Seventeenth Post From Türkiye: Bursa

Well, hello there! We took a couple of quick trips this winter. And it's about time for me to post our pictures.

First up is Bursa! We made this an overnight trip and it was well worth it. 

Bursa is a large city in Turkey, it lies in the northwestern part of Turkey near the Sea of Marmara. It is the fourth most populous city in Turkey and one of the most industrialized centers in the country.

 It served as the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire, from 1326, when it was captured from the Byzantines, to 1365.

As soon as we got checked into our hotel we headed out to get some  İskender kebap!

İskender kebap, is a dish that originated in Bursa. It consists of roasted, sliced lamb spread atop diced bread, topped with tomato sauce, served with yoghurt. It is super yummy and we went to one of the two places that claim to have invented it. There are no menus you just tell them how many portions you want and whether or not you want melted butter poured over it (who wouldn't?). This is a very popular dish here in Turkey and if you come for a visit it is almost guaranteed we will take you to get some.

The next morning with a stop for some warm rolls for breakfast we headed out to explore the city.

Our first stop was to see the Ulu Cami mosque. It was really interesting because it has a fountain and a sky light in the prayer room.

 Next we went to see the Muradiye Külliyesi mosque. 

It is part of a complex with tombs, baths and a school.

It had some really beautiful decoration.

 Jack and Trum resting from the arduous task of putting their shoes back on.

 Porch for saying prayers in warm weather.

 Some of the decorations.

In the midst of a rain storm we stopped to try and get an umbrella at this shop. Of course they didn't have any there but it gave Trum a chance to push a tiny cart around.

The tomb of Orhan Gazi. He was the second Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. 

We spent some time wandering around the old part of town within the old city walls.

Best Turkish house EVER!!!!!!

Cool old grave-yard.

Me by the walls.

 Jack by the walls and with his new kitty best friend.

Perhaps the best arranged fruit stand in all of Turkey.

 Honey shop with honey draining out of the honeycomb.

Then we headed down the hill to check out the many bazaars of Bursa.

Another reason Bursa is famous is because the shadow play characters Karagöz and Hacivat are based on historic personalities who lived and died in Bursa (think of them as the Turkish Punch and Judy). We totally wanted to get some and Jack used some kind of sixth sense to find this shop where not only do they sell the hand made puppets, but they also put on a show for us complete with musical accompaniment and some sweet apple tea!

Another Bursa claim to fame is their silk market. 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. 

 We all got something cool at the silk market, a new scarf for me, a tie for Jack and some silk worm cocoons for Trum.

Tomb of Mehmed I, who was the sultan from 1413 to 1421.

Irgandı Bridge, covered with fun little shops.

Bursa was a super groovy city to visit. I hope we get a chance to go back sometime before we have to leave Turkey.