Bursa

200 BCE – 1400 CE

HellenisticRomanByzantineOttomanGreekRomanOttomanBursa

First Ottoman Capital

Capital of the Ottoman state from 1326 to 1365

Founders' Tombs

Burial place of Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi

Green Mosque

Masterpiece of early Ottoman tilework (1420s)

Ulu Cami

Grand Mosque with 20 domes, built by Bayezid I (1399)

Silk Road

Western terminus of the overland silk trade route

Cumalıkızık

UNESCO village with 270 preserved Ottoman houses

“Bursa is where the Ottoman Empire was born.”

WFrom Wikipedia

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, where the founding sultans are buried and early Ottoman architecture reached its first flowering.

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Overview

Bursa — ancient Prusa ad Olympum — lies at the foot of Uludağ (ancient Mount Olympus of Mysia), the highest mountain in northwestern Anatolia. Founded according to tradition by the Bithynian king Prusias I around 187 BCE and named in his honor, the city gained early fame for its therapeutic hot springs, which attracted visitors from across the ancient world. Pliny the Elder noted the quality of the thermal waters, which continue to draw visitors to the Çekirge district today.

Under Roman and Byzantine rule, Prusa served as a prosperous provincial city, but its world-historical significance began in 1326 when Orhan Gazi, the second Ottoman sultan, captured the city from the Byzantines and made it the first capital of the nascent Ottoman state. For nearly a century, Bursa served as the seat of Ottoman power, and the city's early Ottoman monuments represent the formative period of a civilization that would eventually span three continents.

"Bursa is a great and populous city, with fine bazaars and wide streets."

— Ibn Battuta, c. 1331

The tombs of Osman Gazi (founder of the dynasty) and Orhan Gazi stand on the ancient citadel hill, marking Bursa as the spiritual birthplace of the Ottoman dynasty. The Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque), built by Sultan Bayezid I in 1399, is one of the earliest monumental Ottoman mosques, featuring twenty domes and remarkable calligraphic panels. The Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami) and its associated Green Tomb (Yeşil Türbe), built for Sultan Mehmed I in the 1420s, are masterpieces of early Ottoman architecture featuring exquisite İznik tilework in shades of blue, green, and turquoise that gave the complex its name.

The Muradiye Complex, built by Sultan Murad II in the 1420s, contains the tombs of several Ottoman princes and is surrounded by gardens that exemplify the Ottoman integration of architecture and landscape. The Koza Han (Silk Bazaar), built in 1491, reflects Bursa's central role in the Silk Road trade — the city was the western terminus of the overland silk route and a major center of silk weaving that continues to this day.

Efes Antik Kenti 2024 Nisan 2 | Elif Berra Bursa (CC0)

The nearby village of Cumalıkızık, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves an extraordinary ensemble of 270 Ottoman-era houses dating from the 14th century, offering a remarkably intact picture of early Ottoman rural life. Together, Bursa's monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for the birth of the Ottoman urban model that would be replicated across the empire.

Why It Matters

Bursa is where the Ottoman Empire was born. The architectural and urban innovations developed here — the mosque complex (külliye) integrating worship, education, commerce, and social services — became the template for Ottoman city-building from the Balkans to the Middle East for six centuries. The early Ottoman monuments of Bursa represent the critical transition from a frontier principality to a sophisticated state. The Green Mosque's tilework, the Ulu Cami's calligraphy, and the Muradiye's garden-tomb tradition established artistic vocabularies that Ottoman architects would develop into the imperial grandeur of Istanbul. Bursa is the essential prologue to understanding Ottoman civilization.

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Evidence & Interpretation

Distinguishing what is well-established from what remains debated.

Well-Established Facts

Ottoman chronicle traditions, including the works of Aşıkpaşazade and Neşri, consistently record Orhan Gazi's capture of Bursa in 1326 and its establishment as the Ottoman capital.
The Green Mosque and Green Tomb bear foundation inscriptions dating their construction to the reign of Sultan Mehmed I (1413-1421), and the tilework is documented as among the earliest examples of the İznik ceramic tradition.
The Ulu Cami's calligraphic program, executed by the calligrapher Ali bin İlyas Ali, is documented by both inscriptions and Ottoman historical sources as a commission of Sultan Bayezid I following his victory at Nicopolis in 1396.

Scholarly Inferences

The thermal springs at Çekirge, mentioned by Pliny and other ancient authors, suggest the site was valued for its waters long before the city was formally founded by Prusias I.
The extensive reuse of Byzantine spolia in early Ottoman structures, particularly column capitals in the Ulu Cami, indicates a substantial Byzantine-era monumental center predating the Ottoman conquest.

Debated Interpretations

The exact date and circumstances of Bursa's founding by Prusias I remain debated, with some scholars arguing the city existed as a settlement before the Bithynian king's formal foundation.

Discovery & Excavation

1938–1950

Early conservation surveys

Initial systematic documentation and conservation of the Green Mosque, Ulu Cami, and Ottoman royal tombs by the Turkish General Directorate of Foundations.

1987–1995

Citadel investigations

Archaeological surveys within the Bursa citadel documented construction phases from the Byzantine through Ottoman periods, including remnants of the original Bithynian-era fortifications.

2002–2010

Cumalıkızık heritage documentation

Comprehensive architectural survey of the Cumalıkızık village documented 270 Ottoman-era houses and established conservation guidelines leading to the UNESCO inscription.

2010–2014

Muradiye Complex restoration

Major conservation project at the Muradiye Complex restored the 15th-century mosque, medrese, and royal tombs, recovering original tile decorations and wall paintings.

2018

Roman bath complex discovery

Excavations in the Çekirge district uncovered the remains of Roman-era bath structures, confirming ancient literary references to the thermal springs of Prusa.