Bursa information
If during a stay in Istanbul you have only one day at your disposal for a visit to the Anatolian coats, then you must certainly keep that day for Bursa. Nowhere else can you get a clearer idea of the very essence of Ottoman art, of the combination of simple and complementary architectural forms, the rounded cupola of the mosques and the iron spikes of the minarets, of the superb colours light blue and pale green of the faience, all this basking in the melancholy peace that reigns among the tombs.
The charm of Bursa that incomparable charm fraught with an atmosphere of bygone days which has inspired so many travellers and poets from both East and West seems to be in danger of disappearing. The old world, typically Anatolian town, with its winding streets and wooden houses roofed with tiles, humbly nestling against the foot of the hills bearing the mosques and the tombs, has been changed considerably. It has been gutted to make way for wide asphalt road and as at Antalya modernisation has been carried out, sometimes without any consideration for the protection of ancient sites. The vital things, however, have not been spoilt, and a few dozen yards above the noisy traffic of a large main road we can still find the profound peace of the gardens of the Muradiye a peace such as was undoubtedly craved by the formidable Sultan Murad who sleeps his last sleep there, his tomb exposed to the rain, as he had wished.
Nature, History and Way of Life
At the foot of the Uludag, part of which consists of limestone (see below), waters rich in carbonate of lime have deposited a thick layer of travertine stretching in a terrace at an altitude of 820 feet along a width of several miles; this terrace is partially covered with later cones of volcanic dejecta and is divided into four main lobes by streams flowing down from the mountain. One of the hills the most flattened one known as Hisar (the “Castle”) was the centre of the ancient Roman and Byzantine town, which enjoyed a very strong position on a site with abundant fresh water and hot springs in the vicinity.
Although the exact date of its foundation is unknown, the name Prusa ad Olympum by which it was known in Antiquity suggests that it was founded by one of the Bithynian kings named Prusias, but it is not certain whether it was Prusias I (4th century B.C.) or Prusias II (2nd century B.C.); indeed, the name may have been bestowed on the occasion of a second foundation of an earlier town. In Antiquity, it seems to have been a small town, although Pliny the Younger, the governor of Bithynia, mentions it in his correspondence and is said to have taken an interest in it. It was developed by the first sovereigns of Byzantium who were fond of bathing, and Justinian had a palace and baths built there. However, the town suffered from the competition of Yalova which was closer to the capital. At the end of the Byzantine period, Bursa was still a small town, at least in comparison with the two large cities of the region, Nicaea that had become the capital of the Empire after the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, and Cyzicus.
The great rise of the town resulted from the capture of Bursa by the Turks in 1326. They loved its abundant waters and its leafy rural setting at the foot of the mountain. Bursa became Yeshil Bursa (Green Bursa). Osman, who gave his name to the dynasty and died two years before the capture of the town, asked to be buried there; his tomb and those of his successors testify to their affection for Bursa, which during this period made it the real capital of the nascent Ottoman Empire whose sovereigns, as we know, led a very roving life. At the beginning of the 14th century, when Anatolia was parcelled out among the hereditary Seljuk principalities, the first Ottoman princes could net wish for a better capital than this fortified town in their still rather small sphere of influence; it was situated in the immediate vicinity of the approach routes to the high Anatolian plateau and sufficiently far from the still threatening centre of the Byzantine Empire The Ottomans never had anything like this feeling for Iznik
which they took a few years later.
The town grew rapidly, and under the patronage of the rulers the weaving of precious cloths, especially silk, developed quickly, using raw materials brought mainly from Iran by Tabriz and Trebizond. In the 15th century, when the capital was transferred to Edirne, this industry kept Bursa going and became a vital part of its life, continuing not without vicissitudes to the present day. In the 15th and 16th centuries Bursa was an important centre for the weaving of imported raw materials. But from the 16th century the Turco-Iranian wars created supply problems as a result of the expulsion by Sultan Selim of the Persian merchants, and the local production of raw materials developed. The Bursa region became a large centre for silkworm breeding, for which the climate was favourable, and from 1650 export of raw materials to Europe attained considerable proportions. At the same time, however, weaving declined in the face of European competition. From the 18th century onwards, Turkey achieved a state of equilibrium, exporting raw silk and at the same time importing a considerable amount of silk fabrics.
