Istanbul Trip Overview
Ottoman Empire was one of the largest empires in the history. Bursa was its first capital. The city that is settled on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludag is known as “Yesil Bursa” (meaning “Green Bursa”) from its beautiful parks and gardens located throughout the city. This fourth largest city of Turkey is also known for its peaches, chestnuts, and silk industry. You journey begins in the morning at your hotel where you will be picked up. We arrive to Bursa after three hour drive. We walk for some time and then have lunch in one of the traditional restaurants in the old town. Afternoon we continue touring the city until dusk. Many historical monuments are on our list such as Muradiye, Mausoleums of Osman and Orhan Bey, Grand Mosque, Green Mosque, Koza Han, Covered bazaar and many others. We will return the same way as we arrived to Bursa and arrive in Istanbul at your hotel about 8 pm.
Important Information
Tour departs with minimum 6 people.
Additional Info
Duration: 12 hours
Starts: Istanbul, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Istanbul Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Istanbul, Turkey, Turkey
Ottoman Empire was one of the largest empires in the history. Bursa was its first capital. The city that is settled on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludag is known as “Yesil Bursa” (meaning “Green Bursa”) from its beautiful parks and gardens located throughout the city. This fourth largest city of Turkey is also known for its peaches, chestnuts, and silk industry. You journey begins in the morning at your hotel where you will be picked up. We arrive to Bursa after three hour drive. We walk for some time and then have lunch in one of the traditional restaurants in the old town. Afternoon we continue touring the city until dusk. Many historical monuments are on our list such as Muradiye, Mausoleums of Osman and Orhan Bey, Grand Mosque, Green Mosque, Koza Han, Covered bazaar and many others. We will return the same way as we arrived to Bursa and arrive in Istanbul at your hotel about 8 pm.
Important Information
Tour departs with minimum 6 people.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Muradiye Complex, Cekirge, Bursa Turkey
The mosque complex commissioned by Sultan Murad II in Bursa contains twelve tombs (türbe), most belonging to relatives of this sultan. Construction of the complex began after the completion of the Yeşil Mosque, which is in the eastern area of Bursa. A large earthquake in 1855 damaged much of the Muradiye complex, and restorations were completed in the late nineteenth century. A further restoration project was completed in 2015.
Interior view.
The large complex is composed of the Muradiye Mosque, Muradiye Madrasa, Muradiye Bath, Muradiye Hospice, a fountain, epitaphs, Sultan Murad II’s tomb, Şehzade Ahmed’s tomb, Cem Sultan’s tomb, Şehzade Mahmud’s tomb, Şehzade Osman’s tomb,[4] Şehzade Mustafa’s tomb, Mahidevran Hatun’s tomb, Şehzade Mehmed’s tomb, Gülşah Hatun’s tomb, Ebe Hatun’s tomb, Hüma Hatun’s tomb, Sittişah Hatun’s tomb, the Saraylilar’s tomb, and Şirin Hatun’s tomb.[5]
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Tombs of Osman and Orhan, Yigitler Cd. No:4,, Bursa 16040 Turkey
The present tombs of the original founders of the Ottoman state, Osman and Orhan, are structures erected in recent times. They were brought to a state beyond repair by the earthquake that leveled Bursa in 1855; following which time they were constructed in their present form after the complete removal of the original buildings. The original tomb buildings are known to have been, essentially, a centuries-old utilization of one or several very ancient Byzantine structures dating to the period prior to the conquest of Bursa.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Ulu Camii, Baglar Cad. Karacabey, Bursa 16700 Turkey
Bursa Grand Mosque (or Great Mosque) is a prominent landmark in Bursa’s downtown. With its two towering minarets and 20 domes, the building is one of the most impressive and important in Bursa. Ulu Cami’i is considered the fifth most important mosque in Islam, after those in Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, and Damascus. It is also included in Bursa’s 2014 UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription.
Commissioned by Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid I, Bursa Grand Mosque was opened in 1399 and built in the Seljuk style of architecture, consisting of both Seljuk and early Ottoman elements. The mosque’s 20 domes are arranged in four rows of five and are supported by 12 columns. This arrangement divides the large, 2200-square meter rectangular room into sections, allowing for a sense of privacy in the midst of the building’s enormity.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Yesil Camii, Akyokus Sk Yesil Mh., Bursa 16360 Turkey
The Green Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Mehmed I, is a part of a larger complex on the east side of Bursa, Turkey, the former capital of the Ottoman Turks before they captured Constantinople in 1453. The complex consists of a mosque, türbe, madrasah, kitchen and bath.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Koza Hani, Bursa Center, Bursa Turkey
Koza Han, koza meaning literally ‘silk cocoon’, was founded by Sultan Bayezid II as a waqf (or pious foundation) to fund his imaret in Istanbul. The han (inn) consists of a courtyard measuring approximately 45.90 m x 37.50 m with two stories of rooms around its perimeter as well as a single-storey stable adjoining the eastern side. On the outer walls, single rows of ashlar alternate with double rows of brick. Below the double row of dog-tooth ornament, a band of brickwork in a double-chain pattern winds round the four walls of the building. The windows of the rooms on the lower level are slits (embrasures), while those on the upper floor are rectangular.
The portal in the middle of the north wall and the rooms flanking it project outward from the wall. The portal iwan has panelled square vaults and is two-stories high. The rooms to either side are also two-stories high open onto the iwan through an arch on the lower level.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Covered Bazaar (Bedesten), Merkez Osmangazi Merkez, Osmangazi, Bursa Turkey
The Covered Bazaar in Bursa is modest, although it was once a very important producer of silk and continues to offer a large selection of fine silks. However, the silk you’ll find in Bursa today is mostly woven in other places and imported to the Covered Bazaar to be sold by the merchants.
As recently as the 1970s, the numerous Hans in Bursa undertook the silk production process from start to finish by feeding the silk worms, harvesting their cocoons, weaving the silk and putting it on display for customers and passing foot traffic.
Duration: 1 hour
