Bursa Trip
I immediately planned a trip to Bursa when I received a message announcing the start of İDO (Istanbul Sea Buses) trips from Büyükçekmece to Bursa.
Bursa is especially important historically. It’s possible to see the relics of the early Ottoman period here. Since I have an interest in history, I wanted to see this place. I also heard that Bursa has beautiful districts worth visiting.
Transportation
İDO brings you to Güzelyalı in Mudanya. From there, you can find a bus directly to the last stop of Bursa’s metro, Emek. If you don’t want to buy Bursa’s transport card, you can purchase single-use short cards and use public transport.
Bursa Center
We got off at Şehreküstü station of Bursaray and walked almost everywhere worth seeing. Initially, we took the car route instead of the pedestrian route from the maps app, and due to constant traffic congestion, the maps app kept redirecting us, so we ended up walking 17km throughout the day, including the hotel.
As soon as we got off at Şehreküstü, we found ourselves in the covered bazaar, which includes the Hanlar district, as we climbed upwards. The bazaar is very large and offers many options such as fruit and vegetable markets, clothing, and jewelers. I was particularly interested in the numerous bridal shops. There were also many shops selling silk scarves.
The Hans are actively used, resembling the 15th-century trade centers. It has a truly unique atmosphere. Some of them have mosques in the middle. The most famous one is Kozahan.
Historical Mosques
In the region, there is also the Grand Mosque. This mosque was built by Yıldırım Bayezid.
As we exit the area onto the main street, we still see historical buildings. Also, very old plane trees attract attention.
As we head towards Setbaşı, we cross the canyon with a bridge. There are historical bridges here as well. There is also a bridge market.
We turned onto the street and turned left. We come across the Green Mosque and the Green Tomb. This mosque was built by Çelebi Mehmet. He also lies in the tomb.
We turned back and walked to the Grand Mosque again. Of course, we stopped by our hotel during this time. As we go towards Osmangazi and Orhangazi Tombs, we see a huge building, Balibey Han. It’s a huge inn. I’m curious about the inside because it looks like a cave. It turns out, it’s really a cave inside.
We climbed up the escalators. We encountered city walls up there. Bursa was a settlement before the Ottoman era, and the walls from the Roman period have been preserved.
More history from Ottomans
Osmangazi is the founder of the Ottoman state, and his son Orhan Bey, their tombs are on this hill. When Osman Bey came to conquer Bursa, he died, and his son Orhan Bey conquered Bursa. There used to be a monastery on the hill where the tombs are located. Osman Gazi wished to be buried there. There is a clock tower in this area, and behind it, there is a magnificent view of Bursa.
If you go straight ahead from here, there is Muradiye Mosque and Tomb. This mosque was built by Murad II.
The next morning, we decided to walk to Yıldırım and visit Yıldırım Bayezid’s tomb. It was under restoration, so it was closed, but it was pleasant to walk around outside because there were no crowds.
Most of the historical areas in downtown Bursa are protected by UNESCO.
Gölyazı
We heard that Gölyazı is the most beautiful district of Bursa, so when I looked at the map and saw that it looked like an island in the middle of the lake, I got curious and we decided to visit there too. To go there, we took Bursaray and went to the university station. From there, we took the Gölyazı bus. However, the buses are very infrequent. It’s rare to find one even in an hour. It’s better to plan accordingly. When we went, it was raining, so there’s a natural rainy window effect in the photos. In Gölyazı, there is a monastery, historical ruins, and a very old plane tree. But other than that, the atmosphere is very beautiful.
On the way back, we took the Gölyazı bus to the Bursaray station and took the Mudanya bus. But we encountered a strange thing. Single tickets were not valid on the bus. I found it odd. Also, İDO and BUDO are not in the same place as they are in Büyükçekmece. İDO is in Güzelyalı, so you should be careful about that too.
What to eat in Bursa?
Bursa not only has a rich history but also a wide range of cuisine. The most famous dish is İskender. But I couldn’t see the difference from the İskender I usually eat. Only in some special places, beef fillets are placed on top of İskender, and I have to say it’s quite expensive. They have a dish called Pideli Köfte. It can be thought of as İskender with meatballs instead of doner. You can find chestnut candy cheaply. Other than that, you can easily find date dessert and talkan cookies in the covered bazaar. I really liked the talkan cookies. They are cookies that dissolve in your mouth, made with chickpea flour and white chocolate.
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