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
Click here to open the map in full screen
Bursa Travel Activities
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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