In the middle of the 19th century, spinning set off an industrial revival, followed in our own time by a revival of weaving, and today there is a mutually profitable coexistence with the artificial silk spinning industry established at Gemlik not far from Bursa. Bursa remains a large centre of the natural silk industry in all its forms, with 13 spinning mills, 129 weaving establishments (rather small ones, with a total of only 6000 looms) and 18 dyeing and processing establishments. Annual production of natural silk fabrics attains a total of about one million metres, that of mixed natural and artificial silk ones about 3 million metres and that of artificial silk fabrics about five million meters. For the decline in the production of raw silk (from 3000 tons of coccons in 1950 to 1500 tons in 1959) there seems to be no remedy. On the other hand, Bursa now has more varied industries. Many new industries especially the manufactured of food products have been added to the textile industry. The town, in the
centre of a very rich agricultural region, is extremely prosperous (300 000 inhabitants).
Description
A tour of Bursa cannot be done in less than a day. Despite some unfortunate modernization, the town the first capital of the Ottomans has retained a genuine charm of which the visitor will become aware if he walks unhurriedly through the various quarters of the town, especially through the garden of the Muradiye, a burial place such as the realistic Westerner cannot visualize. Bursa has another advantage over many Turkish towns it is the repository of monuments that constitute the first great achievements of Ottoman architecture, built without excessive magnificence yet with a clear sense of grandeur, precision and harmony. It would certainly not be possible for any visitor to visit the literally hundreds of buildings scattered throughout the town: he will have to be selective and confine himself to the main monuments, those that most clearly express the art and spirit of the early Ottomans.
Of the Byzantine city nothing remains except a few scattered fragments in the ramparts of the citadel. The Greek church where the first Ottoman sultans were buried has also gone; it was destroyed in the earthquake of 1855 which caused very severe damage in the town. Bursa, in fact, is a purely Turkish town. The oldest part of the city is the citadel or castle (Hisar), the site of the Roman and then the Byzantine town. At the time of the Turkish occupation of 1326 this part was transformed and Byzantine remains quickly disappeared. As the city grew, it spread to the south, west and east round the citadel, forming distinct districts that remained separate from one another. In the 19th century, Turkish immigrants from the Balkans helped to fill the gaps between the districts and contributed particularly to the expansion of the town towards the north. In the middle of the 19th century, a terrible earthquake destroyed many buildings and house, and this led to a replanning of the city. Today it stretches from east to west, at the foot of the last foothills of the UluDag, and is continued to the west by the suburb of Chekirge some four kilometers away.
Tour of the Town
The starting point of the various itineraries is the Cumhuriyet Meydani (Republic Square), the town centre, which contains an equestrian statue of Ataturk, the buildings of the prefecture, the Central Post Office and the police headquarters.
THE CENTRAL DISTRICTS
Starting from Cumhuriyet Meydani we take Ataturk Caddesi westward (towards the Ulu Cami which can be seen in the distance) and go past the Belediye Gazinosu (Municipal Building) that houses the Bursa Tourist Association.
On the left of Ataturk Caddesi, level with No. 63, note a barred niche containing a funerary inscription on a dried up fountain. This inscription (dated 802/1399-1400) comes from the tomb of Sheyh Mehmed Kushteri who is said to have introduced into Turkey the shadow theatre, known as “Karagoz”, a form of entertainment tremendously popular throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
Taking Orhan Caddesi on the right, we go past the Town Hall (Belediye) then, turning left by Tuzpazari Caddesi, we come to the Mosque of Orhan (Orhan Camii).
This mosque was founded in 739/1339 by Sultan Orhan and was burnt in 816/1413 during a Karamanid invasion; in 820/1417 it was restored by the Vizier Bayezid Pasha on the order of Sultan Mohammed I, as is shown by the inscription above the door of the prayer hall. The latter is preceded by a portico covered by three cupolas and at each end by a vaulted ceiling. The prayer room is in the form of an inverted T, probably a survival of the Byzantine style. It comprises laid out in the direction of the axis of the mosque two square rooms of equal size, each surmounted by a cupola; the south-room containing the mihrab is raised by a few steps; on each side of the north room is an adjoining domed room, separated from the portico by a small rectangular room. These adjoining rooms were used as a library. The alternate layers of stone and brick and some of the decoration show Byzantine influence, and the capitals come from ancient monuments. On the whole, though, the building testifies to the continuity of the Seljukid art of Anatolia.
Continuing along Tuzpazari Caddesi and then turning left into Istiklal Caddesi, we come directly to the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque).
This is the largest mosque in Bursa and its plan has been copied in many other Turkish towns, e.g. in Edirne and Istanbul. Although the exact date of its foundation is not known, it is probable that it was built towards the end of the reign of Bayezid I Yildirim, between 1396 and 1399 (the inscription on the minber is dated 802/1399-1400).
