Classic Turkey trip, 2012
BURSA
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| After leaving Istanbul we headed across the bosphorous, took a ferry across the sea of Marmara and finally arrived at our first stop - Bursa. Before we headed to our hotel we spent some time in this ancient city. According to legend it was founded by Hanibal, the Carthaginian general in the third century BC. Whether this is true or not, during the reign of the Roman - then Byzantine empire Bursa became an important city, the remains of the castle - on the left below are a reminder of these times. Bursa was occupied by | |||
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the Crusaders and finally it became the first capital of the Ottoman empire after it had been captured by the invading turk people in 1326. Bursa was the first capital of the ottoman empire and as a result has a number of important Mosques. On the left a picture of the green Mosque, considered an important example of early ottoman design. The mosque , known as Yesil (Green) Mosque, was built between 1491-1421 under Mehmet I. Among the sights in Bursa are the mausoleums of the first turk rulers - Osman I. and Orhan I. Below are pictures of their symbolic coffins. The |
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| coffins do not contain any actual remains. In accordance with muslim traditions, they are buried underneath the mausoleum. | |||
Detail of the green mosque ceilling |
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| Osman-Gazi-Mausoleum in Bursa | |||
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As can be seen from the picture on the left, taken from our hotel, Bursa today is a sprawling city of about 2.3 million people, mainly known for textile and automobile production. Although most of the city is quite modern, a few vestiges of its old typical architecture remain, as can be seen in the pictures on below. Bursa is, among other reasons famous for its hotsprings. The Byzantine empress Theodosia was among the early, famous visitors of the |
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Therme (hotspring).We stayed the night in a very nice hotel which gave many of our little group their first introduction to a turkish bath - a hamam see below: | |
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| But before we could relax in hotel and hamam, we visited the famous silk bazaar. The bazaar began life as a karavansery - a way station for traders and their camels. Today it is the center of Bursa's silk trade. The center picture below shows the entrance. | |||
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Central courtyard of the Bazaar. We didn't buy anything but enjoyed ice cream in the courtyard |
Entrance to the Silk Bazaar |
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| Interior of the Bazaar. This is where I did not buy any silk scarves, fabrics or other tempting items. | |||
| Pavillion and fountain in the center courtyard |  |
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