Before it was a route, Bursa's old town was my neighbourhood. I grew up on these streets, went to school around this bazaar, and my family's business is here.
- Duration
- 3–4 hours
- Distance
- About 4 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Season
- Year-round
- Language
- English, Turkish
Along the way
- The Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), with its twenty domes and the fountain inside
- Koza Han and the hans around it, and how silk made Bursa rich
- Tophane: the tombs of Osman and Orhan, and a view over the city
- Irgandı Bridge, a bridge lined with shops
- The tiles of the Green Mosque and the Green Tomb
- The bazaar and its neighbourhood, seen by someone who grew up here
The story of this route
Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and in 2014 it joined the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the village of Cumalıkızık. On this walk we look at that heritage through a local's eyes: the silk trade in the old hans, the tiles of the mosques, and the shopkeepers who keep the bazaar alive today.
I bring the history in the books together with the memory that lives on the street: the language of the bazaar, the habits of its shopkeepers, and the small stories tucked into every corner.
The route
- TophaneThe tombs of Osman and Orhan, the clock tower and the view.
- Grand MosqueTwenty domes, calligraphy panels and the fountain inside.
- The hansKoza Han, Emir Han and the covered bazaar: Bursa's stop on the Silk Road.
- Irgandı BridgeThe bridge with shops over the Gökdere stream.
- YeşilWe finish at the Green Mosque and the Green Tomb.
Who it suits
First-time visitors to Bursa, and locals who want to see their city again.
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees for the mosques; a headscarf for women
Good to know
- Mosque visits are timed around prayer times.