The rectangular prayer hall (223 feet by 184) is divided into twenty squares by a dozen square pillars on which rest twenty cupolas by means of pendentives. These cupolas have windows at their base, except for the second one in the central row going towards the mihrab which has a barred glass partition. On the ground below this cupola is a polygonal basin, divided into three smaller basins, which was used for ablutions. Two storeys of windows in the thick walls fill the mosque with light. In the interior, walls and pillars are whitewashed, and large inscriptions painted on the whitewash extol the name of God and the Prophet. The minber is a splendid piece of cabinet-work in walnut. The muezzin’s gallery aslo walnut is somewhat later, dating from 965/1549. The mosque has two minarets that differ from each other only in their bases: the one in the east is older and bears an inscription in the name of Bayezid I, while the other probably dates from the reign of Mohammed I.
The Great Mosque has been ravaged by wars, fires and earth quake and has undergone a number of restorations without, however, being modified to any extent. Recently, the exterior structure has been cleared and we can see the fine freestone of which it is built. This mosque has neither an exterior portico nor a porticoed courtyard. In the esplanade in front of the north façade are three fountains, one of which is dated 1313/1895. A fountain on the west fagade, dated 1904, is decorated with Kutahya faience.
This first itinerary may be rounded off with a visit to the commercial district of Bursa where there are more less well preserved remains of old hans and of the Bedestan which suffered considerably from the earth quake of 1855.
All these hans were built on a similar plan: a square or rectangular courtyard surrounded by buildings stables and store places on the ground floor and lodgings for the merchants on the first floor. What is noteworthy, however, is that their concentration suggests that there was a large commercial district situated as in many Moslem towns near the principal mosque.
From the Great Mosque we go across Istiklal Caddesi and come, first, to the Kapan Hani (weighing han) which is partly destroyed and now used for storing wood. Then, going up Istiklal Caddesi towards the north, we come, left, to the Arabacilar Hani (the “Carters’ Han”, also called the “Old Silk Han”) and the Pirinch Hani (”Rice Han”) the south and east wings of which have survived and give an idea of what (his kind of building was like.
Returning to Istiklal Caddesi, note on the left, in the direction of the Ulu Cami, the Bedesten, a long rectangular building (230 feet by 115) covered by fourteen cupolas set in two rows and supported by six pillars. The cells that were used as store places open on to the interior while on the outside they are surrounded by shops. This Bedesten is thought to date from the reign of Bayezid I.
Near the Bedesten is the Sipahiler Carshisi (”Horsemen’s Market”) consisting of a long building with a wing set crosswise at the end. The whole is covered by five cupolas. There are shops on each side of the central avenue. A little farther is the Geyve Hani (han of Geyve) dating from the reign of Mehmed I and with one half still intact. On the other side of the street is the Emir Hani, the oldest in Bursa since it was founded by Sultan Orhan. Unfortunately it is almost in ruins.
Continuing eastward, we come to the Koza Hani (”Han of Cocoons”) whose first floor was destroyed and hastily rebuilt. Its main interest lies in the small building standing in the middle of the courtyard: this is a small prayer hall supported by an octagonal portico; there is a basin of running water for ablutions. This han was built at the end of the 15th century. If we go back across the road, we pass the Fidan Hani (han of the shrubbery) built by Mahmud Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Mohammed II. It has a very regular layout with a portico that is now hidden by shops; in the centre of the courtyard is a large twelve-sided basin. Finally, a little apart from the others, is the smaller Tuz Hani (salt han) dating from about 1455. From there we turn right, then left into Ataturk Caddesi and thence to Cumhuriyet Meydani.
THE EASTERN DISTRICTS
From Cumhuriyet Meydani we continue eastward along Ataturk Caddesi as far as the Set Bashi Bridge over the Gok Dere, passing first by the Aynali Cami (Mosque of Mirrors) which dates from the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror (in the shape of an inverted T with two rooms each of which is covered by a cupola);we then follow Namazlik Caddesi and take the second turning on the left, Yeshil Cadde, which leads to the Archaeology Museum housed in the former madrasah of the Green Mosque whence its old name Yeshil Medrese. It dates from about 1420-1424 and is a good example t of an Anatolian Seljuk madrasah. It consists of a rectangular courtyard with porticos and with cells opening on to it. The south side is formed by the raised study room with a large cupola. In the centre of the courtyard is a basin for ablutions.
The original entrance consisted of a portal in the north facade. The walls are built of alternate layers of stone and brick. The columns of the portico came originally from ancient buildings; the capitals are Byzantine or Turkish. The decoration is confined to some light and dark blue enamelled bricks, somes times with an addition of white and yellow.
The madrasah was converted into a museum at the beginning of this century. It is entered by a small door surmounted by blue and white enamelled bricks in the east wall. Inside the rooms and beneath the porticos are many Roman funerary sculptures, ancient statues found in the surroundings of Bursa, fragments of Roman and Byzantine architecture, tombstones and Turkish inscriptions. The former lecture hall contains a collection of ethnological and traditional folk items and some works by local craftsmen.
