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2004-2008
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A ten-minute walk west
uphill from the Ulu
Cami, and the center
of Bursa,
the former citadel (hisar, hee-SAHR) is
the oldest part of the city, built
on a promontory and surrounded by great
stone walls for ease of defense.
Because it is the oldest part of Bursa,
it contains many fine old Ottoman-Bursa
houses, some of them restored.
Walking up the hill from the Ulu Cami
along Orhan Gazi (Yigitler) Caddesi,
note the city walls on your left, which
lead to a restored fortress
gate.
Just beoynd the gate is the Hotel
Safran,
a restored Bursa Ottoman house that
now hosts travelers for the night.
Just
beyond the Hotel Safran, on the opposite
side of the street, are the tombs of
Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi,
founders of the Ottoman dynasty.
Bursa was
the first
capital of the Ottoman
Empire, and thus the
great prize won by these warlordsm
whose heirs went on to build an empire
that encompassed much of eastern
Europe, the Middle East, North Africa
and beyond.
The tombs you see date from 1868,
when they were rebuilt following the
devastating earthquake of 1855. In
Orhan's tomb, note the bits of inlaid
marble floor: this site was originally
occupied by a Byzantine church.
From the park next
to the tombs there are panoramic
views of the city in the valley
below, and shady tea houses at
which to sit and enjoy the view and
a bracing glass of Turkish
tea or coffee.
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Above, Citadel (Hisar) Gate, Bursa.
Below, old Bursa houses
in Hisar.
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