Sandžak
This page is about a geographical region in Serbia and Montenegro; for districts of the Ottoman Empire, see Sanjak.Sandžak (
Serbian Cyrillic:
Санџак) is a geographical region in central
Balkans. Its territory is politically divided between
Serbia and
Montenegro. It derives its name from the
Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former
Ottoman administrative district that existed until the
Balkan Wars of
1912.
The region is referred to as either "Novopazarski Sandžak" (
Новопазарски Санџак) or simply "Sandžak" (
Санџак) by all of the four main ethnic groups which live in the region (Bosniaks, Serbs, Montenegrins, and Muslims). Sometimes Serbs refer to it the "Raška Oblast" (
Рашка Област).
It stretches from the border with
Bosnia and Herzegovina to
Kosovo on an area of 8,686 square kilometers. Six municipalities of Sandžak belong to Serbia (
Novi Pazar,
Sjenica,
Tutin,
Prijepolje,
Nova Varoš, and
Priboj), and six to Montenegro (
Pljevlja,
Bijelo Polje,
Berane,
Andrijevica,
Rožaje, and
Plav).
The largest city in the region is Novi Pazar (55,000), while other large cities are: Pljevlja (23,800), and Priboj (19,600). In Serbia, the municipalities of Novi Pazar and Tutin are included into
Raška District, while the municipalities of Sjenica, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, and Priboj, are included into
Zlatibor District.
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Ethnic map of Sandžak according to the 1981 census. Note: map show the ethnic majority populations within the settlements |
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Ethnic map of Sandžak according to the 2002 census in Serbia and 2003 census in Montenegro. Note: map show the ethnic majority populations within the municipalities |
According to the official censuses in
Serbia and
Montenegro from 2002 and 2003, the total population of Sandžak is 426,044 people. The population of the Serbian part of Sandžak is 235,567 people, while the population of the Montenegrin part of Sandžak is 190,477 people.
Ethnic groups in Sandžak:
*
Bosniaks = 193,026 (45.31%)
*
Serbs = 156,852 (36.82%)
*
Montenegrins = 29,892 (7.02%)
*
Muslims by nationality = 27,047 (6.35%)
* Others (including
Albanians,
Roma, etc.)
Ethnic groups in Serbian part of Sandžak:
*
Bosniaks = 134,128 (56.94%)
*
Serbs = 89,396 (37.95%)
*
Muslims by nationality = 8,222 (3.49%)
*
Montenegrins = 928 (0.40%)
* Others
Ethnic groups in Montenegrin part of Sandžak:
*
Serbs = 67,456 (35.41%)
*
Bosniaks = 58,898 (30.92%)
*
Montenegrins = 28,964 (15.21%)
*
Muslims by nationality = 18,825 (9.88%)
* Others
The municipalities with Bosniak ethnic majority are:
Novi Pazar (76.28%),
Tutin (94.23%),
Sjenica (73.34%),
Plav (50.73%), and
Rožaje (81.68%).
The municipalities with Serb ethnic majority are:
Priboj (74.15%),
Prijepolje (56.82%),
Nova Varoš (90.09%),
Pljevlja (59.52%), and
Andrijevica (65.08%).
The ethnically mixed municipalities with relative Serb ethnic majority are:
Bijelo Polje (36.31%) and
Berane (41.43%).
Bosniak participation in respective municipalities is as follows:
*94.23% in
Tutin (28,319 of 30,054);
*81.68% in
Rožaje (22,512 of 27,562);
*76.28% in
Novi Pazar (65,593 of 85,996);
*73.34% in
Sjenica (20,512 of 27,970);
*50.73% in
Plav (10,960 of 21,604);
*31.83% in
Prijepolje (13,109 of 41,188);
*25.22% in
Bijelo Polje (14,409 of 57,124);
*22.00% in
Berane (8,994 of 40,885);
*18.33% in
Priboj (5,567 of 30,377);
*5.48% in
Pljevlja (2,023 of 36,918);
*5.15% in
Nova Varoš (1,028 of 19,982);
*The municipality of
Andrijevica have no declared Bosniaks.
Muslims by nationality participation in respective municipalities is as follows:
*17.18% in
Bijelo Polje (9,816 of 57,124);
*9.26% in
Prijepolje (3,812 of 41,188);
*8.36% in
Pljevlja (3,088 of 36,918);
*7.32% in
Berane (2,994 of 40,885);
*6.06% in
Rožaje (1,670 of 27,562);
*5.78% in
Plav (1,249 of 21,604);
*4.70% in
Priboj (1,427 of 30,377);
*2.51% in
Nova Varoš (502 of 19,982);
*2.36% in
Sjenica (659 of 27,970);
*1.86% in
Novi Pazar (1,599 of 85,996);
*0.74% in
Tutin (223 of 30,054);
*0.13% in
Andrijevica (8 of 6,384).