From the museum we go on to the Green Mosque (Yeshil Cami) situated on a small terrace whence there is a magnificent view over Bursa and the plain. The Green Mosque was built in 822/1419-1420 by Haci Ivaz for Sultan Mohammed I; the interior decoration was completed in 827/1424. It was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1855, but the governor of Bursa Ahmed Vefik Pasha called in the French architect Leon Parvillee who carried out a fairly successful restoration in 1864. In its present form, the mosque lacks an outer portico, but it seems as if it never had one.
We thus come immediately upon the principal façade with its artistically decorated marble portal with a honeycombed niche, above which there is a short inscription about the founder. On each side, on the ground floor, are two barred windows with a sculpted marble framework and between them is a mihrab adjoining a honeycombed niche and some sculpted decoration. Level with the first floor, wide bays with openwork stone balustrades open on small interior rooms. The whole facade in fine white marble creates a fine artistic effect.
We enter the mosque by a wide corridor, which has a side vestibule leading to the corner rooms and, by way of two staircases, to the rooms and galleries on the first floor. The corridor leads to the prayer hall which has the customary T shape. A square domed room with a marble basin for ablutions in its centre communicates with three slightly raised rooms: one, to the south, with a cupola, is of the same size as the first and at the back of it is the mihrab; two smaller rooms to the west and east form the transverse arm of the T. Two further small rooms to the south west and the south east, accessible from the principal room, were used for religious instruction. In the north wall, on either side of the entrance door, are two small raised galleries.
The chief interest of the mosque lies in its interior decoration of predominantly blue and green ceramic tiles.
The entrance corridor is faced with hexagonal dark green tiles; the tiles in the adjacent galleries are set off by gilt motifs and in the east and west rooms they are linked by turquoise triangles- The room to the south has blue tiles with white fillets and elsewhere the tiles are turquoise with black triangles. The tympana of the doors and windows and the archivolts of the bays are embellished by ceramic decorations in various colours blue, green, yellow, black and white mingled with floral decorations and inscriptions. But the ceramists craftsmen from Tabriz really surpassed themselves in the sultan’s box and even more so in the mihrab where they achieved incomparable richness and quality. Here they achieved masterpieces that have remained unique in Moslem art.
Before the restoration by Parvillee, the walls above the ceramic panels were covered with paintings overlaid with whitewash. These paintings consisted of arabesques and polychrome inscriptions. Like the ceramics, they were the work of Tabriz artists; two of them are known to us by name Ali the son of Ilyas Ali and Mohammed the Mad.
From the Green Mosque we go on to the Green Turbe (Yeshil Turbe) opposite. This octagonal building with a cupola is the Tomb of Sultan Mohammed I who restored the unity of the Ottoman Empire after the catastrophe of Ankara in 1402. Damaged by the earthquake of 1855, the Yeshil Turbe was restored by Parvillee in 1864, and more recent restoration work has somewhat spoilt the appearance of the building through an injudicious use of cement. The enamelled bricks covering the outer sides of the tomb are of recent manufacture. Only the decorations and inscriptions above the windows are genuine.
We enter the turbe by a door with inscriptions mentioning the names of Haci Ivaz who was in charge of the building work, and of Ali b. Haci Ahmed, the master builder. Another inscription above the door gives the date of the building, 824/1421. We pass under a faience decorated arch, then a few steps bring us to the inner room containing the cenotaphs of Mohammed I, of three of his sons Mustafa, Mahmud and Yusuf, and of five other eminent men, including Selchuk Hatun, whose cenotaph bears an inscription in Arabic. At the back is the mihrab, with a rectangular niche completely faced with predominantly blue and green faience; it is comparable to the mihrab of the Yeshil Cami. The walls are covered with hexagonal turquoise and green ceramic tiles to a height of some 6 feet, and on either side of the windows there are additional decorations, consisting of medallions with floral motifs and arabesques in a greater variety of colour. In panels above the windows verses from the Koran are inscribed.
The Cenotaph of Mohammed I is particularly noteworthy. The base is covered with floral decorations, and the cenotaph itself bears a yellow inscription in relief. The colours used in this ceramic ensemble are dark blue, turquoise, green and yellow. The walls above the faience panels are now whitewashed, but they were probably painted with decorative motifs. Note the stained glass windows that soften the light in the room.
Leaving the Yeshil Turbe we go back to the Yeshil Cami and turn east to the Mosque of Emir Sultan a little farther on; surrounded by cypresses, it dominates teh whole eastern part of the town.
