General Information About Bursa

A brief travel information about Bursa, online maps, videos, tourist attractions, museums,  mosques, historical sites, old churches, shopping guide, landmarks, sightseeing places and more...


Bursa is the fourth largest city of Turkey in terms of population. Known as "Green Bursa", this province stands on the lower slopes of Uludag (Mount Olympos of Asia, 2543 m). Because of its being the first Ottoman capital, Bursa is very rich in religious monuments, mosques, and tombs (turbes), baths. One of the places to be seen in Bursa is the Yesil Mosque (Green Mosque), with its carved marble doorway which is one of the best in Anatolia. It is an elaborate and significant building in the new Turkish style. Just opposite, is the Yesil Tomb "Green Tomb", set in a green garden with an enchanting exterior decorated with turquoise tiles. Near the tomb, the Medrese complements the others and makes this the "green" trio, now it houses the Ethnographical Museum which certainly deserves visiting. The Yildirim Beyazit Mosque is important as it is the first one built in the new Ottoman style and is accompanied by the Emir Sultan Mosque which lies in a peaceful setting. The province is decorated with these monuments-each of which is a masterpiece. Here are the Ulu Mosque built in the Seljuk style, with impressive calligraphic wall decorations; the Orhan Gazi Mosque; the "Hisar" an attractive part of the province, and in the park the Mausoleums of Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, and his son Orhan Gazi. The Muradiye Complex has a delightful view with its mosque and tombs of important characters from the Ottoman era and their tiles and charming decorations appeal to the sightseers. The Ottoman Museum offers a lively exhibit of the traditional life style of Ottomans.

Something you will enjoy in Bursa are the warm, mineral-rich springs; indeed most of the hotels in this province have thermal bath facilities. The Turkish baths "hammam" are great places which should be visited in Bursa. The Eski Kaplica (Old Spring) is the oldest in the province. The Kara Mustafa Pasha Baths are famous, and boast the best hot, mineral waters.
 



Landmarks and Museums.

PS: Please see below map to locate all these landmarks

Uludag is the largest and most celebrated winter-sports center in Turkey. It is 36 kms from Bursa and easily accessible by car or cable-car (teleferik). The area is also a national park and is worth a visit at any time of the year. The accommodation is high quality offering the opportunity to enjoy, with a variety of entertainment and sports activities.

Ulucami, (in downtown),  The "great mosque" of Bursa. Built in early Ottoman period, in 1399, it resembles more of earlier Seljuq buildings of inland Anatolia than the typical Ottoman mosques such as Blue Mosque of Istanbul built later. Ulucamii is perhaps most reknown for the striking calligraphic panels that adorn its walls and columns as well as the fountain within the mosque whose trickling sounds contribute to its serene atmosphere

Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami) This mosque is in the Yesil or 'green' district of Bursa just left over the bridge. It contains a wonderful Turbe or tomb completely covered by tiles inside and out. The mosque opposite is very unusual in that it has a fountain inside the prayer area - with lots of legends attached to it. It is also built in a cruciform shape. No one knows why. Beside it are tea gardens with spectacular views over the Bursa valley and Uludag mountain.

Green Tomb (Yeşil Türbe) is the tomb of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I (1412-1420) and is the iconic monument of the city.

Kozahan (Bedesten) - As for souvenirs, you should visit the Covered Bazaar, "Bedesten", or the Koza Han-an attractive building and also a center of silk trade. It is certain that Bursa will take some of time for you to see and add some more delightful experiences to your memories.

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, (Part of Yeşil Camii complex). Jewelry boxes, vases and pottery, belts an, accessories and clothes, tools, manuscripts, and more. Small, but free museum is worth seeing if you are already at at Yeşil Camii and Yeşil Türbe.

Osman Gazi Türbesi is the tomb of the first Ottoman sultan located in the Tophane district

Orhan Gazi Türbesi is the tomb of the second Ottoman sultan, the son of Osman. It's located immediately next to his father's tomb in the Tophane district.

