At the age of twenty-two, Matija Mauranic crossed the River Sava into Ottoman Bosnia. It was 1839, the dawn of the Ottoman reform period known as the Tanzimat. In this fascinating and sympathetic eyewitness account, Mauranic records his encounters with Ottoman Bosnian society at every level—from peasants in the fields mistaking him for a demon, to townspeople in taverns and shops and an audience at the pasha’s court. Published in association with the Bosnian Institute.

Matija Mauranic was the brother of the ban (governor) of Croatia. His firm was contracted to build roads, and he traveled widely throughout the region.