BELGRADE, Serbia

The oldest educational institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina marked its 481th anniversary on Monday.

Gazi Husrev Beg Madrasa, located in the capital Sarajevo, is one of the most important Ottoman heritages in Bosnia and one of the rare schools in the world which has been providing education to students for around five centuries.

Speaking at the ceremony, the madrasa’s Director Mensur Malkic said Gazi Husrev Beg Madrasa has been educating students for nearly five centuries without any interruption and it has also paved the way for opening many educational institutions throughout the country.

"Subjects such as mathematics and biology are also being taught in the madrasa alongside religious courses,” Malkic said.

Mehmedalija Hadzic, one of the former teachers of the madrasa who was awarded the honorary prize, said he graduated 50 years ago from the same madrasa and he is proud to receive a “meaningful award”.

Gazi Husrev Beg, the grandson of Sultan Bayezid II, built numerous mosques, baths, public soup-kitchen and educational institutes in the region.

On Jan. 8, 1537, Gazi Husrev Beg opened the madrasa, which continued to provide education uninterruptedly even after the withdrawal of the Ottoman Empire from the region. It also continued its educational program during the communist Yugoslavia period and during the siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1995.

Bosnian families give great importance for their children to study in the madrasa due the quality of the education.