Bursa

Bursa

Coat of Arms of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality
Bursa is located in Turkey
Bursa
Location of Bursa
Coordinates:
Country  Turkey
Region Marmara
Province Bursa
Settled 202 BC
Government
 - Mayor Recep Altepe (AKP)
Area
 - Three districts 1,036 km2 (400 sq mi)
Elevation 100 m (328 ft)
Population (2009)[1]
 - City 2,550,645
 - Density 1,508.52/km2 (3,907/sq mi)
 - Urban 1,854,634
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 (Greek: Προύσα, Prousa) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. With a population of 2,550,645 (2009),[2] it is Turkey's fourth largest city, as well as one of the most industrialized and culturally charged metropolitan centers in the country.

Bursa is settled on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludağ in the southern Marmara Region. It is 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.

The city is frequently cited as "Yeşil Bursa" (meaning "Green Bursa") in a reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban tissue, as well as to the vast forests in rich variety that extend in its 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 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, especially candied chestnuts and İskender kebap. Its peaches are also well-renowned. Among its depending district centers, İznik, historic Nicaea, is especially notable for its long history and important edifices. Bursa is home to the Uludağ University, and its population attains one of the highest overall levels of education 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.

Contents

History

A miniature style painting of Bursa and Mount Uludağ

The earliest known site at this location was Cius, which Philip V of Macedonia granted to the Bithynian king Prusias I in 202 BC, for his help against Pergamum and Heraclea Pontica (modern Karadeniz Ereğli). Prusias renamed the city after himself, as Prusa.

Prusa evolved into one of the largest cities of Mysia and retained its importance for the region throughout the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Its strategic location on the westernmost end of the famous Silk Road ensured Prusa to remain as one of the largest centers of silk trade throughout the Medieval period.

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[3] and the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) between 1396 and 1400.[4]

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.

Another traditional artisanship in the city, among many others, is knife production, which still continues today. Historically, the city was a center for the production of horse carriages during the Ottoman period. In the latter half of the 20th century, Bursa became the largest center of motor vehicle production in Turkey.

Economy

Bursa International Textiles and Trade Center (BUTTIM)
Zafer Plaza shopping center
Shopping center at the main square of the Osmangazi district of Bursa
Çelik Palas thermal bath in Bursa

Bursa is the center of the Turkish automotive industry.[5][6] Factories of motor vehicle producers like FIAT and Renault, as well as automotive parts producers like Bosch and Mako 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.[7]

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

Uludağ University is located in Bursa and is a prominent university in Turkey's Marmara Region. It was founded in 1975, first as the Bursa University, then re-named as the Uludağ University in 1982. In the 2005–06 academic year, the university had a student body of 47,000. Private Bilgi University has announced plans to open first a two-year and later a four-year university in Bursa within next four years.

Places of interest

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

Ulu Cami (The Great Mosque)

Interior of Ulu Cami, showing the fountain (şadırvan) for ritual ablutions

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 twelve 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

The city has one professional football team competing in the top-flight of Turkish football - Bursaspor, currently playing in the Super Lig. On 16 May 2010, Bursaspor won the Turkish Super League title on the last game of the season, edging out perennial favourite Fenerbahce by a single point. This marked the first instance since the 1983-1984 Turkish Super League season that a team outside of Istanbul was crowned champions of Turkey's top division of association football.[8]

Image gallery

Statue of Atatürk and the Governorship of Bursa

Bursa Clock Tower in the historic Tophane district

The contiguous tombs of Karagöz and Hacivat in Bursa

View from the Tophane district in the historic city center

Bursa Castle

Governorship of Bursa

Sarcophagus in the Bursa Archaeological Museum

Bursaray

Cumhuriyet Caddesi

Irgandi Bridge

Atatürk Museum

Bursa Castle

Uzun Çarşı (Long Bazaar)

Minaret of the Bursa Great Mosque

Statue of Atatürk in the centrum

Mudanya district in Bursa Province

Mudanya

Uludağ is a popular ski destination in Turkey

Uludağ as seen in the summer

Uludağ

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Bursa has twenty sister cities. Vinnitsa is the latest to become a sister city of Bursa.[9]

Notable residents

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Türkiye istatistik kurumu Address-based population survey 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  2. ↑ [1] Address-based population survey 2009. Retrieved on 2010-01-25.
  3. ↑ "Bayezid I Complex". ArchNet. http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2872. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  4. ↑ "Great Mosque of Bursa". ArchNet. http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2881. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  5. ↑ "Turkey’s automotive industry going nonstop". Today's Zaman. 2007-05-05. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=110361. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  6. ↑ "TAYSAD met its members from Bursa". TAYSAD. 2008-02-08. http://www.taysad.org.tr/www/tr/default.asp?x=haber_detay&hid=31. Retrieved 2009-06-28. 
  7. ↑ "Bursa'nın İlk 250 Sanayi Kuruluşu". BTSO. 2008. http://www.ilk250.org.tr/document/2008/2008.xls. 
  8. ↑ http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=bursaspor-leads-the-way-in-football-revolution-2010-05-17
  9. ↑ Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Web Site; Sister Cities.
  10. ↑ Town Twinnings and international relations (from the official city website. Accessed 2008-08-11.)
  11. ↑ "Twin towns". www.ouka.fi. http://www.ouka.fi/kansainvalisyys/english/ystavyyskaupungit.html. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
  12. ↑ "Partnership towns of the City of Košice" (in Slovak). © 2007-2009 City of Košice Magistrát mesta Košice, Tr. SNP 48/A, 040 11 Košice. http://www.kosice.sk/clanok.asp?file=gov_s_c-00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 
  13. ↑ "Turkey's Bursa, Kosovo's Pristina become sister cities" worldbulletin.net 02 September 2010 Link accessed 02 September 2010

External links

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