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Sandzak

by zeljko heimer

The Coat-of-Arms of Sandzak
Notes on Sandzak
Sandzak and Flags

See also:

The Coat-of-Arms of Sandzak

On "Famiglia Cristiana" no. 28/1995 there is an article on Sajakat; it is a province inside Serbia, where most people are muslims.
A picture shows the press centre of "Muslimansko Nacionalno Vijece Sandzaka" (Muslim National Counsil of Sanjakat), a muslim party. It is visible the symbol of MNVS; not surprisingly, it look like the Bosnian device (azure, a bend argent between six fleur-de-lys or) but with three crescents argent taking the place of upper three fleur-de-lys. An interesting variation, emphasizing the Muslim identity (the crescent is commonly used in Muslim flags).
giuseppe bottasini 09-AUG-1995

Notes on Sandzak

The region of Sandzak (read Sandjak) is a wide region on borders between Montenegro and Serbia, south eastern of B&H.; It is the region that latest remained in Ottoman empire, and it is heavily Muslim populated. This coat is used by Sandzak separatists, and I have seen it on some (unofficial) stamps from the region.
zeljko heimer 14-NOV-1995

This is the same as the old "Sanjak of Novi Bazar"? (_sanjak_ being an Ottoman administrative district. Another controversial one was the Sanjak of Alexandretta-- the original of Indiana Jones' "Hatay")
It's interesting that the name has been shortened to just Sandzak these days.
josh fruhlinger 15-NOV-1995

Sandzak and Flags

Looking into Dictionary of foreign words in Croatian*, I found this definition for 'sanjak' (my translation):

sandzak [with a hachek over z], turkish,

flag
region, administrative unit during Turkish rule and it's head (also sandzak-beg)
military unit
sandzaktar - flagbearer [also one of non-commisioned ranks in army]
sandzaki-sherif - hist. - black (not green) holly flag of Muhamed
Sandzak - region in Yugoslavia, parts of Serbia and Montenegro; capital Novi Pazar

So more than we discused here, on interesting shortening of regional names (from Sanjak of Novi Pazar to just Sanjak now), it is interesting to know that the name of this region means - FLAG.

This is also to add in a list of translations of a word flag to Croatian part, and most probably if some take Turkish dictionary would find it there (or something very similar).

Finally, do you know what is this Sanjaki-sherif, black holly flag of Muhamed, and how do it look like?

* Bratoljub Klaic: Rijecnik stranih rijeci, NZMH 1978,Zagreb.

zeljko heimer 24-FEB-1996