a ground floor and a first floor. They are almost the same in size and symmetrically divided into rooms. The rooms are decorated with beautiful ornaments.
Let's see the first floor. On the first floor, there are urban costumes and country costumes. My son and I first entered the room with urban costumes.
Clothing, jewelry, and house decoration were a reflection of economic and political circumstances. As I looked at the beautiful costumes I could imagine the people of that time and I had a very vivid image in my mind.
I especially liked the jewelry. City girls dressed very nicely and I think they were very attractive at that time.
The country clothes were different, but also beautiful.
Clothes were made by women. Some items are so beautiful that I would wear them today. 😊
In addition to the clothes on the first floor, we saw dishes that were used and other items.
There was also a portable furnace used to heat the rooms. It was called Mangal.
Then my son and I went up to the first floor. I had the feeling that Pasha would appear from somewhere and welcome us to his luxurious house. 😊
What was interesting to me was that in the central hall there were photos of all the old families of the town of Vranje, so that every resident of this town can easily find their ancestors. 😊
There is also an old photo of this town.
The rooms were the most interesting for my son and the authentic details in them for me. I felt like a guest of this beautiful house. Let's take a peek into all of Pasha's rooms!😊
It was a unique experience. When I left the museum I felt weird. I felt like I traveled through time.
Thank you very much for reading.
The images and writing are original and mine.
Greetings!
Jelena