(in Bosnia and Herzegovina) In the 1990s Sarajevo was besieged and on the brink of total destruction. Constant bombings; lack of food, water and electricity; and being surrounded by hostile forces led to a frightful isolation. Today, its restored historic center is full of welcoming cafes and lodgings, the many bullet holes largely plastered over on the city's architectural mix of Ottoman, Yugoslav and Austro-Hungarian buildings. The antique stone-flagged alleys of Baščaršija give the Old Town core a certain Turkish feel. Directly north and south, steep valley sides are fuzzed with red-roofed houses and many minarets, seeming to climb in the direction of green-topped mountain ridges. Westward, Sarajevo sprawls for more than 10 km (~ 6 mi.) through Novo Sarajevo and Dobrijna, past remindful ranks of bullet-scarred apartment blocks. At the westernmost end of the tramway spine, affluent Ilidža provides the city with a final parkland flourish. Be sure to visit the Sarajevo Tunnel, now home to the Tunnel Museum. During the siege from 1993-1995 Sarajevo was surrounded by enemy forces, with the exception of the airport (controlled by the UN). This tunnel to the airport was the only connection to the outside world for Sarajevans.
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