Without the intention of sounding apologetic, I know that it's somewhat morbid to go to graveyards and take photos of them, but please bear with me. First of all I am showing you another part of Mostar, and second of all I'm showing you a graveyard that might not be common with the ones you see every day.
The Graveyard Saric (Sarica Harem) is located on the southern exit of Mostar, and right next to it is the Sarica Mosque. The usual gravestones for muslim graves are made out of long white stones, that are positioned upwards at the "head" and "feet" of the grave. This graveyard is one of two big city graveyards, the other being Sutina Graveyard which also houses Christian, Orthodox and Atheist grave sights.
click on the images for a bigger view
How do you feel on the graveyard as a photo subject?
In my opinion it can hold great value, not only for sentimental purposes, which are obvious, but also for historic and sociological purposes. Then there is also a deep connection to bigger questions, solitude and what once was and what will continue to come.
![Autumn in Belgrade [Through My Lens Nr. 459]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrPOPjPcglPgtI0-9DBqYaltYrdEgIhDfT9PwMaiwxmb5LWsRYSSjhEvcpHShBZm1nZrrddg3XOsQ4JpewbPNK9gSxn_chD8Jbdqaap-4VUYVIhay6lWTFvDcKEafclrRH04fBRKoAIVOisYnWbJVuXTlntlZq8PYQp7Z-wuh_VEpsHkk6JybONIccDSy/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/P1070394.JPG)
![At Rest [300th Post]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoiv4w1zmhqRtAls80XZopBW352AwtuGle3NfkJ_RNrfICRtMUWHCfLxA-ZjZIx2hk1jKNFQJDistiQfUqJaCnimaleOwho-AAqD_WmW-maJFA_eKepsUFEt_9b2vDKEP-4roKlu5uS1n/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/338838_10150287448634452_526449451_7358833_323860_o.jpg)
![Serenity [500th Post]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhkOpM_d_PXtRGgftNXFm9MCOqJTxoC8ocE9EeeI7e3KAy-7_qD9_942yPqwz8h9FrS1RAH5l9qrH43KObpn-o9N2YBgEmTArSQJencR36bdrBdAanyxkD4NTGImXXvtxWErPP7GWmt8/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/IMG_01.jpg)
![Reflections in the Neretva River [Through My Lens Nr. 52]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBUV-cjyNP9ObbexF6O5sxBBVVScomAFeeDfzRlcFFPD2osESexpg3OtCSoNlz6jidwg9L7rQGaz_PUczm2bQaRcFg7CSWfnXu6DpWlsDU64rtYFlQOW4WOf4tNMRBpHLufy5ZELMb6ng/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/IMG_52.jpg)
![The Lonesome Sea [Through My Lens Nr. 56]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qolwmBfuxHisLff7Ngn55J8FU9ZKqUyXpnB_ShjnbraK2GN3F9jdD5VywXczA_vJyagbK9Z2PEc75GAl-wlhbq6nDOrvXutdw3o023wMWL1J2RekEN-h0nijHF35WT7MdASrJUetdk9L/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/IMG_56.jpg)
Wonderful, interesting captures, Mersad, and I do agree with you regarding graveyards as a photo subject. One of the oldest ones here in the states is in New Orleans, Louisiana and it is a beautiful and fascinating place with lots of history.
ReplyDeleteit is very interesting. the stones at head and feet are very different from what we do in the states.
ReplyDeleteI know, that was one of the main reasons that I wanted to share these with you guys! Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteThe graveyard has a kind of uniformity to it with all the headstones being the same. It looks tidier somehow. I don't mind looking at pictures of graveyards. They can be quite interesting both on film and in real life.
ReplyDeleteI tried twice to leave a comment on your last post about the river but for some reason it wouldn't go through. I'm just hoping I have more success today.
Maybe there was something wrong with the server temporarily, there shouldn't be any problems with leaving comments.
DeleteI like to wander in a cemetery and read the names and think about the past, i have 3 or 4 on my blog but the one i would like to visit is 400 miles away... the older they are the better i like them. and I thank you for posting this because i have never seen one like it. it is beautiful with all the white marble pointing upwards, beautiful and a little sad to... we can't ignore death, that is the one thing that can't be changed. I like are the trees and the buildings you captured in the background.
ReplyDeleteI saw your posts with the gravestones. I agree fully with you, I guess that's why I ventured out myself to take these shots. Thanks for your comment Sandra.
DeleteI don't for a minute think it's morbid to photograph gravestones in cemeteries. They are important cultural places and I find it fascinating how different countries bury and honor their dead. I find cemeteries places of quiet and restful repose.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kate. I agree with you that it's interesting how different cultures let go from their loved ones.
DeleteYou captures of cemetery are very beautiful! They don't give you a sad feeling and they are very interesting to look at!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kaya.
DeleteFirst of all, I love how you capture and process color. Also, I have never personally ventured into photographing grave sites however I think they hold so much history and so many stories.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah. The post processing here had mostly do to with bringing out the bit of warm sunlight that was left.
DeleteBeautiful photos! We have a large and historic cemetery here in our city that is a popular photography spot. I personally don't find it morbid to photograph cemeteries.
