By 1399, when the mosque opened to the public for the first time, Bursa was no longer the capital city and the Ottoman state was much bigger.
The fact that they built such a monumental mosque in the city centre, long after it had ceased to be the capital city, underlines that Bursa continued to be spiritually significant. The city retained that status for a long time, until the capture of Constantinople.
Thus, the Ottoman history in Istanbul starts after the conquest in 1453 and it coincides with the shift of spiritual importance to the new capital of the rapidly expanding Empire.
The most recently dated Ottoman historic site in Bursa is, more or less, from that transitional time. Although, Bursa was already full of history by then, because various sultans had already left their mark over the previous century.
We can see that rich legacy today. Bursa’s historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a good reason.
The Grand Mosque, in the city centre, is the focal point of every visit. In other words, when you are in Bursa’s historic area, you are always near the Grand Mosque.
I visited the Grand Mosque when I arrived to Bursa. I reached my hotel around 3pm, checked in and left my stuff. Then, I went out to explore the place.
I arrived to the mosque just after the afternoon prayer. Although many people were leaving the mosque, a lot of people were still inside at that time. So, photos in this post are from my second visit, the day after.
I mention this because you can hardly see anyone in these photos and, perhaps, you can get a wrong idea that the mosque is a quiet, peaceful place. On the contrary. The first time, it was completely packed. There were so many people everywhere, it was almost impossible to take one good photo.
The following day, I woke up at 8am and was in the mosque already by 10am. It was almost empty. I’m glad that I’ve seen it, both, busy and empty. Undoubtedly, its busy aspect reflects its immense religious importance, while quiet times represent its spiritual tranquillity.
For me, the time that I spent in this architecturally sublime structure, surrounded by magnificent examples of the Islamic calligraphic art, was like meditation. Apparently, this mosque is the best place in the whole world to see calligraphic writings, considered to be one of the most important representations of the Islamic art.
In my articles, Ottoman Imperial Mosques part 1 and part 2, I mentioned that almost every Ottoman sultan had constructed mosque complexes.
Sultan Bayezid I commissioned and constructed this mosque. But, that’s not “his” mosque. Bayezid’s complex is the Yilderim Mosque, which I mentioned in my previous post and which I couldn’t see because of restoration works.
He built the Grand Mosque to celebrate the victory in the Battle of Nicopolis, in 1396. He had originally promised to build 20 mosques, but he built just this one with 20 domes instead.
You will probably notice that it’s not like imperial mosques in Istanbul. Rather, it’s similar to mosques constructed in Bursa throughout the 14th century, mainly in the Seljuk architectural style.
In fact, it is the prime example of early Ottoman architecture and no imperial mosque in Istanbul that I’ve seen looks like this. Additionally, not a single mosque in Istanbul has a fountain inside.
A special feature in the Grand Mosque are beautiful calligraphic writings. Apparently, the best calligraphers of the time worked in the mosque.
The main reason why the interior decoration of mosques is so different from churches of the Christian world, or from Hindu and Buddhist temples, is because Qur’an doesn’t permit idolatry. Images of people or animals are forbidden, as distraction.
That’s why you can never see an image or a statue of a person in any mosque. That’s also why they use other decorative forms to embellish religious places.
For that reason, calligraphy, the art of writing, takes central place in Islamic art, in addition to architecture, miniature painting, glass, pottery, carpets and embroidery.
They certainly invested a lot of effort in the Grand Mosque, although all other big imperial mosques in Bursa are equally impressive.
However, the building that we see today is not a completely original structure of 620 years ago. Over the course of many centuries, fires and earthquakes damaged the original building.
Still, despite many restoration works, the essence of the original temple remains.
The mosque is an excellent starting point to explore Bursa. As I’ve already mentioned, numerous historic buildings are in its vicinity and they all create Bursa’s magical atmosphere.
In the photo below, you can see the fountain for ritual cleansing. As it was still early in the morning, only several people were preparing for prayer. Otherwise, at other times the fountain was packed with people, the same as the mosque.
Bursa’s magnificent Grand Mosque is deservedly the most famous of all historic sites that you can see in the city. Artistically and architecturally, it represents the essence of the early Ottoman art and architecture.
The period of time after its construction and throughout the 15th century oversaw the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which stimulated further building works in Bursa. But I will talk about that in my next post.
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