Where does “Sarajevo” come from?

Sarajevo (Dutch) comes from Serbo-Croatian Sàrajevo, from Ottoman Turkish سرای, from Persian سرای, from Middle Persian slʾd, from Old Persian srāda.

Ancestry of “Sarajevo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Serbo-CroatianSàrajevo—
2Ottoman Turkishسرایhouse; mansion; palace
3Persianسرایhall; dwelling, house; mansion
4Middle Persianslʾdhall, house
5Old Persiansrāda—
Every word from Old Persian srāda →Every word from Middle Persian slʾd →Every word from Persian سرای →