ReplyDeleteCemeteries are a fact of life, and I don't consider them morbid at all. In fact, I love old cemeteries here in the United States. Some of the sentiments inscribed on those old stones are quite inspiring; some are sentimental; some are even humorous. I enjoyed seeing your images of this one.
ReplyDeleteI visit a lot of cemetries when I go to photograph churches. The graveyards are usually beside the old churches here, or not far away. The graves of the Maori and Pacific Island people are often cheerful and brightly decorated. In some areas of the north there were Italian settlements and still those families have very ornate graves. I find graveyards to be fascinating places, not at all morbid. I have yet to vist a graveyard that has muslim's graves so muct look out for one.
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting. I posted an old cemetery form the XIV century image in the first year of my blog: click here to view the post about the cemetary so there seems to be something that drive us to those places.
DeleteHI Mersad Great shots and I never think cemetaries morbid. Interesting tha the grave has head and feet stones. Overall it looks like solders sanding to attention.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a city of its own. I like that your trees are blooming. We are not nearly so far along with spring.
ReplyDeleteSpring is in full swing here. The temperatures are rising, and everything is starting to bloom.
DeleteI love the historic value of a cemetery...and enjoy walking through them and reading the head stones. Your images are extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteThe historic value is what drives me to them as well.
DeleteSo interesting to see how these differ from ours. Here, the older stones hold greater variety.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same here. Nowadays the stones are much more unified then they used to be.
DeleteMy husband and I go spiriting around in graveyards/cemeteries every now and then. I like to take photos of the Headstones - and silently mourn for lost loved ones - young and old. Your photos are very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mona. I will try to go out and find older graveyards to show to you guys. They really are a piece of our history too.
DeleteThey are one of my favorite things to photograph. When I travel, I always search out a graveyard to explore. Depending upon the city, the cemetery architecture can be quite stunning. My favorites have to be in New Orleans, Louisiana. You did a marvelous job here. Nice light and a wide view of the cemetery.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michelle. I will try to showcase more images from different cemeteries soon.
DeleteAlso ich finde es schön über einen Friedhof zu schlendern und auch Fotos zu machen. Gibt ein ganz besonderes Gefühl. Man sollte es nicht unbedingt nur mit Trauer verbinden^^
ReplyDeleteFand auch deinen Einblick sehr interessant, so schaut der Friedhof doch so ganz anders aus als diejenigen die ich bis dato gesehen habe. Hier auf der Insel sowieso wo die meisten Gräber in Wänden sind.
Liebe GrĂĽssle
Das ist aber interesant. Gräber in Wänden kenne ich nur aus Filmen und Bilder, habe sie hier noch nie gesehen.
DeleteIt looks really beautiful. I think the idea of resting in such a place is a nice thought.
ReplyDeleteOf course your photos are marvelous... they capture so much more than just the stones.
My feelings are a bit divided, I was never very drawn to graveyards in the past, but where I live now I have three within walking distance and one or two of them I pass by several times every week. On top of that my parents died and besides having to make decisions about their grave, a few other old family graves also suddenly became my responsibility. Whether we feel a deep need to visit family graves ourselves or not, I think the graveyards are part of a town's history and worth taking photos of as well as buildings etc. One of the nearby graveyards I walk across so often now that's it's just part of life, and in an odd way I think that's been kind of helpful to me. There is one old family grave there (with ancestors who died long before my time) which has sort of become a substitute for me for all the other graves I cannot visit as often. (I usually don't stop, just kind of send a fleeting thought to all the forefathers as I walk by.) Especially since I've learned that my family roots around here go back several hundred years!
ReplyDeleteThere is a graveyard here with lots of family members of mine and older relatives that I don't know, and that have died long before I was born. So I know exactly what you mean. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteAbsolutely magical, Mersad.
ReplyDeleteVery Very Beautiful.. I agree with all you have said. I found myself in grave yards in Hawaii and many Churches as well.. Lovely again.
ReplyDeleteHow do you like your new Camera Now. Let me know.. Im thinking it might be my next body. You have the 6D
Yes I have the 6D and I'm very pleased with it. These images are not showing it's full potential. Maybe you can look up my recent Vienna and Budapest Series to see all that's possible with it.
DeleteGreat images.. Cemeteries fascinate me, and for so many different reasons. I think it's great we photograph them, it's a way of honoring and remembering those who have passed.
ReplyDeleteI agree Laura. Thanks for your comment.
Deletebeautiful images...i love walking through old cemeteries..i find them so peaceful and pretty...
ReplyDeleteI find them peaceful as well. Thanks Tanya!
DeleteI agree with all above Mersad, graveyards are fascinating to visit, so much to learn about times gone by. Beautifully shown here, so neat when the headstones are unified like this.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting!
DeleteI also love to visit graveyards and realize how different they can be around the world. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteI love to discover the different types all around the world.
DeleteThanks for visiting my blog. I think graveyards offer great photo ops especially when the lighting is just right, like early morning or around sunset time. This cemetery looks very well taken care of, and you've captured it very well. You should go back again when the time is right and try to get some close ups of the individual tombstones. Happy shooting!
ReplyDeletepemakaman muslim Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info.
ReplyDeletePemakaman muslim You made such an interesting piece to read, giving every subject enlightenment for us to gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing the such information with us to read this...
ReplyDelete