The Muradiye Mosque Complex surrounding the Muradiye Mosque is a small necropolis filled with tombs of illustrious Ottoman figures such as Murat II; Prince Mustafa, son of Suleiman the Great; Gülbahar Hanım, midwife of Mehmet the Conqueror and various wives of sultans.

İnkaya Tree — a huge centuries-old (well, approximately 600 years, to be precisely) plane (Platanus orientalis) tree with an open-air café sheltered by its deep shadow, on the foothills of (and just off the road to) Uludağ.
Historical Buildings
 

Other places of importance are Emir Sultan Mosque, Muradiye Mosque, Hüdavendigar Mosque, Yıldırım Mosque, İshak Paşa Külliyeleri, Celal Bayar Museum, Tomb of Emir Sultan, Tomb of Gazi Timurtas,  Bursa Archeology Museum. Bursa City Museum. Bursa Turk Islamic Works Museum, Cumalıkızık Ethnography Museum. Hünkâr Köşkü Pavillion.  Sarı Konak Mansion In Tophane. Balıbey Han, Irgandı  Bridge in Setbasi.

Historical Towns and districts near Bursa

Iznik (Nicaea/Nikaia) — historical town to east featuring old city walls, lakefront promenade, and the church in which first and seventh ecumenical councils of early Christianity were convened

Mudanya is a seaside resort town from fine fish restaurants and night-clubs there so you can have a pleasant

Zeytinbagi (Trilye) is a town of typical Turkish architecture and lay out. There are sea bus and ferry connections with Istanbul.


 

Shopping in Bursa


Silk - one of the major industries of Bursa in the past, this is still one of the major draws of Bursa.
Koza Han (Silk Bazaar), (in downtown, very near Ulucami). Silk bazaar dating back to 1491. Think of a very historical mall devoted only to silk. edit
Bursa based Özdilek in the nation wide textile producer company, especially famous with towel production.



 

Bursa Transportation


The city has a metro line connecting downtown with suburbs in the northwest. There is also an extensive bus and dolmuş (dolmus) network. The dolmuşes in Bursa are more likely to be a normal looking white car with a sign on the roof rather than the yellow minibuses that are common in Istanbul. The Bursa Metro is called Bursaray - for information in Turkish: Bursaray and a map

An airport serving domestic and a couple of international flights can be found in Bursa (Yenişehir Airport).  However, in order to get to Bursa from most countries by plane, you will have to take a transit flight via one of Turkey's international airports. There are several domestic flights to Bursa from varius Turkish cities, but not from Istanbul because it is easy to reach by ferryboat and land.

There is no railway in and around Bursa. However, when coming from Ankara, you can take the high-speed train (YHT) to Eskişehir, which is located about the mid-way, and then transfer to the bus heading for Bursa there, which is provided by Turkish State Railways and departs right in front of the station. This combined trip takes around 4 hours (as opposed to 5 and a half hours by bus only), and there are seven fast train departures daily from Ankara.

Buses from Istanbul take at least 3 hours to reach Bursa but the trip can take over 4 depending on the traffic and cost less than 10 US Dollars.  Many companies have buses leaving every hour or even half hour including Kamil Koc, Pamukkale, and Nilufer. There are bus services from all major cities to Bursa such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya. All intercity buses will leave you at the very modern Terminal Bus Station about 10kms outside the city on the Istanbul motorway.

There are two main options from Istanbul: The ferries operated by BUDO run from Kabataş directly opposite the tramway terminus to Mudanya.  The ferries operated by İDO can leave from Yenikapı, Kabataş, or Kadıköy. Tickets can be booked online, but only if you have a Turkish phone number. Ask assistance form your hotel or a travel agency.


 

Bursa Travel Map

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Bursa Travel Activities

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Bursa Daily Tour from Istanbul
There is no trip to Turkey which is complete without visiting Bursa. As the final stop on the Silk Road, and the first major capital of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa has an extremely rich cultural heritage. Known as ‘Green Bursa’ because of its parks and gardens, this full – day trip explores the verdant city nestled at the foot of Uludag (ancient Mt. Olympus), near by villages and natural wonders....
Click here for tour prices and more details about these daily tours.
 


Bursa Hotels

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