THE MARMARA REGION EDİRNE THE DARDANELLES TROY ASSOS BURSA İZNİK BURSA Ancient Prusa was founded towards the end of the 3C BC by Bithynian king Prusias I, at the foot of old Mount Olympus of Mysia (a region colonized by the Phrygians, the Lydians and the Persians) today called Mount Uludag*, “the great mountain”, which soars to 2,443 m / 8,015 ft. In 190 BC, following their victory over Seleucid Antiochus III, the Romans gave Prusa to their ally Eumenes II, the King of Pergamum. Together with Bythinia, the city, which was named Prusa ad Olympium, became a Roman province after the defeat of the King of Pontus, Mithridades VI in 64 BC. The Romans started to exploit the many hot springs and their healing waters in the surroundings. In the Byzantine period, Emperor Justinian had somptuous thermal baths built in Çekirge*. In 1075, the Seljuk Turks took Bursa but had to give it up when the army of the First Crusade marched on Nicea. Fights between Seljuks and Byzantines for the possession of the city lasted until Alexius Comnenus restored Byzantine authority over the region which became, after the capture of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204, the center of Byzantine resistance under the leadership of Theodorus Lascaris, with Nicea as the capital. Osman Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, besieged the city many times. In 1326, the city finally fell to his successor Orhan Gazi, and became under the name Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Turks. The city then developed considerably and was adorned with beautiful monuments. After the capital was moved to Edirne in 1364 and although it lost its old political significance, Bursa remained an important trade center. At the end of World War I on July 9, 1920 Bursa was occupied by Greece. During the War of Independence on September 12, 1922, the city was taken back by the Turkish forces. For centuries Bursa has been Known as the “green city” maybe because of its old Ottoman monuments decorated with glazed tiles in a dominant green color, but mainly because it is filled with gardens and parks and is surrounded by orchards and green pastures. Bursa is the center of an important agricultural area where fruit growing has the greatest share (Bursa is famous for its succulent peaches). Bursa, which was located on the westernmost extension of the Silk Road, has been the center of sericulture and silk production since the 15th Century, producing silk cloth and also silk threads for the famous Hereke silk carpets. Bursa, which is the 5th largest city in Turkey, today may be in contradiction with herself for it has become an industrialized city and the center of the first organized industrial region in Turkey (1962). The dominant industrial sectors in Bursa are the automotive, automotive parts manufacturing, textile (towel manufactoring), food processing, leather, ready-to-wear clothing and metal goods.   The culinary specialities of Bursa are the "kestane sekeri" (candied chestnusts) and the “Iskender kebab”. In the 1860s, Mr Mehmetoglu Iskender (Alexander) of Bursa had the idea of putting pieces of lamb meat tightly one on top the other on a turnable vertical spit placed in front of a brazier. After the meat was well-roasted, he would cut very thin slices with a long knife. In time, this variety of kebab entered the Turkish language as "döner kebab" (turning kebab) or "Iskender kebab" (Bursa kebab) when served with hot tomato sauce, sizzling butter and yoghurt on a bed of "pide bread" cubes. Döner kebab served at Kebabci Iskender Restaurant Bursa is a city which combines natural beauty, historical and cultural aspects. The main places of interest are: The Green Mosque and the Green Mausoleum are located in the eastern part of the city. These monuments, which are the symbols of Bursa, take their name from the green Iznik tiles that cover their interior walls. The Yesil Cami Mosque was built in 1419-1420 by Sultan Mehmet I Çelebi and the interior was decorated with a mosaic of green tiles added by his son and successor Murat II in 1424 after Mehmet I's death. The mosque is on a typical reverse T-plan which characterizes the first Ottoman mosques, and has a beautiful carved marble doorway. Accross the street and set in a garden stands the octogonal mausoleum, the Yesil Türbe which distinguishes by its exterior clad with green-blue (turquoise) tiles. A great part of the tiles were replaced by Kütahya tiles following damage in the earthquake of 1855. Mehmet I died in May 1421 in Edirne. His body was brought fourty days later to Bursa and was buried in the türbe which was built at the behest of Murat II. In addition to the glazed tile sarcophagus of Sultan Mehmet I, the türbe contains seven other tombs belonging to members of his family. The türbe has a beautiful mirhab which can be compared to the one in the Green Mosque. The old theological school or Medrese adjacent to the mosque houses the Ethnographical Museum.   