To get to this mosque we pass through a cemetery. The mosque was built by Hundi Hatun, the daughter of Sultan Bayezid I, to commemorate her husband Emir Sultan who died in 833-1429 and was venerated as a saintly figure. The original mosque, dating from about 1430, was destroyed in 1795 during an earthquake. Sultan Selim III as we are told by the inscription above the prayer hall had it rebuilt in 1219/1804-1805. Damaged again in 1855, it was restored at the end of the 19th century.
A few steps bring us to a paved courtyard surrounded by arched porticos of wood. In the centre is a basin for ablutions: an octagonal building on the left is the tomb of Emir Sultan, of Hundi Hatun and of two of their daughters. This tomb was rebuilt in 1285/1868-1869 by Sultan Abdul Aziz. The prayer hall is on the right; it is a square room covered with a cupola. The whole offers a fair example of 19th-century art, and a certain dullness is redeemed by the beauty of the site.
From the Mosque of Emir Sultan we can go down through picturesque districts of blue, pink and yellow pastel coloured houses to the Mosque of Bayezid I Yildirim which can be seen on a rise at the north east end of the town. Here the sultan built not only the mosque that bears his name and pre dates the UluCami, but a madrasah and a hammam. A turbe in which the sultan was buried was added later. There may also have been a palace, but if so no trace of it has survived, just as practically nothing remains of a hospital that once stood there.
The mosque has a fine portico with five cupolas: note especially the shape of the arches two circular arches linked by a flat . part. The prayer hall consists of two domed rooms; two vaulted rooms open off the first one; the second room, with the mihrab, is slightly raised. The walls are whitewashed and covered with large inscriptions that probably date from the 19th century. The mosque is built of finely cut grey limestone. The two minarets were destroyed by earthquakes. The exact date when the mosque was built is not known, but it was some time between 1391 and 1395. There is no doubt that the Yeshil Cami was modelled on it.
On an interior terrace opposite the entrance is the Turbe of Yildirim Bayezid. Built by his son Suleyman in 1406, as the inscription above the door indicates, it was damaged shortly afterwards by the Karamanids and restored by Mohammed I. Destroyed again in 1855 and restored at the end of the 19th century, it has nevertheless retained its original appearance. There is a square room with a cupola preceded by a portico with three cupolas. It contains the cenotaphs of Sultan Bayezid, of his son Isa, a wife and two children.
To the left of the turbe is the Madrasah of Bayezid, recently restored. Its plan is similar to that of the earlier Seljuk madrasahs: a portico running round a rectangular courtyard, with cells on three sides. The façade of the entrance is built of course of limestones, while the rest of the building consists of alternate layers of stone and brick. The study room (dersane) is on the other side of the courtyard, opposite the entrance. In the centre of the courtyard is a hexagonal basin for ablutions. Transformations have recently been made, especially to the support of the cupolas that used to rest on octagonal drums.
We return to Cumhuriyet Meydani by Yildirim Caddesi. Before crossing the Tatarlar Koprusu (Tartar Bridge), note the Tatarlar Cami (Mosque of the Tartars). Then we follow Cumhuriyet Caddesi.
Nearby, note the Mosques of Sultan Camii (built ca. 1470), Kamberler Camii (864/1459-1460), and Ebu Ishak Camii, built by Sultan Bayezid Yildirim for the pupils of the Sheyh Aby Ishak Kazeruni, and restored in 884/1479 by Mehmed II; and finally, at the corner of Yeni Yol Street, the Mosque of Yigit Kohne, built under Bayzeid II, with a frieze of small arcatures decorating the facade.
Going back up Yeni Yol we come to Cumhuriyet Meydani.
THE WESTERN DISTRICTS
Starting from Cumhuriyet Meydani, we take Ataturk Caddesi in a westerly direction as far as the foot of the citadel; there we take Yigitler Caddesi and cross the ramparts of the citadel (Hisar) at the spot where the east gate known as Tabak Kapisi (Tanners’ Gate), Sultanat Kapisi (Gate of the Sultanate), or Hisar Kapisi (Gate of the Citadel) once stood. It used to bear an inscription which is now in the Museum and which gives the date of construction as 821/1418.
The citadel was built on the site of the old Roman and Byzantine town. Its ramparts rested on a natural terrace that dominated the immediate surroundings from ten to fifty yards to the north, east and west. On the other hand, it was vulnerable to the south and there the defences had to be reinforced, which explains the double line of fortifications. Of the ramparts many clearly visible features have survived, including the towers to the east, on either side of the east gate, to the south west between Zindan Kapisi and Yer Kapisi, and to the south east near Yer Kapisi.
On the right, Yigitler Caddesi leads to a vast esplanade from which there is a splendid panoramic view of Bursa and the neighbouring plain. On this esplanade are the Tombs of Sultan Othman, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, and of his son, Sultan Orhan, the real creator of the rising Ottoman power. These tombs were built fairly recently, having been reconstructed in 1868 after the destruction of the original monuments in the earthquake of 1855.
