History

As a result of the researches, it was determined that there were various settlements in Bursa and its vicinity since 4000 BC. However, the exact information about the region dates back to 700 BC. Homer refers to the region as Mysia. Today, there are two villages reminiscent of Mysia settlements in Bursa region: Misi (Gümüştepe) and Misebolu.

The region is also called Phrygia in historical geography. It is known that the Cimmerians, who fled from the Skyths in 700 BC, destroyed the Phrygia state. The name Bursa comes from Prusias, King of Bithynia, who founded this city. The Bityns who migrated to this region in the 7th century BC gave the name of Bithynia here. It is known that Hannibal, one of the great generals raised by Carthage in 185 BC, organized the establishment of the city of Prusias and Olympus for King Prusias I. The name Prusias turned into Prusa and then Bursa over time. Bithynia, which came under the sovereignty of the Roman Empire in 74 BC, became an Asian Province governed by Proconsuls (Provincial Governor) sent from Rome. V Bursa lived the Byzantine period between 385-1326 AD. In 555 A.D., silk production started in the region and a small spa city was established with the production of natural hot springs.

Prusa (Bursa) was connected to Nicaea (Iznik) between 1204-1261, generally remained within the castle and did not grow much. The Ottoman Principality, which developed over time within the Anatolian Principalities established after the Seljuk Empire began to weaken and disintegrate, became stronger by taking the lands of the surrounding Tekfurs. Bursa was besieged by Osman Bey in 1307 and after a long siege, Osman Bey's son Orhan Bey captured the city on April 6, 1326. In 1335, the capital was moved to Bursa and the city underwent major reconstruction activities.

When the Ottomans took Bursa, the city was only inside the fortress, but Orhan Gazi took the city outside the fortress and had the Orhan Gazi Complex established. Public buildings such as mosques, baths, public baths, imarethane, darüşşifa, madrasahs were built at dominant points close to the existing settlement outside the city walls and residential areas were created around these complexes and thus a settlement tradition began. During the reign of Murad Hüdavendigar I (1363), the capital was moved to Edirne. After the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmed II the Conqueror, Bursa's active role came to an end and it lost its character as an administrative center.

Bursa, which served as the center of Hüdavendigar Vilayet in the post-Tanzimat period, was connected to Bilecik, Kütahya, Karesi (Balıkesir) and Karahisar (Afyon) sanjaks in the early 1900s. Bursa, where various uprisings took place during the periods of national struggle, was occupied by the Greeks on July 8, 1920; it was taken back by Turkish troops after the August 30 war.

There are no surviving buildings from the Roman and Byzantine periods in Bursa. It is believed that the city walls surrounding the old city were first built by the Bithynians and were repaired and used during the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Bursa, in the first 200 years of the Ottoman Empire, showed great developments compared to other cities, was decorated with many architectural structures, became the center of the scientific world with the well-known madrasas of its era, and was a lively commercial city. The Hüdavendigar Complex that started during the reign of Murad I, the Yıldırım Complex built by Beyazıd I, the Yeşil Complex that started during the reign of Mehmed I (Çelebi) and was completed during the reign of Murad II are large complexes that influenced the spatial development of Bursa and are still standing today. In the city, where planning studies were initiated in the Republican period, the importance of industry has increased since the 1960s, and the population and urban development of the city has undergone a rapid change. The city's geographical location and its high agricultural, commercial and industrial potential ensure that the city maintains its attractiveness in every period.

Geographical Location

Bursa is the 4th largest city in Turkey with a total population of 2.439.876 according to the 2007 General Population Survey, located between 40 degrees longitude and 28 - 30 degrees latitude circles in the southeast of the Marmara Sea.

Bursa is surrounded by Bilecik and Adapazarı in the east, Izmit, Yalova, Istanbul and Marmara Sea in the north, Eskişehir and Kütahya in the south and Balıkesir in the west.

Bursa, which is 155 meters above sea level, generally has a mild climate. However, the climate also varies according to the regions. The mild and warm climate of the Marmara Sea in the north is contrasted with the harsh climate of Uludağ in the south.

The hottest months of the province are July - September and the coldest months are February - March. As of 52 years of observation period, the average annual precipitation is 706 mm. The average relative humidity in the province is around 69%.

The surface forms of the province are in the form of mountains and depression areas separated from each other by thresholds. The main depression areas are Iznik and Uluabat lakes and Yenişehir, Bursa and İnegöl plains.

Bursa has a total surface area of 10.819 km2 and 17% of its territory consists of plains.

Most Important Plains

Plain Area (km¹)

Bursa 365

Mustafakemalpaşa 193

Karacabey 537

Inegol 150

Iznik 76

Orhangazi 97

Yenisehir 152

Uluabat (1,134 km2) and Iznik (298 km2) lakes are located within the provincial borders.

The important rivers of the province are Mustafakemalpaşa Stream, Nilüfer Stream, Göksu Stream, Koca Stream, Kara Stream, Aksu Stream, which originates from the southern slopes of Uludağ and is fed by many small streams originating from Uludağ.

Of the 135 km. coastline of the province, 22 km. of it is suitable for use and the rest cannot be utilized.

Mountains cover approximately 35% of Bursa's territory. The mountains are generally in the form of mountain ranges extending in the east-west direction. These are; Samanlı Mountains extending from the west of Orhangazi to Bozburun at the western end of Gemlik Bay, Mudanya Mountains covering the southern side of Gemlik Bay and separating Bursa plain from the sea, Katırlı Mountains located between the south of Iznik Lake and the northern parts of Bursa plain, Karadağ, which is an extension of Mudanya Mountains, and Uludağ (2.543 m), the highest mountain in the Marmara Region.