Bursa
Bursa city Bursa city
Bursa Location of Bursa
Coordinates: 40°11′N 29°04′E / 40.183°N 29.067°E / 40.183; 29.067Coordinates: 40°11′N 29°04′E / 40.183°N 29.067°E / 40.183; 29.067
Country	Turkey
Region	Marmara
Province	Bursa
Settled	202 BC
Government
• Mayor	Recep Altepe (AKP)
Area
• City	1,036 km2 (400 sq mi)
Elevation	100 m (300 ft)
Population (2010)[1]
• City	1,905,570
• Density	1,508.52/km2 (3,907.0/sq mi)
• Metro	2,605,495
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	1600
Area code(s)	(+90) 224
Licence plate	16
Website	www.bursa.bel.tr

Bursa (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈbuɾsa]) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. The metropolitan area in the entire Bursa province had a population of 2.6 million as of 2010,^[1] making the city the fourth most populous in Turkey. The city is equally one of the most industrialized metropolitan centers in the country.

Bursa was the capital of the Ottoman State between 1326 and 1365. The city was referred to as "Hüdavendigar" (meaning "God's Gift") during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is "Yeşil Bursa" (meaning "Green Bursa") in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban tissue, as well as to the vast forests in rich variety that extend in the surrounding region. The city is synonymous with Mount Uludağ which towers behind its core and which is also a famous ski resort. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa and the numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period constitute the city's main landmarks. The surrounding fertile plain, its thermal baths, several interesting museums, notably a rich museum of archaeology, and a rather orderly urban growth are further principal elements that complete Bursa's overall picture.

Karagöz and Hacivat shadow play characters were historic personalities who lived and are buried in Bursa. Bursa is also home to some of the most famous Turkish dishes such as İskender kebap, specially candied marron glacés, peaches and lokum. Bursa is home to the Uludağ University, and its population attains one of the highest overall levels of education in Turkey. Within the Bursa Province, the towns of İznik (Nicaea), Mudanya and Zeytinbağı are especially notable for their long history and important monuments.

History[link]

The earliest known settlement at this location was the Ancient Greek city of Cius, which Philip V of Macedon granted to Prusias, the King of Bithynia, in 202 BC. Prusias rebuilt the city and renamed it Prusa (Ancient Greek: Προῦσα). After 128 years of Bithynian rule; Nicomedes IV, the last King of Bithynia, bequeathed the entire kingdom to Roman Empire in 74 BC.

Bursa became the first major capital city of the early Ottoman Empire following its capture from the Byzantines in 1326. As a result, the city witnessed a considerable amount of urban growth throughout the 14th century. After conquering Edirne (Adrianople) in 1365 the Ottomans turned it into a joint capital city for governing their European realms, but Bursa remained the most important Anatolian administrative and commercial center even after it lost its status as the sole Ottoman capital. The Ottoman sultan Bayezid I built the Bayezid Külliyesi (Bayezid I theological complex) in Bursa between 1390 and 1395^[2] and the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) between 1396 and 1400.^[3] The population of Bursa was 45,000 in 1487.^[4] Bursa remained to be the most important administrative and commercial center in the empire until Mehmed II conquered İstanbul.

During the Ottoman period, Bursa continued to be the source of most royal silk products. Aside from the local silk production, the city imported raw silk from Iran, and occasionally from China, and was the main production center for the kaftans, pillows, embroidery and other silk products for the Ottoman palaces until the 17th century.

Following the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, Bursa became one of the industrial centers of the country. The economic development of the city was followed by population growth and Bursa became the 4th most populous city in Turkey.

The city has traditionally been a pole of attraction, and was a major center for refugees from various ethnic backgrounds who immigrated to Anatolia from the Balkans during the loss of the Ottoman territories in Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The most recent arrival of Balkan Turks took place in the 1990s, when the communist regime in Bulgaria expelled approximately 150.000 Bulgarian Turks to Turkey.^[5] About one-third of these 150.000 Bulgarian Turkish refugees eventually settled in Bursa.

Geography[link]

Bursa is settled on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludağ in the southern Marmara Region. It is the capital city of Bursa Province bordered by the Sea of Marmara and Yalova to the north; Kocaeli and Sakarya to the northeast; Bilecik to the east; and Kütahya and Balıkesir to the south.

Climate[link]

Bursa has a borderline Mediterranean/humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa/Cfa). Bursa has hot, humid summers that last from June until September. Winters are cold and damp, also containing the most rainfall, there can be snow on the ground which will last for a week or two. In the mountains; especially Uludağ, it is freezing and snows all winter, summer on the mountains are pleasantly warm.

Economy[link]

The glass pyramid entrance of Zafer Plaza AVM shopping center.

Kent Meydanı AVM shopping center.