When Orhan took Bursa in 1326, the present site of the two tombs was occupied by a church and an octagonal building perhaps a baptistery; in this building Orhan placed the mortal remains of his father. He, himself, and his wife Nilufer, were buried in the church which had been converted into a mosque after the capture of the town. Nothing remains of the original buildings.
At the end of the esplanade stands the Clock Tower, a 19th-century building without much interest. Some hundred yards south west from the turbe of Osman is the Shehadet Camii (Mosque of Witness) rebuilt in the 19th century on the site of an earlier mosque built by Orhan and restored by Murad I. The inscription, dated 738/1337-1338, above the entrance door may have belonged to the original mosque.
Returning to the east gate of the citadel, we come opposite the gate to the Madrasah of Lala Shahin Pasha (now a home for women), founded in the reign of Murad I by the sultan’s tutor.
From here we continue westward, crossing the citadel along its length, and come to the Kaplica Kapisi (Gate of the Baths) whence Kaplica Kapisi Caddesi leads to the mosque, the madrasah and the gardens of the Muradiye.
The first building we come to, on the right, is the Madrasah of Murad II (now a dispensary) which shows an interesting use of brick in the decorative motifs of the entrance door and the facade of the study room.
The adjoining building is the Mosque of Murad II (Murad Camii or Muradiye), built between 828 and 830/1424-1426, and restored by Leon Parvillee round 1864.
A portico with five bays and with cupolas precedes the T shaped prayer hall: two large domed rooms, the second one slightly raised, and two communicating rooms on either side of the first. Of the two minarets, only the one on the east is old. The chief interest of the mosque lies in its decoration which makes use of both brick and ceramic, on the façade of the portico, the arch of the entrance porch, and the tympana of the windows; in the prayer hall, only some faience panelling has survived; the tiles are of turquoise or ultramarine, with white triangles. Although the ceramics do not achieve the perfection of those in the Green Mosque, they are nevertheless noteworthy.
After visiting the mosque, we go on to the adjoining garden, which abounds in trees and flowers. There are twelve turbes including that of Murad II and those of nine princes and princesses of the Ottoman dynasty. The serene and sweetly peaceful atmosphere of this garden constitutes one of the chief attractions of Bursa. Moreover, some of the turbes there are particularly noteworthy works of art, so that the Muradiye is an absolute “must” for every visitor to Bursa.
At the end of the entrance avenue to the right is the Turbe of Murad II. A marble porch surmounted by a painted and carved wooden porch roof of later construction leads to a large square room with a cupola resting by means of corner sqinches on four square pillars and four columns. In the centre of the space enclosed by these pillars and columns is the very simple tomb of the sultan. It is covered with earth and since the sultan wished that it should be watered by the rain there is an opening in the cupola, just above the tomb. On the east side this room opens on to a smaller room containing the tombs of three of the sultan’s sons, Alaeddin, Ahmed and Orhan, and of his daughter, Shehzade. The turbe is very sober, built of alternate layers of stones and brick and has no interior decoration. The inscription above the entrance door gives the date of the death of Murad II (855-1451). The turbe itself may actually be earlier than this, since two of Murad’s sons who are buried here died before their father.
To the left of the Turbe of Murad II is the Turbe of Mustafa, the son of Sultan Mohammed II the Conqueror, called Mustafa-i Atik Turbesi, although in fact it was built for Ahmed, son of Mohammed I. It is an octagonal building preceded by a fine white marble portico. The inner room, with a cupola, contains six tombs. The walls are panelled with blue and black hexagonal ceramic tiles, and above these are white inscriptions on a black ground. This turbe dates from about 1430.
To the right of the Turbe of Murad II is the Turbe of Prince
Cem which must originally have been that of the Conqueror’s son Mustafa. Cem, the brother of Bayezid II, known in the West as Zizim, rebelled against his brother and led an unhappy life full of adventures. He died in Italy in 1499 and was buried in this turbe. It is an octagonal stone and brick building preceded by a porch with a porch roof. The inner room, with a cupola, contains four tombs. Its interest lies in the decoration of hexagonal ceramic tiles in dark green with a scattering of black. Moreover, all the tiles have gilt motifs. The panels are bordered with white foliated scrolls against a blue ground. The tympana of the windows are also decorated with tiles. The painted motifs above the panelling are of recent manufacture.
Behind this turbe is the Turbe of Mustafa, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent, who was strangled on his father’s orders in 1552. Three other Ottoman princes are buried with him. On the outside, the building resembles the other turbes, but the inner walls are faced not with monochrome hexagonal tiles, but with rectangular tiles composing large floral motifs and arabesques using the techniques and tones of 16th-century Turkish ceramics (workshops of Nicaea and Constantinople). The date of the construction, 981/1573-1574, is shown by the inscription.
