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City in Bursa province in western Turkey
Photo: The original uploader was Muberra Yenidunya at Turkish Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Bursa is a large city in the Southern Marmara region of Turkey, 20 km inland from the Marmara coast. It's the country's fourth-largest city, with a population of 2,161,990 in 2021, and with another million living in the wider metro area. It's mostly modern, industrial and concrete-ridden; earning its living from textiles, agricultural produce and the automobile industry. However, it has a lot to offer for history buffs as the first capital of the Ottoman Empire and one of the end destinations of the Silk Road. It is crowded with historic mosques, tombs, caravanserais, bazaars and parks, in addition to being one of the best food cities in Western Turkey. In 2014, Bursa along with the nearby village of Cumalıkızık was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city serves as a gateway to the iconic forests and ski slopes of Mount Uludağ.
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Ulu Camii
This was built by Sultan Beyazid and completed in 1399. He then suffered a calamitous defeat by Timur, who wrecked it, and later the Karamansids wrecked it some more. It was rebuilt then and as needed in later years, especially after the earthquake of 1855, keeping to the original design - so it more resembles its Seljuk predecessors of Anatolia than later Ottoman creations such as the Blue Mosque of Istanbul. Ulu Camii is most renowned for the striking calligraphic panels that adorn its walls and columns, and the fountain within it.
North side of Orhan and Grand Mosques was the city's caravanserai and silk market. Built in 1490, it's a large courtyard surrounded by two-storey arcades: the merchants had accommodation and offices upstairs and their shop-fronts downstairs. In the centre, a prayer room is perched in a kiosk, entered by a staircase to keep out the pack-animals and their mess. It's now lined with small shops and cafes, a pleasant place to take tea.
Bursa Kent Müzesi
This is the former courthouse, converted to a museum in 2004. It exhibits the city's long history, including modern aspects (eg the ski resort) that you might not see elsewhere. Signage is only in Turkish.
Yeşil Camii
This mosque was built 1419 to 1424 at the behest of Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, who re-united the Ottomans after their fratricidal wars. Its striking green and blue tilework was wrought by the "Masters of Tabriz", and is especially rich on the mihrab, recesses and tomb of Mehmed himself. It's a two-story building in a T-plan, and unusually has a fountain within. Beside it are tea gardens with great views over the valley and Uludag mountain. The madrassah is nowadays the Museum of Turkish Islamic Art (see below), while the hamam has become a souvenir shop.
Türk v İslam Eserleri Müzesi
Small collection housed in the former madrassah.
Osmanlı Evi Müzesi
A house furnished to show life in the 17th century.
Tofaş Anadolu Arabaları Müzesi
Tofaş is a car company, "Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirket". This is an impressive collection of vehicles from horse-drawn days to the present.
Yıldırım Beyazıt Cami
Bayezid I built this religious complex in the 1390s, with mosque and madrassah. Crushed by Timur, he died in captivity in 1403 and eventually was buried in a cloistered tomb within the complex. By him lie his wife and son Isa.
Muradiye Külliyesi
This was commissioned by Sultan Murad II and the mosque, which is fairly simple, was completed in 1426. The main draw is the eight mausoleums with a roll-call of early Ottoman nobles. The Koran and Calligraphy Museum (Kur'an ve El Yazmaları Müzesi, closed Monday) is a fine exhibition within the complex.
Bursa Arkeoloji Müzesi
Small but interesting museum of the area's prehistory. It's housed in a former boys' High School, set in the Kültür Park.
Bursa Atatürk Müzesi
Elegant 19th century villa in French style. In the 1920s it was gifted for Atatürk to use whenever he was in town, and the second floor displays his personal items. It was converted into a museum in 1973.
Merinos Tekstil Sanayi Müzesi
Machinery and other exhibits from the Merino wool trade and other textiles. A wool mill stood here until replaced by the Congress Hall.
Bursa Göç Tarihi Müzesi
On the 2nd floor above the Textile Museum, this depicts the many human migrations across Anatolia, which continue.