Serb participation in respective municipalities is as follows:
*90.09% in
Nova Varoš (18,001 of 19,982);
*74.15% in
Priboj (22,523 of 30,377);
*65.08% in
Andrijevica (4,155 of 6,384);
*59.52% in
Pljevlja (21,972 of 36,918);
*56.82% in
Prijepolje (23,402 of 41,188);
*41.43% in
Berane (16,939 of 40,885);
*36.31% in
Bijelo Polje (20,743 of 57,124);
*23.50% in
Sjenica (6,572 of 27,970);
*20.47% in
Novi Pazar (17,599 of 85,996);
*12.64% in
Plav (2,731 of 21,604);
*4.32% in
Tutin (1,299 of 30,054);
*3.32% in
Rožaje (916 of 27,562).
Montenegrin participation in respective municipalities is as follows:
*23.10% in
Andrijevica (1,475 of 6,384);
*22.70% in
Berane (9,282 of 40,885);
*20.99% in
Pljevlja (7,750 of 36,918);
*16.13% in
Bijelo Polje (9,214 of 57,124);
*3.66% in
Plav (790 of 21,604);
*1.64% in
Rožaje (453 of 27,562);
*1.42% in
Priboj (432 of 30,377);
*0.66% in
Prijepolje (271 of 41,188);
*0.37% in
Nova Varoš (73 of 19,982);
*0.13% in
Novi Pazar (109 of 85,996);
*0.08% in
Sjenica (23 of 27,970);
*0.07% in
Tutin (20 of 30,054).
Note: Most of the ethnic Bosniaks declared themselves as Muslims by nationality in 1991 census. In 2002/2003 censuses, most of them declared themselves as Bosniaks, but there are also those who still declare themselves as Muslims by nationality. According to the 2002/2003 censuses, Bosniaks and Muslims by nationality counted together numbered 220,073 people, and participated with 51.66% in the population of Sandžak. Also, most of the ethnic Serbs from the Montenegrin part of Sandžak declared themselves as Montenegrins in 1991 census, while in 2003 census they declared themselves as Serbs.
The first known inhabitants of the region now known as Sandžak were
Illyrians. In the 1st century, the region was conquered by the
Romans, while in the 6th and 7th centuries, it was settled by the
Slavic and
Serb tribes.
In the
Middle Ages the region was part of the Serb state of
Raška. The capital of Raška was the city of Ras, located near present day
Novi Pazar. The region was later part of the subsequent Serb states, until it was conquered by the
Ottoman Empire in the
15th century.
During the centuries of Ottoman rule the
Sanjak of Novi Pazar was a part of the
Province of Bosnia before coming under the
Kosovo Province in 1878. The
1878 Congress of Berlin allowed
Austro-Hungarian military garrisons to be positioned in Sandžak where they remained until
1909. In October
1912, Sandžak was captured by Serbian and Montenegrin troops in the
First Balkan War, and its territory was divided between the Kingdoms of
Serbia and
Montenegro. Many Bosniak and Albanian inhabitants of Sandžak emigrated to
Turkey as
muhajirs, as a direct result of oppression by the new Serbo-Montenegrin authorities. The emigration wave lasted from
1912 to
1970. Over a million of modern Turks have Sandžak origins or ancestry. There are numerous colonies of Sandžak Bosniaks in Turkey, in and around
Edirne,
Istanbul,
Adapazari,
Bursa, and
Samsun among others.
During
World war I, Sandžak was under occupation of
Austria-Hungary from
1914 to
1918. In
1918, Serbia and Montenegro united before creating the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which became the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia in
1929. Between 1929 and
1941, Sandžak was part of a newly created province, the
Zeta Banovina, with headquarters in
Cetinje.
Most of Sandžak was under Italian occupation in
World War II, mostly under the Governorate of
Montenegro (The city of Novi Pazar was included into Serbia, while Plav and Rožaje were included into Italian ruled Albania), and under German occupation from 1943. At the end of the war, Sandžak was divided between
Serbia and
Montenegro, according to the initial division agreement between the two states from
1913.
The
Yugoslav wars of the
1990s left Sandžak largely unscathed, although the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo led to ethnic tensions and (in the latter case) bombing by
NATO forces. According to Sandžak Bosniak political parties, some 60,000-80,000
Bosniaks emigrated from the region during this period, as a result of oppression and police raids throughout Sandžak. A number of group killings of
Bosniaks occurred 1992-95, with the most notable ones being the cases of Sjeverin (Priboj), Bukovica[
1] (Pljevlja), and Štrpci[
2] (Prijepolje).
With the democratic changes in Serbia in 2000, the ethnic Bosniaks were allowed to start participating in the political life in Serbia and Montenegro, including Rasim Ljajić, ethnic Bosniak, who is a minister in the Government of Serbia-Montenegro, or Rifat Rastoder, who is the Deputy President of the Parliament of Montenegro.
Also, the census data shows a general emigration of all nationalities from this underdevelopped region.