The Green Mausoleum Interior of the Green Mosque The sarcophagus of Sultan Mehmet I is richly decorated with floral designs and calligraphic inscriptions Emir Sultan Mosque is an early 19th century mosque which replaces a former one built in the late 14th century by Hundi Hatun, who was one of Yildirim Bayezit's daughter and wife of Emir Sultan, a famous scientist and the sultan's spiritual guide. The mosque stands in a delightful setting, and from the library there is a gorgeous view over the city and the Green Mosque and Green Mausoleum. Yildirim Bayezit I Mosque is located in a picturesque district with old houses. Together with a medrese, a türbe and a hospital, this monumental mosque is what remains from the large complex (külliye) constructed between 1390 and 1399 by Sultan Yildirim Bayezit. It is the first the mosque to be built on the new reverse T-plan that characterizes the first Ottoman mosques. Koza Han, which means the "silk cocoon market", is located at the back of Koza Park where many nice outdoor cafes can be found. Koza Han was built in 1491 by sultan Beyazit II. It was both used as a caravanserai and a silk market because Bursa was the last stop on the great silk road from China. Since 1491, the han has remained the center of the silk industry and trade. The han is composed of an inner courtyard surrounded by two stories of shops. Every year in June and July, silkwork farmers bring sacks of white cocoons which are ready for spinning. Ulu Cami, the Great Mosque, was built between 1396 and 1400 by sultan Yildirim Bayezit after the Nicopolis victory (Nigbolu). The mosque, which was burnt down by Tamerlane in 1402 and damaged by fires and by the earthquake in 1855, was restored a couple of times. It is composed of a large central hall measuring 63m / 207 ft by 50m / 164ft. The characteristic of this mosque is that it has no central dome but 20 equally-sized domes instead, that are supported by 30 pillars. 18 of the domes were rebuilt in 1855 after collapsing in the earthquake. A 19th century marble ablution fountain (sadirvan) lies in an unusual way within the mosque under the highest dome. 19th century colossal calligraphic inscriptions on the walls and pillars presenting the ninety names of Allah in divani and kufi script, and a 15th century finely carved walnut mimber adorn the mosque. Orhan Gazi Mosque stands on the other side of Koza Park. Built in 1339 by the second Ottoman ruler Orhan Gazi, the mosque was part of the Orhaniye Complex which also included a medrese, two hammams, an imaret (soup kitchen) and a han, of which only the mosque, a hamam and the han survive today. Burnt down during the Karamanogullari raid in 1413, the mosque was rebuilt in 1417 in stone and brick on a reverse T-plan. As the mosque was originally built without a minaret, one was added on the northeast corner later in the nineteenth century. The quarter of Hisar ("hisar" means citadel in Turkish) is located on the site of the ancient Roman and Byzantine fortified city. In the park of this old and picturesque area are the Mausoleums of Osman Gazi (1257-1326), the founder of the Ottoman dynasty and his son Orhan Gazi (1326-1360), the conqueror of Bursa at the beginning of the 14 th century. The ashes of Osman, who died in Sögüt in 1324, were transfered to Bursa in 1326. It seems that He and Orhan were buried in the Byzantine Monastery of the Prophet Elia transformed into a mosque and mausoleum. After the old monastery was severely damaged during the 1855 earthquake, new türbes were erected by order of Sultan Abdülaziz in 1868, in the same octogonal shape. The mosaic pavement from the Byzantine period is still visible. Another picturesque facet of Hisar is the Painter's street, " Ressamlar sokak", where local artists work in the open air. The interior of Osman Bey's türbe is finely decorated. His sarcophagus, inlaid with mother of pearl, is surrounded by the coffins of his two other sons and other members of the Ottoman dynasty. Orhan Gazi's sarcophagus is surrounded by the coffins of his wife Nilüfer Hatun, his children and other members of the Ottoman dynasty. The Muradiye Complex (Muradiye Külliyesi), which was built by sultan Murat II (1421-1451), is a group of buildings consisting of the Muradiye Mosque (1424-1426), a medrese, a hammam, an imaret (soup kitchen), a fountain and a number of türbes (mausoleum). There are twelve square, hexagonal and octogonal türbes containing fourty sarcophagi belonging to members of the imperial family who were later buried next to the türbe of Murat II. The earliest was built in 1449 by Murat II for his wife Hüma Hatun. The latest türbe was erected by sultan Selim II for Sehzade (Prince) Mustafa, the son of Süleyman the Magnificent. The last person to be buried here was Prince Mustafa's mother, Mahi Devran Kadin, in 1580. General view of the türbes and gardens The trunk of this centuries old tree has been preserved It was a tradition to leave money for the needy