Rise of the Ottoman Empire – Bursa
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Rise of the Ottoman Empire – Bursa

By the beginning of the 15th century, Bursa had not been the capital city of the Ottoman Empire for 37 years. Sultan Murad I conquered Adrianople in 1363, renamed it in Edirne and moved the Ottoman capital there. The 14th century marks the birth and initial expansion of the Ottoman state. The 15th century marks its rise to one of the biggest empires that the world has ever seen, that lasted for over 600 years.

 

 

RISE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

 

Nevertheless, Bursa retained its status as a spiritual centre and trade hub. Indeed, the most beautiful historic structures that you can see there today are from the 15th century.

That period started with construction of the Grand Mosque but, afterwards, Ottoman sultans built new imperial mosques and complexes, in addition to bazaars, hammams and hans.

In my previous post, I spoke about the nascent Ottoman state seen through Bursa’s 14th century monuments.

In this post, we will follow the rise of the Empire through the 15th century Ottoman heritage that makes Bursa a very special place and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Together with Istanbul, but also with some other cities in Turkey, Bursa is one of the best places to explore Ottoman history.

 

 

GREEN MOSQUE (1421)

 

After the Grand Mosque, the next big imperial mosque to be built in Bursa was the Green Mosque or Yeşil Cami in Turkish.

Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi constructed it in 1412, one year before he came to power in 1413.

His father, Sultan Bayezid I, was captured by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur during the Battle of Ankara in 1402. That event started the Ottoman civil war that lasted between 1402 and 1413, when Mehmed managed to defeat and kill his three brothers. They were all fighting for the throne.

This mosque is the prime example of the early Ottoman architecture, with Seljuk style elements. Also, despite being much smaller than the Grand Mosque, it’s equally beautiful.

The first thing that you notice when you enter is that there is a fountain inside. You are not going to see fountains in mosques constructed centuries later, in Istanbul and other places.

 

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in Bursa
Green Mosque

 

Another unusual thing is that the mosque is not on the same level. Rather, there are steps that lead to the main area.

Otherwise, it is predominantly decorated with green tiles, hence the name of the mosque.

 

Yeşil Camii - Bursa
Green Mosque

 

But, the design of the tiles is different from tiles used for decoration in mosques constructed much later in Istanbul.

In fact, although the mosques that you can see in Istanbul are undoubtedly beautiful, after you’ve seen several of them, you become lost. While they are all very different from each other, they all may look the same to you. That’s because the tiles and other decorative forms are very similar.

But as you can see in these photos, this mosque is very different.

 

Yeşil Cami - Bursa
Green Mosque

 

 

GREEN TOMB (1421)

 

The Green Tomb, or Yeşil Türbe, is part of the Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi complex and it’s immediately next to the Green Mosque.

This mausoleum is probably one of Bursa’s most memorable landmarks. In fact, it’s unique and like no other Ottoman imperial mausoleums.

 

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in Bursa
Green Tomb

 

But beautiful tiles that adorn its external walls are not all original. After many centuries and numerous earthquakes, they had to restore the building and replace damaged tiles. However, the tomb is essentially the same as it was when they first built it.

Additionally, it’s very different from Osman’s and Orhan’s mausoleums. In fact, these early mausoleums seem to be rather unique in the way they were decorated, unlike the later dated mausoleums in Istanbul which also all look very similar.

The interior decoration is impressive. In the photo below, you can see the sultan’s coffin.

 

Yeşil Türbe - Bursa
Green Tomb

 

If the Green Tomb and Green Mosque were the only historic sites in Bursa, it would still be worth visiting the city. But they are only a small part of the vast heritage that you can find there. Many impressive constructions arrived to Bursa later.

 

 

MURADIYE MOSQUE (1426)

 

There is one more imperial mosque in Bursa, the Muradiye or Sultan Murad II Mosque.

It was the last big imperial mosque constructed in Bursa. The 15th century events dramatically changed the Ottoman Empire. Only 27 years after construction of this mosque, Murad’s son Fatih Sultan Mehmed conquered Constantinople.

After that pivotal event, the Islamic spiritual centre of the Ottoman Empire moved from Bursa to the new capital. Consequently, Ottoman sultans commissioned and constructed big imperial complexes in Istanbul.

 

Muradiye Camii - Bursa
Muradiye Mosque

 

This mosque is also the prime example of the early Ottoman architecture, with Seljuk elements. It is similar to the Green Mosque. Sultan Murad II started its construction immediately after the works on the Green Mosque and Green Tomb had finished.

 

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in Bursa
Muradiye Mosque

 

 

SULTAN MURAD II MAUSOLEUM

 

By then, it became customary for sultans to be buried in mausoleums next to their mosques. I mention this because Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi, the first and the second sultan of the empire, are buried in Tophane Park, where there is no mosque.