Merinos Enerji Müzesi
This was the power station driving the wool mill and its machinery and control room have been preserved.
Karagöz ("Blackeye") is the coarse, impulsive buffoon and Hacivat ("Ivat the Pilgrim") is the sensible one in the shadow-puppet plays of Turkey, which first appeared in the 14th century. They are said to be based on two real-life fellows working in the construction of one of the early Ottoman mosques in the city. They resemble the wayang of Java so the tradition may stem from there. The museum exhibits the duo, their supporting cast, and the stories and mechanics behind them.
Mosque built in the 1360s by Murat I and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1855.
Yeni Kaplıca
This is the most attractive of the spas, the "new baths" founded in 1555 by Rüstem Pasha, the grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent. The male side is the better, but the female side is reasonably spacious and well-appointed. The Yeni source is 80°C and sulphurous, so you'll need the rubdown and soap massage service afterwards. It's not at all touristy and they don't speak English, but sign language suffices. Most men wear bathing suits, but it's optional. You can buy them at shops outside or within the hammam.
This is the original of what's become a chain: İskender Efendi invented his style of kebab in Bursa in the 19th century.
Affectionately referred to as the "little blue store" or the "corner blue store" by locals, this is one of the two claimants to the original İskender legacy and is widely argued to be the best in Bursa by locals along with the other historic İskender restaurant above. It is, as in the name, a tiny blue store with a storied history, so expect to wait in line outside and a higher price, but the end product is worth it. Your humble user prefers to eat here when he goes back home, but respects other opinions.
A grill restaurant beloved by locals and best known for its meatballs, has been around forever.
A chain where the specialty is cantık, a folded pide heaped with meat.
Kebab restaurant, good reviews and vista over the city.
Good range of trad food.
Good central spot for grills and koftes.
Muradiye Osmanlı Mutfağı
A poorhouse during the Ottoman period, well-restored and now an upscale restaurant (no alcohol) with Ottoman cuisine. The garden has nice views of Bursa.
Make sure you walk all the way to the back of the garden, where a few tables offer a magnificent view over the bazaars below from the top of the old city wall. The Iskender kebap here is as good as the original. They also serve Turkish breakfast.
For a still moderately priced splurge, go here. By arrangement, you can have your reserved table covered in rose petals, making it the perfect place for a marriage proposal. It's also a top class hotel.
Small basic hotel, but clean, central and value for what you're paying.
Çeşmeli Hotel
Cosy small place in town centre. The Çeşmeli - drinking fountain - is set into the wall.
Charming small hotel in a renovated old house near city gates. Some street noise in ground floor rooms.
Simple mid-price hotel near Central Mosque.
Middling central place.
Pleasant hotel in two sections: "City" and "1890". On hillside with mountain view, limited parking.
Atatürk had this built in Art Deco style in 1935 as a guest house for his visitors, but most rooms are in the modern annexe. Both sections are showing their age.
Upmarket place with 187 rooms and suites, spa, Turkish baths, sauna, pool and fitness center, 2 restaurants, a bar, patisserie and lobby lounge, and free parking. But it's 5-star going on 3, with erratic service, cleanliness and cuisine.
By train
Bursa has no railway. A high-speed line is under construction and is due to open in 2023, but the project has been delayed several times.
By road
From Istanbul follow E80 / O5 east, which sweeps round in an arc over Osmangazi Bridge then southwest. You could save some distance but no time by taking the ferry from Pendik to Yalova.
By bus
Pamukkale buses run from Istanbul Anadolu / Harem to Bursa, taking 2 hr 10 min non-stop, single fare 180 TL as of February 2023.
By boat
A very popular option among locals and tourists alike is to take the ferry across the Marmara Sea from various locations in Istanbul to Mudanya and Güzelyalı, not far from the city of Bursa.
There is an extensive bus and dolmuş network. The dolmuşes in Bursa look like standard white cars with a sign on the roof, rather than minibuses.
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