Bursa / Turkey |
It is located to the east of the Marmara Sea on the western foothills of the Mount Olympos/Uludağ rising above the plain of the same neme behid the Mudanya bay. The history of the area dates back to the prehistoric ages as parallel to the sacred character of the Mount Olympos. Aesclepiades, the eminentphysician who lived in the 2nd century B.C., is the most famous Purassan of the antiquity. The area which, after the Scythian and Etruscan tribes, came under the rule of the Hittite Anatolian League, was later taken by Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians and Bithynians. Commensurate with the functionality of the Zeus Temple and Sanctuary presumably built on the Mount Olympos during the Bithynian era, the first settlement was established on the western foothills of the Mount, at the place today called Hisar (castle), under the name Purassa, meaning "Castle by the Water Spring". In the course of time this name changed into Bursa. In 186 B.C. thr famous Carthaginian Commander Hannibal took refuge in Purassa. In 73 B.C. even though Bithynians recognized the domination of Pontus instead of Rome, they were added to the Roman lands later on. During the Byzantine era the city was renowned for its water with curative powers and hammams, spas and palaces were built there. The city was exposed to the Arab raids in the 7th century and subsequently seizet by Kutanmışoğlu Süleyman and was subjected again to Byzantium by Alexios Konnenos. Bursa which was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1326 was made the capital of the Ottaman state. The foremost among the historical remains in Purassa is the Castle of Bursa built by Bithynians surrounded with cliffs on three sides to which a Sultanate gate was further added in the east by the Ottomans. The Tekfur Palace which had been previously constructed within the Castle was restored by the Ottomans and named the Bursa Palace. The Balabancık Castle located to the east of the city was an old Byzantine Fortress restored by Osman Gazi. Furthermore, the Turkish Greek Episcopal Palace and Church dating from the Byzantine era, now in rins, as well as the remains of an Armenian Church are visible. Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) with two minarets is the most prominent Ottoman work visible in the city center. The walls of the mosque, built by Yıldırım Beyazıt in 1400, are made of dressed stone and with 20 cupolas. The mimber (pulpit) of the mosque was made of ebony tree without the use of any nail. Today nearby the mosque is a marketplace where authentic handicrafts and products made in Bursa are sold. Yeşil cami (Green Mosque) and adjacent complex of of buildings built in 1419 is aunique work of art with its marble stones and green majolica as the finest examples of the art of calligraphy. Yeşil Türbe (Green Mausoleum), beside the mosque, has a pointed arch and is embellished with green majolica. ıt houses the tombs of Çelebi Mehmet and his family. Lying in ruins are Yeşil Han (Green Inn), Yeşil Imaret (green Soup Kitchen) and Yeşil Hamam (Green Hammam). Within the Complex of Buildings, Yeşil Medrese (Green Medrese), which consists of a large classroom with high walls, two small lateral rooms and 13 cubicles, serves today as the museum of ancient works of art. The Bursa Archeological Museum is situated within the Culture Park. Displayed in its four main halls are archeological and ethnographic works of art recovered in the area.  The other Ottoman works in the city are the octagonal Çelebi Mehmet Turbe, yhe symbol of Bursa embellished with tiles at the top, Orhan Gazi mosque, Murat Mosque including a medrese, Emir Sultan Mosque with sexpartide dome, Muradiye Mosque and Muradiye Turbes and the Covered Bazaar, Hamza Bey Mosque and Timurtaş Mosque. The spas of Bursa are highly renowned since the antiquity. Spa hot baths were built there during various periods, primarily the Roman. During the Turkish era some of them were restored, while new baths were being built. The oldest bath in Bursa was built in the Byzantine era and restored by Turks. The old spa is the largest bathhouse in Bursa. The section of the bathhouse there is a small pool with bathing places around it. The new spa was built by Rüstem Pasha in 1552. It contains three sections. In the center of the caldarium there is a pool. The architectural structure of the interiors of the bathhouse is shaped like an octagonal star. Bursa is today one of the most important cities in Turkey.
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