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The official Coat of Arms of Bosniaks in Sandžak and Serbia-Montenegro |
Two thirds of Sandžak
Bosniaks trace their ancestry to the regions of
Montenegro proper, which they started departing first in 1687, after
Turkey lost
Boka Kotorska. The trend continued in Old
Montenegro after 1711 with the extermination of converts to
Islam ("istraga poturica"). Another contributing factor that spurred migration to Sandžak from the Old
Montenegro was the fact that the old
Orthodox population of Sandžak moved towards
Serbia and
Habsburg Monarchy (
Vojvodina) in two waves, first after 1687, and then, after 1740, basically leaving Sandžak depopulated. The advance of increasingly stronger ethnic
Montenegrins caused additional resettlements out of
Montenegro proper in 1858 and 1878, when, upon
Treaty of Berlin,
Montenegro was recognized as an independent state. While only 20
Bosniak families remained in
Nikšić after 1878, the towns like
Kolašin,
Spuž,
Grahovo, and others, completely lost their
Bosniak population. Additionally, the clan-organized
Montenegrin army forcibly converted to
Christianity about 12,000
Bosniaks and
Albanians from Southern Sandžak, and
Metohija, in 1912, upon capturing those lands from the
Turks in the
Balkan Wars. Practically all of the converts, less a couple of families, converted back to
Islam in 1913, when, under international pressure, the public announcement was made giving them freedom to profess the faith of their choosing. The last major interethnic incident occurred in 1924 in
Šahovići and
Pavino Polje (present day municipality of
Bijelo Polje in Sandžak), when
Montenegrin peasants massacred hundreds of
Bosniaks, under the pretext that
Bosniak outlaws murdered a local
Montenegrin hero, the allegation which was completely false.
Some twenty percent of
Bosniaks stem from the
Catholic Albanian clans of Northern Albania and neighbouring Montenegro. Most of them were resettled by the ruling
Ottomans at the beginning of the 18th century from
Skadar Malesia, partly aiming to populate the lands deserted by the fleeing
Orthodox population after the
Austro-Turkish wars. By the end of the 19th century, all these
Albanians converted to
Islam, and got assimilated by a dominant wave of
Bosniak refugees from
Montenegro proper. Nevertheless, they retained many of their
Albanian traditions, especially in the eastern parts of Sandžak, and some older
Bosniaks of
Albanian ancestry even speak fluent
Albanian to this day.
The last segment of Sandžak
Bosniaks arrived from a couple of other places. Naturally, there was a continuous intermingling with the members of the local
Turkish administration and military. Some of
Bosniaks came from
Slavonia after 1687, when
Turkey lost all the lands north of
Sava in the
Austro-Turkish war. Many more came from
Herzegovina in the post-1876 period, after the
Herzegovina Rebellion staged by the
Serbs against
Austro-Hungary and their
Muslim subjects. Another wave followed immediately thereafter from both
Bosnia and
Herzegovina, as the
Treaty of Berlin placed
Bosnia under the effective control of
Austria-Hungary in 1878. The last wave from
Bosnia followed in 1908, when
Austria-Hungary officially annexed
Bosnia, thereby cutting off all direct ties of
Bosnian Muslims to the
Sublime Porte, their effective protector.
During the existence of
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
Serbia and Montenegro, some ethnic
Bosniak politicians from the Sandžak region advocated territorial autonomy for Sandžak. The most radical of the autonomy proposals advocated that Sandžak region should became one of the republics of
Serbia and Montenegro, created from both, Serbian and Montenegrin parts of Sandžak. Since
Serbia and
Montenegro are now separate independent states and Sandžak is divided between them, it is likely that future proposals for autonomy will respect new international borders.
Since ethnic Bosniaks form a majority in only three eastern municipalities of Serbian Sandžak, and two eastern municipalities of Montenegrin Sandžak, and since the Serb and Montenegrin populations from this ethnically mixed region would oppose autonomy idea, it is unlikely that an eventual autonomous Sandžak would include municipalities with a majority Serb and Montenegrin ethnic populations.
The Bosniak National Council of Serbia-Montenegro represented the region at the
UNPO since
1993. This political pressure group organized a referendum in October 1991 where 98% of the voters opted in favour of
autonomy. The Council claims a 69% turnout, although this has not been verified by an independent body.
Image:Pr923696.jpg|Prijepolje in winterImage:Pr923695.jpg|Prijepolje, River LimImage:Nova Varos 30's.jpg|Nova Varoš in 1930'sImage:Nova Varos Center 2004.JPG|Nova Varoš Center in 2004Image:Manastir pv.JPG|Monastery of Holy Trinity, PljevljaImage:Mosquepv.jpg|Husein-pasa's mosque, PljevljaImage:Djurdjevi stupovi 016.jpg|Đurđevi Stupovi monastery, near Novi PazarImage:Manastir Milesheva.JPG|Mileševa monastery, near Prijepolje*
Geography of Serbia*
Geography of Montenegro*
Web portal of Raška Oblast (Sandžak) Region*
Community of Sandžak diaspora*
Bosniak National Council in Serbia-Montenegro*
Sandžak - Region Of Serbia And Montenegro*
Sandžak Information Center of Novi Pazar*
Bosniak Association "Almanah" in Montenegro