Beyond the Turbe of Mustafa is that of Gulshah Hatun, the wife of Mohammed the Conqueror; then, going back toward the Madrasah of Murad II, we come to the Turbe of Mukrime Hatun, the wife of one of the sons of Bayezid II, that of Mahmud, the son of Bayezid II (inscription of 912/1506-1507), which is faced on the inside with turquoise and dark blue hexagonal ceramic tiles with gilt motifs, and then the Turbes of Ebe Hanim, Gulruh Sultana, the wife of Bayezid II, and of Sirin Hatun, another of that sultan’s wives. On the other side of the garden of the Muradiye are two more turbes, that of Hatuniye (built by Mohammed the Conqueror in honour of his mother Hadice in 853/1449) and the so called “Cariyeler Turbesi” containing the mortal remains of former slaves and odalisks.
On the left of the square, as we leave the garden, is an old house called Murad Evi (House of Murad II) where, according to a local tradition, Mohammed the Conqueror was supposed to have been born (in fact he was born at Edirne).
This house dates from the 17th century. It has recently been restored and is used as an Ethnographical Museum. It is an interesting example of an old Bursa house, with plenty of timber work and numerous decorative features on ceilings, walls, and cupboard doors.
At the back of the square, to the north, is the Madrasah of Ahmed Pasha, an interesting building dating from the end of the 15th century, and nearby is the Turbe of Ahmed Pasha,
Continuing along Kaplica Kapisi Caddesi we come to a group of buildings comprising the Mosque and Turbe of Hamza Bey, an eminent figure in the reigns of Murad II and Mohammed II, and the Turbe of Kara Mustafa Pasha, his grandson, the Vizier of Mohammed II. From there we turn right to Alti Parmak Caddesi and thence back to the town centre.
THE WESTERN SUBURBS: The Baths, Chekirge
From the days of the Byzantine Empire, Bursa has been known as a spa, and still many people come there for treatment. Besides hotels and specialized establishments, there are old baths situated to the west of the town, in the suburb of Chekirge and halfway between this suburb and Bursa. These baths, although old, do not go back beyond the Ottoman period.
Starting from Cumhuriyet Meydani, we take first Ataturk Caddesi, then Alti Parmak Caddesi. After about two kilometres, just before coming to the Chelik Palas Hotel, we turn right into a road leading to a group of baths and thermae: Kukurtlu Hamami (Sulphur Bath), Yeni Kaplica (New Baths), Kaynarca Hamami (Hot Bath) and Kara Mustafa Kaplicasi
(Baths of Kara Mustafa). The most interesting is the Yeni Kaplica, built for Rustem Pasha, the son in law and Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, in 959/1552.
We first enter a room covered with two cupolas (the frigidarium), then a rectangular warmish room (the tepidarium) with a cupola and two semi cupolas, and finally the hot room (caldarium) where the water from the hot spring is collected in an octagonal basin. Small adjoining rectangular rooms surround the basin which is surmounted by a cupola with small glassed in openings. On either side of the door of the caldarium are two rooms that used to be reserved for eminent people. Above the door, a white inscription on a blue ceramic tablet gives the name of the founder, together with the date of foundation in a chronogram. The architecture is characteristic of the 16th century. The cold room has a pink and green marble paving, the warm room is covered with a panel of turquoise faience. According to a rule that goes back to the 17th century, the Yeni Kaplica is reserved exclusively for women on Mondays.
The Kukurtlu Namami consists of two buildings, one for men, built at the end of the 14th century, and another one for women built at the end of the 15th. The Baths of Kara Mustafa also date from the end of the 15th century and may occupy the site of earlier Byzantine baths. The Kaynarca Hamami is a later building (17th century).
Returning to Alti Parmak Caddesi, we go on in the direction of Chekirge. On the left we pass a cemetery containing the tomb of Suleyman Chelebi, then in a place apart, on the right the so called Karagoz Tomb; at the end of a small rise we come to a square containing the Eski Kaplica (Old Baths) on the right.
The Old Baths were probably built on the site of Byzantine baths (numerous Byzantine materials were re used in the construction). But there is no doubt that they were built or rebuilt by the Turks in the 14th century. An inscription above the door states that restoration work was undertaken in 917/1511. We first enter a vast hall with two cupolas, one of which has a turret, then we come to the warm room, also domed, and finally to the hot room where a large basin collects the hot water. This basin is surrounded by cabins and surmounted by a cupola.
