BURSA CITY GUIDE, OTTOMAN, TURKEY
THE GATEWAY OF CIVILIZATIONS. A CITY OF CHARM. BURSA…
Bursa, with its natural properties, being a witness to the history and its past housing many civilizations, is a city founded in the northeast side of the Anatolian peninsula at the south of the Marmara Sea on the skirts of Uludağ Mountain. Bursa with its title of industrial city through its contribution to the Turkish economy is one of the most significant tourism centers with its cultural and natural properties as well. Bursa is surrounded by Balıkesir at the west, İzmit, Yalova and İstanbul at the north, Bilecik and Adapazarı at the east and Eskişehir and Kütahya at the South occupies a surface area of 11.034 m2 and is the fourth largest city in Turkey with its population reaching up to 2,5 millions.
Bursa with its cultural, historical and monumental artifacts more than 2000 which have to be preserved, bear the traces of Byzantium, Ottoman and the Republican periods. Bursa almost seems to be an outdoor museum in terms of the historical identity and architectural heritage. In other words, Bursa which is the first capital of the Ottoman Empire is a city of culture and history. Bursa with its location on the Historiacal Silk Road had become one of the important commerce, industry and culture centers in the 15th century by virtue of its location leading Asia to west. The city which is renowned as the Green Bursa owes this title to having 833 monumental trees which are between 100 and 600 years of ages and its substantial flora reserved within its green texture. Bursa is as much an authentic city where the visitors may discover traces of themselves and of the human history and suitable for tourism in all seasons with its cultural, historical and natural properties
FIRST TRACES OF THE CIVILIZATIONS
Bursa and surroundings, a heavenly spot in the Anatolia, the cradle of civilizations housed many setdements since the ancient ages. Setdement areas dating back to pre historical age is available around Bursa. The tumuluses revelaed in the ‘ area mosdy are near Lake of İznik and those are: Ilıpmar, Öyücek, Karadin, Çilekli, Çakırca and Demirtaş Tumuluses. Witihin the scope of the surface researches and excavation studies in and around Bursa, it was revelaed by the excavations in Iznik Basin at Ilıpınar Tumulus that first setdements dated back to 5500 BC. In the Aktopraklik Tumulus in Bursa Nilüfer District Akçalar İ Village where excavations continue, takes back the history of Bursa to 8500 years before and contains crucial remnants of the Neolithic Age during when the foundations of the world civilization was established.
PRUSA OF THE BITHYNIA
Until the state of Bithynia was founded in BC IV century, Bursa lived under the sovereignity of different colonies and countries. The only city existed around Bursa and its surroundings at that age was Cius/Gemlik according to the famous History of Heredot. The establishment of the city Cius dates back to BC XII Century. It is estimated that Apamea/Mudanya was established before BC X Century and Apol- lonia/Golyazi before BC VI Century. In BC II Century the ancient city of Milet- opolis in Melde Hill nearby Mustafa Kemal Paşa, in the year 356 Basilinopolis in Orhangazi, Pythopolis was in Sölöz Village, Otroia in Yenişehir, Adriani in Orhaneli, Kremastis in Karacabey, Daskylium in Eşkel, Plai in Çekirge, Brillos in Kurşunlu and Nicea in İznik were founded. Bursa getting the status of city and its peripherals being surrounded by ramparts occurred when I.st Prusias was King of Bithynia. When the Carthaginian King Hannibal was defeated during the war against the Roman Emperor, he was sheltered with his soldiers by his friend I.st Prusias. Upon the great reverence by I.Prusias, Hanibal established the city Bursa in honour of him and and hence named the city Prusa. Bursa existed as a city of Byzantium after being dominated by Rome for many years. The region reserved its name Bithynia until the time when the Turks migrated around Bursa.
FROM TENT TO WORLD STATE…
Turks first came near Bursa in 1080. İznik was the capital of Anatolian Seljuk Empire between 1081 and 1097. In 1097 İznik was captured by the Crusaders after the Crusades. Turks captured the city of Bursa for the first time after a campaign launched in the Alexias Kom- menos period (1097). When a Latin Government was established in İstanbul during those wars, İznik became the capital of Byzantine Empire. İznik Byzantine Empire founded by Theodor Laskaris in 1024 survived until 1261. When Latins invaded İstanbul, the princes of Byzantine never hesitated to make agreements with the Muslim Governors in order to rescue from the new enemy and Theodor Laskaris invaded Bursa by making an agreement with the Seljuk Sultan. Bursa resisted against all the attacks and was dominated by the Greeks until 1214. Until the time when Osman Gazi sieged this place after the Tekfurs War, Bursa remained as a Greek City. Osman Bey who founded the Ottoman Dynasty lost his life during the mess of the war in front of the ramparts of Bursa before he had seen the results of his success. (1324) The Greek Governors of Bursa could not stand this longlasting siege and resigned the city to Orhan Bey in April 6th, 1326. Until the time when İstanbul was conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453, Bursa remained as the capital of Ottomans together with Edirne and following the conquest of İstanbul preserved its influence for another century as a moral capital.
BURSA DURING INVASION AND LIBERATION
Bursa suffered the severest pain during Greek invasion in the Ottoman Period. The Greeks invaded Bursa in 8th July, 1920. The invasion of Bursa caused great grief in the whole country. Yet more a black mantle was covered on the rostrum in TBMM in Ankara to remian until Bursa is rescued from the enemy invasion. Almost one third of the residents in Bursa were non-muslims during the invasion period and some of the people living in Bursa took their guns and went to the mountains and the ones who stayed in the city provided intelligence for Kuvay-i Milliye.
After exactly 2 years 2 months and 2 days from the date of invasion, Bursa was rescued in September 11th, 1922. It had been very diffucult years for Bursa from many aspects. Particularly many people were massacred in the villages, many streets and villages were destroyed. After the Republican Period, a new and a different depression arised when the non-muslim population constituting one third of the population of Bursa evacuated the city. Bursa had to restart all with the commutation immigrants coming from Greece as a replacement for non-muslims. The problems increased since all the newcomers were all farmers while most of the non-muslims who evacuated the city were artisans and tradesman.
Bursa Industry
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