Bursa is the center of the Turkish automotive industry.^[7][8] Factories of motor vehicle producers like Fiat, Renault and Karsan, as well as automotive parts producers like Bosch, Mako, Valeo and Delphi have been active in the city for decades. The textile and food industries are equally strong, with Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola and other beverage brands, as well as fresh and canned food industries being present in the city's organized industrial zones. The top 10 industry corporations in the Bursa province are as follows.^[9]

• Oyak Renault
• Tofaş Fiat
• Bosch
• Borçelik
• Türk Prysmian Kablo
• Sütaş Dairy Products
• Bis Enerji
• Zorlu Enerji
• Borusan Mannesmann Boru
• Componenta Döktaş

Apart from its large automotive industry, Bursa also produces a substantial amount of dairy products (Sütaş),^[10] processed food (Tat),^[11] and beverages (Uludağ).^[12]

Traditionally, Bursa was famous for being the largest center of silk trade in the Byzantine and later the Ottoman empires, during the period of the lucrative Silk Road. The city is still a major center for textiles in Turkey and is home to the Bursa International Textiles and Trade Center (Bursa Uluslararası Tekstil ve Ticaret Merkezi, or BUTTIM.) Bursa was also known for its fertile soil and agricultural activities, which have decreased in the recent decades due to the heavy industrialization of the city.

Bursa is a major center for tourism. One of the most popular skiing resorts of Turkey is located at Uludağ just next to the city proper. Bursa's thermal baths have been used for therapeutical purposes since Roman times. Apart from the baths that are operated by hotels, Uludağ University has a physical therapy center which also makes use of thermal water.

Education[link]

Bursa has two public universities and one private university. Uludağ University, founded in 1975, is the oldest institution of higher education in Bursa. Founded first as the Bursa University then renamed to Uludağ University in 1982, the university has a student body of 47,000, one of the largest in Turkey. Bursa Technical University^[13] is the second public university of Bursa and it established in 2010, started education in 2011–2012 academic year. The first private university of Bursa is Bursa Orhangazi University,^[14] which is going to start its first education in 2012–2013 academic year.

Main sights[link]

Çelik Palas thermal bath in Bursa.

View of Bursa from the hills near Uludağ, the ancient Mysian Olympus.

A brief list of places of interest in and around Bursa is presented below. For a longer list, see places of interest in Bursa.

• Irgandi Covered Bridge
• Yeşil Cami or the Green Mosque
• Uludağ National Park
• Bursa city walls
• Hot springs;
  • Çekirge
  • Armutlu
  • Oylat
  • Gemlik
• Beaches;
  • Armutlu
  • Kumla
  • Kurşunlu
  • Mudanya
• Palaces and Hypogea;
  • Orhan Mosque and complex
  • Muradiye complex
  • Yeşil complex
  • Bayezid I Mosque and complex (külliye)
  • Emir Sultan Mosque and complex (külliye)
  • Hüdavendigar complex
  • Koza Han
  • Pirinç Han
  • Koca Sinan Paşa complex
  • İshak Paşa complex
  • Çelik Palas, thermal bath
  • Bursa Grand Mosque
  • Karacabey Grand Mosque
  • Karabaş-i Veli Cultural Center
• Yıldırım Bazaar
• Museums;
  • Bursa Archeology Museum
  • Bursa City Museum
  • Bursa Atatürk Museum
  • Bursa Turkish Architecture Museum
  • Islamic Works Museum
  • Mudanya Armistice
  • İznik Museum
• Cumalıkızık village
• Bursa Zoo and Botanical Garden (Bursa Hayvanat Bahçesi ve Botanik Parkı)

Ulu Cami (The Great Mosque)[link]

Ulu Cami is the largest mosque in Bursa and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture, which carried many elements from the Seljuk architecture. Ordered by Sultan Bayezid I, the mosque was designed and built by architect Ali Neccar in 1396–1400. It is a large and rectangular building, with a total of twenty domes that are arranged in four rows of five, and are supported by 12 columns. Supposedly the twenty domes were built instead of the twenty separate mosques which Sultan Bayezid I had promised for winning the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. The mosque has two minarets.

Inside the mosque there are 192 monumental wall inscriptions written by the famous calligraphers of that period. There is also a fountain (şadırvan) where worshipers can perform ritual ablutions before prayer; the dome over the şadırvan is capped by a skylight which creates a soft, serene light below; thus playing an important role in the illumination of the large building.

The horizontally spacious and dimly lit interior is designed to feel peaceful and contemplative. The subdivisions of space formed by multiple domes and pillars create a sense of privacy and even intimacy. This atmosphere contrasts with the later Ottoman mosques (see for example the works of Suleiman the Magnificent's chief architect Mimar Sinan.) The mosques that were built after the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, and influenced by the design of the 6th century Byzantine basilica of Hagia Sophia, had increasingly elevated and large central domes, which create a vertical emphasis that is intended to be more overwhelming; in order to convey the divine power of Allah, the majesty of the Ottoman Sultan, and the governmental authority of the Ottoman State.