Continuing uphill, we come to the Mosque of Murad
I (Murad Hudavendigar Camii). The origin of this mosque was for a long time a source of dispute, some scholars identifying it with a former Byzantine church, other with a palace. In fact, it is a Turkish building and, as shown by A. Gabriel, a mosque madrasah, the mosque being on the ground floor and the madrasah on the first floor a type of building that is also found in Seljukid Anatolia. However, it cannot be denied that the layout and the facade show a definite Byzantine influence, and that Gothic influence is apparent in certain features of the cornices and the use of twin and folded arches.
The mosque is preceded by a five bay portico opening on a central room with a basin and a cupola, then on the room of the mihrab which is slightly raised. On each side of the central room is a connecting room with two smaller ones on either side. Two staircases lead to the first floor and end in a portico with twin openings above that on the ground floor. Two corridors lead to an ambulatory with cells openning off it. The basin in the large lower room is surmounted by a cupola. The whole is built of stone and brick, and the columns are taken from Byzantine or more ancient buildings. The mihrab was repainted at a later period.
On the other side of the street, note the Turbe of Murad I, a square domed building containing besides the sultan’s tomb seven other tombs including those of sons of Bayezid I, Suleiman Chelebi and of Bayezid II. It was built by Bayezid I but was restored first in 1154/1741-1742, then after the earth quake of 1855, and finally at the beginning of this century. On the side of the mosque is the Imaret of Murad I (soup kitchen) built at the same time as the mosque but rebuilt in 1906 by Abdul Hamid II.
We return to Cumhuriyet Meydani, either the way we Came or by the Muradiye district.
Those who can spare the time could visit the Cemetery of Pinar Bashi situated among trees south of the citadel, and at the same time have a look at the remains of the “Tekke” (monastery) of the Mevlevis (dancing dervishes) of Pinar Bashi, founded in the Middle Ages. Note the 19th-century wooden dance room of the dervishes.
The Ulu Dag (Mysian Olympus Bithynian Olympus)
However short your stay in Bursa, do not miss the ascent of the Ulu Dag which has easy roads and good hotels and thus offers a unique opportunity of penetrating the Turkish mountain ranges. From Bursa, a good mountain road, 32 km long, leads to the resort (altitude 6 200 feet) where a large hotel and a chairlift form the core of a small winter sports resort popular with skiing enthusiasts from Istanbul. In summer, too, it is a pleasant spot with fine mountain walks. There are regular bus services from Bursa. Now the ascent from Bursa has been even further facilitated by a direct cable car service.
A heavy range of granite and crystalline schist whose summit is covered with limestone-marble (also found extensively on the south side), the Ulu Dag (”the large mountain”) was affected by the quaternary glaciation which cut a whole series of amphitheatres in the north slope, below the ridge running at altitudes of between 7800 and 8400 feet. These Alpine features, however, are on a small scale, and below the line of amphitheatres is a vast plateau, at an altitude of some 5200 to 5900 feet where low granite boulders strew the meadow land that makes up the major part of the north side. These charming Alpine pastures provide grazing for a great many herds (beware of the dogs they are particularly fierce). The much steeper south side is almost inaccessible, but the summit offers some interesting excursions and can be reached in 2 to 3 hours’ walk from the hotel. The wall of amphitheatres between the summit and the large plateau offer some opportunities for easy mountaineering. On such outings you can observe the remarkable zoning of vegetation on the north side. Above the oak and chestnut trees and then the pines forming the lower wooded line, lies the bare, large plateau with a few clumps of stunted pines swallowed up in the grassland; this is the intermediate stage, the line of pastures, dominated by a higher zone where all vegetation disappears and is replaced by a stony desert.
There are the three zones forests, pastures and rocks that travellers can usually distinguish. In fact, the whole of the large plateau belongs naturally to the forest zone, but the forest vegetation was driven back by the pastures of the Yuruk and Turkmen tribes who favoured this area during the Ottoman period. These nomads had succeeded the monks and hermits who, in the Byzantine period, made the mountain one of their favourite retreats and earned it the name of *’Mountain of the Monks” (Keshish Dag in Turkish). These saintly hermits played an important part in the resistance to the iconoclasts during the disputes over religious images. The greatest concentration of monasteries and hermits’ cells seems to have been on the north slope, immediately north east of Bursa, in the valleys of the Gok Dere and the Deli Chay, while the north east side remained the “Desert of Olympus”. Of the countless chapels and monasteries (the Moslems refer to the Ulu Dag as the “Country of the 147 Churches”) nothing remains except a few rudimentary fragments, and an occasional pile of stone and tiles that you might come across during a walk. This was the golden age of the mountain, and the monks seem to have played a decisive role in its settlement. In Antiquity, the Mysian Olympus was nothing more than a lair of brigands.
Follow