The Muradiye Complex houses the biggest number of imperial tombs. I will mention just two of them in this post, otherwise the post would be too long. But all mausoleums are worth a visit, because of their splendid interior decoration.

The mausoleum, although constructed right after the Green tomb of Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, is completely different.

Murad’s achievement was that he regained Ottoman territories that had become autonomous after the defeat and capture of his grandfather Bayezid I. Additionally, he successfully conquered vast territories in the Balkans.

Interestingly, his tomb is also different from tombs of his predecessors.

 

Sultan Murad II Mausoleum in Bursa
Sultan Murad II

 

 

CEM SULTAN MAUSOLEUM

 

This is the second 15th century imperial tomb that I want to mention. It puzzled me when I saw the inscription – Cem Sultan. From what I know about Ottoman history, there was no Cem Sultan that ruled the empire at any time.

After Sultan Murad II, his son Mehmed took power and became one of the most successful Ottoman sultans. He conquered Constantinople.

Without going into too many details, Cem ruled for a very brief period of time, in 1481. He was Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s third son.

After Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s death, Cem and his half-brother Bayezid engaged in power struggle for the throne of the empire. Thus, shortly after Mehmed’s death, Bayezid ruled in Istanbul and Cem ruled in Bursa for one month, as the sultan of Anatolia.

But Bayezid defeated him and became Sultan Bayezid II. Cem escaped with his family to Cairo. He died in exile.

 

Cem Sultan Mausoleum in Bursa
Cem Sultan

 

 

MURADIYE MADRASA (1426)

 

Together with the mosque, the Muradiye Madrasa forms the Muradiye Complex. At the time of its construction, this madrasa was the most famous educational institution within the Empire. Many famous scientists taught there and it also produced many famous scientists of that era.

 

Muradiye Madrasa in Bursa
Muradiye Madrasa

 

Because of fires and earthquakes over the past centuries, they had to restore this building numerous times. It is the Museum of Qu’ran and Manuscripts now.

 

Muradiye Madrasa in Bursa
Muradiye Madrasa

 

 

GEYVE HAN

 

Haci Ivaz Pasha built Geyve Han at the beginning of the 15th century. He presented it as a gift to Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi, to generate revenues for the maintenance of the Green Mosque.

It’s a rather small han with 56 rooms in total, 26 downstairs and 30 upstairs.

 

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in Bursa
Geyve Han

 

 

FIDAN HAN (1464)

 

Mahmud Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, built this han. I did some research about Fidan Han and, to my surprise, I came across an interesting piece of information previously unknown to me.

The same as Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Mahmud Pasha Angelović was Serbian, abducted by the Ottomans as a child, under the devşirme system. He also advanced to the second most powerful position within the Ottoman Empire. I’ve never heard this before and I don’t think that there are many people in Serbia that know this.

 

Fidan Han in Bursa
Fidan Han

 

He constructed this han to generate income for his mosque in Istanbul. Fidan Han is a beautiful place, with shops and restaurants.

 

Fidan Han in Bursa
Fidan Han

 

 

KOZA HAN (1491)

 

Without any doubt, the most beautiful of all hans in Bursa is Koza Han. Sultan Bayezid II built it to provide income for his mosque complex in Istanbul.

 

Koza Han in Bursa
Koza Han

 

This han is also in Bursa’s historic centre, immediately next to the Emir Han, Orhan Gazi Mosque and Grand Mosque.

Unfortunately, the same as with most mosques, I couldn’t take a photo that would show everything. Additionally, trees in the courtyard further obscured the view. But I believe that you can get a good idea of how it is inside.

 

Koza Han in Bursa
Koza Han

 

 

PIRINÇ HAN (1508)

 

Sultan Bayezid II also built Pirinç Han to provide income for his mosque complex in Istanbul. It’s interesting that he chose Bursa to build two splendid constructions, although he could’ve also done it in Istanbul.

It confirms that Bursa was important as a strategic trade hub, otherwise there wouldn’t have been any need to build so many structures that served both as hotels and commercial places.

 

Rise of the Ottoman Empire in Bursa
Pirinç Han

 

Pirinç means rice in English, so this han was where they traded grains and rice. Today, it’s a place where you can go for a drink or a meal, as you will predominantly find restaurants and bars there.

 

Pirinç Han in Bursa
Pirinç Han

 

 

OTTOMAN BURSA

 

There is a lot of history in this post, but that’s because there is a lot of history in Bursa. What I particularly liked about this city was that you can observe Ottoman Empire through its numerous historic structures.

In the 15th century, Bursa experienced a boom that reflected the rise, increasing power and wealth of the Empire.

Thankfully, most of it is preserved. I’d like to go back and perhaps I will at some point in the future. Unfortunately, I missed several important structures, which I mentioned in my previous post.

I’ve also seen many other things in Bursa but, because there were so many of them, I couldn’t pay attention to all of them. There is so much to see in Bursa.

 

 

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