Bursa

Bursa, Turkey

The Grand Mosque of Bursa with its row of domes glows gold in late afternoon light, seen low from a stone step.

Bursa is an early Ottoman capital with sultans' tombs, silk-trading halls, thermal baths and a ski mountain, all within an easy day from Istanbul.

The place

Bursa lies in north-western Turkey, in the Marmara region, at the foot of Mount Uludağ and about 100 m above sea level. The city has roughly three million people, so it is a large, working metropolis rather than a quiet museum town, and car manufacturing is one of the engines of its economy. Even so, the old core holds together well. Early Ottoman sultans are buried here in domed tombs, and mosques, covered markets, caravanserais and wooden Ottoman houses cluster in a district that can be covered largely on foot, with trams and buses filling the gaps. Its nickname, Yeşil Bursa or Green Bursa, points to the parks, gardens and forests that run through the city and the countryside around it. The mountain behind carries a ski resort in winter and offers cooler air and walking trails in summer, while hot springs, used since antiquity, keep the tradition of the thermal bath alive. Compared with Istanbul, Bursa feels slower and more local, an Anatolian city that happens to hold a great deal of early Ottoman history. Many people come from Istanbul for a day, but a night here is worthwhile, when the bazaar quarter empties and lights come on across the plain. Summers on the plain are hot, and the mountain is the usual escape.

Its story

Bursa's story starts long before the Ottomans. The earliest known settlement in the area was at Ilıpınar Mound, in prehistory. Later, the Bithynian king Prusias I built a city here that took his name, Prusa, and was also called Prusa ad Olympum because it stood beneath the Bithynian Olympus, today's Mount Uludağ. Its hot springs were already famous, and were nicknamed the royal waters. When the last Bithynian king, Nicomedes IV, died, his will handed the whole kingdom to Rome, and Prusa became a Roman town. A letter survives from Pliny the Younger, then governing the province, asking the emperor Trajan for approval to build baths and describing a ruined mansion on the site he preferred. That exchange shows how central bathing was to the town even then. Centuries later the Ottomans, still an ambitious frontier power, took the city and made it an early capital for a few decades before the court moved on. They never abandoned it. Sultans continued to build mosques, markets and tombs here, and the first rulers of the dynasty were buried in the city. The great Grand Mosque was founded by Sultan Bayezid I, and the Green Mosque by Mehmed I, who had reunited the Ottoman lands after a bitter struggle between brothers. Bursa today is a layered record of those choices.

What to see

Culture

Bursa's culture is shaped by its centuries as an Ottoman seat, and by its place as a prosperous trading and bathing town. The Grand Mosque shows early Ottoman architecture drawing on Seljuk ideas, and its calligraphy panels reflect the importance of the written word in Islamic art. The city is also a place of craft: silk weaving, wood carving and metalwork all have a long history here, and the bazaar quarter still trades in textiles and household goods. Public life revolves around tea. Men and women alike meet in tea gardens, in courtyards such as those of the old caravanserais, and in parks along the river. Hospitality is taken seriously, and a shopkeeper may offer tea before any sale is discussed, with no obligation to buy. Religious life is visible but relaxed in the centre. The call to prayer sounds across the old town five times a day, and many people stop for it, though plenty of cafés and shops carry on as usual. Thermal bathing remains a social custom, with separate sections or hours for men and women in traditional baths. Local pride is attached to the Green Bursa idea, and residents like to talk about the mountain, the fruit and the food. Before entering any mosque, remove your shoes at the door, cover your shoulders and knees, and women should carry a scarf for the head.

What to wear

Bursa has long been associated with silk, and the Ottoman court wore richly woven silk brocades and velvets, including long kaftans, made in towns such as this. Traditional dress was layered: loose trousers, shirts, waistcoats and sashes, with women's outfits adding embroidered jackets and headscarves, often in cotton, silk or wool depending on season. These pieces now appear mainly at festivals, weddings, folk-dance performances and in museums, while silk scarves, cotton towels and embroidered linens are still sold as crafts. In daily life, people in Bursa dress much as in other Turkish cities: jeans, shirts and light jackets for most, smart casual in offices, and more conservative clothing, including headscarves for many women, in older and religious neighbourhoods. Visitors should dress for the weather and the sites. Summers on the plain are hot, so light cotton or linen is best, but shoulders and knees should be covered for mosques, and a scarf is useful for women. Shoes come off at mosque doors, so slip-ons help. Cobbled lanes and uneven steps call for comfortable shoes with grip. For Uludağ, bring a warm layer and a windproof jacket, as temperatures drop sharply with height, and proper boots if snow is likely in winter.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April–May and September–October, when the plain is mild and the parks are green; summers can be hot, and the winter months suit Uludağ for skiing, though the city itself is cooler and wetter.

How long. 2

Getting there. Fly to Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) or Istanbul Airport (IST), then take a bus to Bursa's main bus station; a direct bus runs hourly from Sabiha Gökçen and takes about 90 minutes. From central Istanbul, a direct bus or a ferry across the sea is usually quicker than driving. The city has had no railway, so check whether the planned high-speed line has opened.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources