|
Day
11
|
|
|
Wednesday, May 17 Travel from Seljuk to Bursa |
While in Bursa we stayed at the Kervansaray Termal, a 5-star hotel. Bursa began its history as Prusias-ad-Olympum, or simply as Prusa, founded in 183 BC by King Prusias of Bithynia. It soon came under Roman rule with the rest of western Asia Minor. The city was captured by the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century and was made their capital. Bursa remained a favorite of Ottoman sultans. The city was known for its hot springs, public baths and the silk trade that was established here in Byzantine times. We visited the Green Tomb, the Green Mosque, and the Fortress. In the evening we saw a Karagoz Shadow Puppet performance. |
The Yesil Cami (Green Mosque), Bursa's greatest monument, , was finished in 1424. It is in a beautiful setting and represents a turning point in architectural style from basically Persian to a purely Turkish style. Much of Bursa was destroyed in an earthquake in 1855, but the mosque was restored authentically by 1864. The photo below illustrates the carved marble work around the central doorway.
The photo below shows part of our group putting on shoes after a visit to the mosque. Each time we visited a mosque we needed to remove our shoes.
In the photo below, Margie is shown trying her hand as a puppeteer of the famous Karagoz shadow puppets. The story behind the puppets is fascinating. They are actually a type of memorial to two amusing workmen who kept other workers from completing their work on a Sultan's mosque in a timely fashion (in about the 13th century). The Sultan, in a fit of temper, ordered their death for holding up his building. Then, feeling remorse, he sought a way to remember the stories the workmen had told. The Karagoz Shadow puppets are the result. The puppets are made out of stretched and dyed camel skins.