persons in the holes carved into the wall of the Muradiye Mosque. The türbe of Sultan Murat II built by his son Mehmet the Conqueror in 1451, has an opening at the top of the dome to receive rain. The sultan's body was placed directly onto the soil without a coffin. Türbe of Sultan Cem (Sehzade Djem) The türbe of Sultan Cem (Djem) is the most richly decorated of all the türbes in the Muradiye Complex. Cem, the governor of the province of Karaman and Konya, was the younger brother of Bayezit, the governor of Sivas, Tokat and Amasya. When their father, Mehmet the Conqueror who had chosen Cem as heir to the throne died, on May 21, 1481 Bayezit, the crown prince not pleased with that decision, declared himself sultan in Istanbul, and on May 28, 1481 Cem declared himself sultan of Anatolia making Bursa his capital. Cem proposed to share the empire with Bayezit ruling only over their European territories. Bayezit rejected the proposal defending the unity of the Ottoman State. He marched on Bursa and defeated Cem at the battle of Yenisehir. Cem flew to Cairo where he received a letter from his brother offering him a large amount of money in order to dissuade him from the throne. Cem refused, came back to his homeland and unsuccessfully besieged Konya. As he was intending to escape to Cairo again, the French Grand Master of the Order of the Hospitaliers Pierre d’Aubusson invited him to Rhodes but he was not allowed to leave the island because Bayezit had made an agreement with the knight (in fact a non-agression pact if the knights kept Cem). When he was sent to exile to France, Cem spent three years (between 1486-1489) in Bourganeuf (Creuse) in the "Zizim Tower" (a name derived from CemCem). In March 1489 Cem was sent to Rome. Pope Innocent VIII intended to organize a new crusade (but this was rejected by the other Western countries) using Cem against the Ottomans and offered him to convert to christianity. Upon his refusal, the pope threatened Bayezit with Cem’s liberation. The pope received a large amount of money in exchange for Cem's captivity which ended when the French King, Charles VIII, marched into Rome in 1494 and captured him on January 27, 1495. The king had in mind to send him again to France, but Cem fell ill and died in Naples on February 25, 1495 (it is generally agreed that he was poisoned). Bayezit tried to take Cem’s ashes back. After four years of argument, Cem was finally returned to the Ottoman lands and was buried in Bursa next to Sehzade Mustafa, his second brother who died in 1474, Sehzade Abdullah (1485) and Sehzade Alemsah (1503), sons of Bayezit II. Türbe of Sehzade Cem     Türbe of Sehzade Mahmut (1507), son of Bayezit II Türbe of Hüma Hatun, wife of sultan Murat II and mother of Mehmet the Conqueror.     Other places of interest in Bursa include the Archaeological Museum located in Culture Park (Kültür Parki), Atatürk Museum located on the road to Çekirge. The City Museum (Kent Müzesi), opened recently, is located in a historic building from the first period of the Turkish National Architecture and which was used before as the Palace of Justice. This most interesting and living Museum explains and displays the past and present of Bursa and its region. Bursa is also reputed as a thermal springs center. * Çekirge, located in the western part of Bursa, has been known since Roman times for its hot springs rich in minerals. Thermal bath facilities are provided by hotels but also by historic hammams. Yeni Kaplica (New Thermal Baths) were built in 1552 by Rüstem Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. Eski Kaplica (Old Thermal Baths), built on the site of the Byzantine baths, are the oldest and most interesting baths in the city. Karamustafa Pasha Baths are reputed to have the best hot mineral waters in the area. Buildings of interest in Çekirge include the Mosque of Murat I which was built in 1363 by an Italian architect taken prisoner by the sultan. The mosque is on a typical reverse T-plan but some details, such as the galery of the facade, the arcades surrounding the upper part of the edifice, and the ogival windows ornemented with thin small collumns, reveal an Italian influence. The Türbe of Murat I, who died at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, stands opposite the mosque. Damaged during the 1855 earthquake, the türbe was rebuilt by Abdülhamit II. The monument to Karagöz commemorates the character whose humorous antics are immortalized in Turkish shadow theatre. Uludag, referred to as Olympus of Mysia in antiquity, is located 36 km / 22 miles from Bursa and was declared a National Park in 1961. It is the most important ski resort in Turkey and offers a variety of activities in both winter and summer (camping, trekking, picnics), accomodation and entertainment. The skiing season goes from mid December till mid April. Uludağ can be reached by car or cable car (teleferik) from Bursa. Copyright © 2002-2008 GUIDE MARTINE. All rights reserved.