
I visited this WHS in Spring 2021. I'm glad I had done some research where to safely park my rental car upon arrival as Bursa is a very busy city all year round. The Yesil Katli indoor parking was not only safe but extremely close to the Green Tomb so I was more than happy to park there.
All of Bursa's components (except Cumalikizik and maybe those in Cekirge) are best explored on foot. Although Bursa is a very busy urban city, even during a pandemic, there are whole pedestrian areas which felt like a modern Fez or Meknes bazaar area. Most of Bursa's highlights were free of charge when I visited. I started with the great Yesil Cami and Kulliye (social and religious complex) also known as the Green Mosque and Tomb (a tall turquoise structure with more turquoise and green tiling inside) built in 1421 for Sultan Mehmet I. Almost every location has a UNESCO marker next to it and there even is a whole "square" dedicated to Bursa's inscription on the WH list (Ian's photo). Next I headed towards the Yildirim Mosque which is part of the Bayezid Yildirim Kulliye and was completed in 1395.
After that I focused on the Khans Area with the Orhan Ghazi Kulliye and Tombs as well as the splendid Ulu Mosque with its incredible Islamic calligraphy. This can be described as the heart of historic, cultural, architectural and religious Bursa, but also its commercial and social centre with the busy bazaars with inns and caravanserais of Koza Han (not to be missed if only for the atmosphere!), Emir Han, Ic Koza Han, Tuz Han, Fidan Han, Geyve Han, Kutahya Han, Kubbeli Han, Eski Ipek Han, Pirinc Han, etc. roughly between Kapali Carsi, Uzun Carsi, Tuzpazari Carsis, and Okcular Carsisi.
Next I visited Muradiye Mosque, built in 1426 by Murat II and recently reconstructed along with much of its surrounding kulliye, and finished my long but really enjoyable walk at the Hudavendigar Kulliye and Old Turkish Hammam Bath in Cekirge which was built in 1363 by Murat I and features a second floor madrasah.
Last but certainly not least I had to taste the excellent Iskender Kebab (worth a trip alone!). To avoid the small crowded interior, and not to wait too much, I opted to order a "big portion" from the great Kebapçı İskender (light blue exterior and marked (Mavi Dukkan) on Google Maps). When our 2 Big Portions of Iskender Kebab were ready we feasted on them in the shade just beneath the 15th century Irgandi Bridge (Bursa's small version of Florence's Ponte Vecchio).
We left the final location of Cumalikizik for the afternoon just before our late return flight from Istanbul. There is a car park just outside the village. This location adds a rural flavour to this WHS even though it is not comparable in size and quality to Safranbolu WHS. It is also quite touristy. However, we really enjoyed our visit inside one of the rural houses for a small fee. We wore plastic coverings on our shoes to visit the interior which really seemed cosy but quite spacious. We visited the extremely narrow street of Cinaraligi, the small mosque, and enjoyed all sorts of local organic berries: yellow, white, black and red! Wear good sturdy shoes here as it's all uphill and downhill cobblestone streets.
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