This weekend, I hope to catch everyone up with the sites I have seen around Bursa. Last week, I walked around the edges of Tophane, the ancient hill-top
fortress where Bursa was first settled.
Like Istanbul, this most ancient part of Bursa is surrounded by the
remains of the Byzantine-era fortress walls.
The highest point is now a park and contains the tombs of Osman Gazi,
the founder and namesake of the Ottoman Empire, and Orhan Gazi, his son and
conqueror of Bursa. Sultan Orhan
captured Bursa in 1326, just before his father Osman died. Osman never entered Bursa while he was alive
but his son brought his body to the new capital of the Empire to be
buried.
Tomb of Sufi Saint Uftade, one of the largest tombs in Bursa |
The city first expanded beyond
the borders of Tophane during the Ottoman period, but the walled old city
remained its administrative and spiritual center. Encompassing a relatively small area, about 1
mile by .5 mile, Tophane is packed full of small but ancient mosques and tombs
of Sufi holy men.
Tophane offers great views of the surrounding
valley and Uludag. Even from Tophane, Ulu Camii (Mosque) is nearly lost amongst the tangle of streets, shops and apartments.
The area is also characterized by its winding streets and tightly packed, crumbling Ottoman era buildings.
I haven't posted a picture of a fun Turkish sokak animal in a while. Here is a one member of the herd of chickens that roams the park surrounding the Sultans' tombs being chased by a fellow CLS student.
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