Yesterday I talked a little about Sarajevo and shared some of her faces. Consider today more of a house or grounds tour.

Here are a few more images. Some are unique to Sarajevo, others could be so many other places. I guess that’s part of her allure. So foreign, yet so familiar.

Images usually speak for themselves but I feel I should call your attention to this one. It is the one of the pavement filled with what looks like a splash of red paint. It’s a Sarajevo Rose.

Let me explain…when mortars fall on concrete or other hard surfaces they leave a unique impact pattern. The central crater and surrounding pock marks have silhouettes reminiscent of a flower, some have said specifically a rose.

During the siege, which lasted for 1425 days, (or 47 months or 3.9 years – whichever way you divide it, that’s a long time) some 470,000 shells fell on the city. That’s an average of 330 per day, or one every 4 minutes.  Though July 22, 1993 saw a total of 3,777 shells fell.

After the siege ended an unknown artist filled a number of the craters, where 3 or more people died, with red resin. The result is known as a Sarajevo Rose.  Years later many can still be seen marring the streets and sidewalks, though there is disagreement as to what to do with them. Some have been repainted to stand out. Others have been covered over in an attempt to either move on or forget.

I was struck by the fact that the roses are basically an art installation. And this art in its beautiful simplicty is a non-political, non-religious, non-ethnic monument to the lives lost. There is no plaque explaining the significance. There is no brochure or map to chart out the locations. Each rose silently bears witness to a senseless tragedy.

In the midst of such a ravaged place … art.