ISLAMIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF TEŠANJ

Abstract

This work offers basic information about the Islamic educational institutions throughout the history of the city of Tešanj and, to a certain degree, examines their fundamental tasks. The institutions were: madrasa, maktab, libraries, rushdiya and keraathana (reading room). The reports on these institutions are scarce, particularly in the period of the Turkish administration of this city. The situation improved in the Austro-Hungarian period. The research has shown that the city of Tešanj had three medresa. The most famous one was Gazi Farhad-bay madrasa, the most closely examined one in this work. The madrasa existed during XIX century and ceased with their work before 1895, except for Gazi Farhad-bay's, which worked continuously all through 1925. It resumed the work before the Second World War and then one year after the war as a high school. However, the number of mekteb in Tešanj was much greater than the madrasa both during the Ottoman rule and Austro-Hungarian occupation and later. Two maktab-ebtedaiya for males and female existed also in Tešanj. City of Tešanj also had rushdiya which prepared teaching staff for the lower administrative professions. Two big private libraries have also been reported in the history of Tešanj owned by the muftis from the end of XIX century i.e. Mustafa Sevki Užičanin and Mesud ef. Smailbegović. They are presently housed in the General Library in Tešanj. Two Muslim keraathanas (reading rooms) also existed in Tešanj. In 1964, National Library in Tešanj was formed using the books and gifts from the citizens to this reading room. This library is known today as General Library.