Bursa Grand Mosque (or Great Mosque) could be a prominent landmark in Bursa’s downtown. With its two towering minarets and 20 domes, the building is one amongst the foremost impressive and important in Bursa. Ulu Cami’i is taken into account the fifth most vital mosque in Islam, after those in Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, and Damascus. It's also included in Bursa’s 2014 UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription.
Commissioned by Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid I, Bursa Grand Mosque was opened in 1399 and inbuilt the Seljuk sort of architecture, consisting of both Seljuk and early Ottoman elements. The mosque’s 20 domes are arranged in four rows of 5 and are supported by 12 columns. This arrangement divides the big, 2200-square meter rectangular room into sections, with a way of privacy within the midst of the building’s enormity.
Features of the mosque’s interior include an oversized marble ablution fountain situated beneath a glass dome. The walls and pillars are decorated by a complete of 192 calligraphy samples written by 41 different calligraphers, making it one among the foremost important collections of Islamic calligraphy within the world. The doors and pulpit are made of skillfully carved walnut wood, and therefore the pulpit contains an engraved scaled model of the scheme. East of the highly ornate mihrap, a centuries-old door curtain from the Mecca Kaaba is displayed in an exceedingly glass case.
The exterior of the mosque is formed from stone. Ornate fountains are located within the courtyard before of the minarets. the 2 minarets appear to be identical, but they were built at different times. The west minaret was built as a part of the initial construction, while the east minaret was built later by Sultan Mehmet I within the 15th Century.
As with many buildings of such importance and history, legends have sprung up and brought root over the centuries. One such legend revolves around Karagöz and Hacivat, the development workers on whom Bursa’s famous shadow puppet characters are based. Because the legend goes, Karagöz and Hacivat had a habit of distracting their co-workers with their jokes and antics. Eventually their playful work ethic delayed construction of the mosque, irritating the sultan and leading to their execution.
Another legend suggests that a house once stood on the land where the mosque is made. The owner of the house, an elderly woman, failed to want to convey up her home and resisted eviction. The day after having an intense dream, the girl finally sold her land to the sultan. Within the woman’s honor, the architects built the inside fountain on the precise place where her house stood.
Visitors and tourists are welcome to go to Bursa Grand Mosque, and it's a very important highlight on the Bursa tour. The mosque is open all day daily and is merely considered off-limits to tourists during scheduled daily prayer times. Before entering the mosque, we advise reading Visiting Bursa’s Historical Mosques to determine general tourist visiting guidelines.