Sports[link]

The city has one professional football club, Bursaspor competing in the top-tier of Turkish football. Bursaspor are the current Super Lig champions, having won the title for the first time in their history in the 2009–10 season. The city has one basketball team in Turkish Basketball League, Tofaş S.K..

Images from Bursa[link]

Twin towns—Sister cities[link]

Bursa has twenty three sister cities. Gyeongsangbuk-do is the latest to become a sister city of Bursa.^[15]

See also[link]

• 1855 Bursa earthquake
• Bursa Airport
• Bursaray
• Complex of Mehmed I
• List of people from Bursa

Notes and references[link]

Notes:

References:

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bursa

• Tourism Guide of Bursa'
• Bursa Uludag Ski Resort
• (English) Bursa Metropolitan Municipality
• (English) Bursa Governorship
• (English) Bursa Kultur AS. (Bursa Metropolitan Municipality)

v t e Bursa in Bursa Province (in the Marmara region) of Turkey Urban districts Bursa ( Gemlik - Gürsu - Kestel - Mudanya -Nilüfer - Osmangazi - Yıldırım) Rural districts Büyükorhan - Harmancık - İnegöl - İznik - Karacabey - Keles - Mustafakemalpaşa - Orhaneli - Orhangazi - Yenişehir Regions Provinces Aegean Afyonkarahisar - Aydın - Denizli - Izmir - Kütahya - Manisa - Muğla - Uşak Black Sea Amasya - Artvin - Bartın - Bayburt - Bolu - Çorum - Düzce - Giresun - Gümüşhane - Karabük - Kastamonu - Ordu - Rize - Samsun - Sinop - Tokat - Trabzon - Zonguldak Central Anatolia Aksaray - Ankara - Çankırı - Eskişehir - Karaman - Kayseri - Kırıkkale - Kırşehir - Konya - Nevşehir - Niğde - Sivas - Yozgat Eastern Anatolia Ağrı - Ardahan -Bingöl - Bitlis - Elâzığ - Erzincan - Erzurum - Hakkâri - Iğdır - Kars - Malatya - Muş - Siirt - Tunceli - Van Marmara Balıkesir - Bilecik - Bursa - Çanakkale - Edirne - Istanbul - Kırklareli - Kocaeli - Sakarya - Tekirdağ - Yalova Mediterranean Adana - Antalya- Burdur - Hatay - Isparta - Kahramanmaraş - Mersin - Osmaniye Southeastern Anatolia Adıyaman - Batman - Diyarbakır - Gaziantep - Kilis - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Şırnak

v t e Metropolitan centers in Turkey Adana Ankara Antalya Bursa Diyarbakır Erzurum Eskişehir Gaziantep İstanbul İzmir Kayseri Kocaeli Konya Mersin Sakarya Samsun

Devlet Bahçeli (born 1 January 1948 in Bahçe, Osmaniye) is a Turkish politician and has been the second chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) since 6 July 1997.^[1]

An academic in economics at the Gazi University in Ankara until 1987, he has been during three years a Deputy prime minister in the coalition government of Bülent Ecevit (1999–2002). Elected in the province of Osmaniye,^[2] he has been a MP in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey since 22 July 2007.^[3]

Education and work[link]

Born in the rural district of Bahçe in the province of Osmaniye, he attended primary school there. He moved to Istanbul for his secondary education. Bahçeli received his higher education from the scientific academy in Ankara and his doctorate from the Gazi University in Ankara. Bahçeli served as a lecturer for economics at the Gazi University before entering the political life in 1987.

Political career[link]

In 1987, Devlet Bahçeli became a member of the board of the Nationalist Task Party (MÇP), which was officially renamed the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) during a congress on 24 January 1993. Following the death on 5 April 1997 of the founder and leader, Alparslan Türkeş, he became on 6 July 1997 the second chairman of the MHP. From 1999 to 2002, Bahçeli served as a Deputy prime minister in the coalition government (DSP-ANAP-MHP) of Bülent Ecevit.

On September 19, 2010, the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross at Lake Van saw its first Christian mass for 95 years. This upset a group of Turkish nationalists who, led by Bahçeli responded on October 1, 2010 by gathering at the Armenian Cathedral of Ani to say Muslim prayers.^[4]

Elections[link]

In the 2007 general elections, Devlet Bahçeli led the MHP list in the province of Osmaniye. His parliamentary list polled 44.90% (99,565 votes) and won two of the four provincial seats.^[5]

In the 2011 general elections, he led the MHP list in the province of Osmaniye. His parliamentary list polled 41.22% (110,708 votes) and won two of the four provincial seats.^[6]

References[link]