Architecture of Bursa

Ottoman City: Bursa

Welcome to our article where we will examine the architectural development of Bursa, which has managed to not only fit many different civilizations in its thousands of years history but also to include separate architectural developments from each. It's not like boring history lessons, it's quite fun and it's so informative let's see what we'll learn in this article... Let's get started.

As most historians will know, the city of Bursa was identified with the Ottoman Empire. This city, which had been the capital of the Ottoman Empire for 39 years starting from 1326 until 1365, was shaped by Ottoman architecture. So much so that the capital of the period, especially in the records of ‘early Ottoman architectural style’, is again Bursa.

So what is this thing called Ottoman architecture? Let's tell it right now…Bursa carries the most beautiful traces of early period architecture from Ottoman Empire which bears the stamp of inspiration from Anadolu Seljuks State, Gokturk Empire, Byzantine Empire and even architecture of the Mamluk state with the Arab states, but has a unique Turkish architecture... It combines green with both Green Shrine and Green Madrasah.

The style used in all the lands he conquered starting from Bursa and known as 'Bursa type’ or ‘Bursa style’ as the architectural literature of the Ottoman Empire, should not be forgotten…

Between 14th and 16th centuries, this architecture being the most used architectural style and being the most common in Iznik in Bursa and around is based on the basis of 'reverse T'.

It is based on the philosophy that faith will bring abundance, peace and comfort, as it is used especially in mosques and religious buildings.

The construction of the early Ottoman architecture, that is, the works between 1299 and 1501 in Bursa style, ends with the construction of the Beyazid Mosque in the city in 1501. The Ottomans, who adopted a more innovative architectural approach after this time, built their works in the city accordingly.

Especially after the Republic period, which gives more Western style architectural works in Bursa, hundreds of years of history and the new type of architecture remains together with the city's sociocultural value is an indicator.