Bursa

The earliest known human settlement near Bursa's current location was at the Ilıpınar Mound in c. 6000 BC. It was followed by the Bithynian city of Prusa, which was built by King Prusias I of Bithynia. The city was also referred to as Prusa ad Olympum after its location at the foot of the Bithynian Olympus (present day Mount Uludağ). One of the known characteristics of Prusa at that time was its hot springs that's dubbed as the "royal waters". In 75/74 BC, Nicomedes IV, the last king of Bithynia, bequeated his entire kingdom to the Roman Republic in his last testament before he died. According to a letter that's written to Roman Emperor Trajan (r. 98–117) by Roman author Pliny the Younger, then the Imperial Governor of Bithynia and Pontus, constructions of baths took place in Prusa after a permit by the reigning emperor. To Trajan. …

The area covered by Bursa corresponds to 1.41% of Turkey's land area, which makes the city 27th in the country in terms of land area. Bursa stands on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludağ (known as the Mysian Olympus in classical antiquity), on the banks of the Nilüfer River, in the southern Marmara Region. It is the capital city of Bursa Province, which borders the Sea of Marmara and Yalova to the north; Kocaeli and Sakarya to the northeast; Bilecik to the east; and Kütahya and Balıkesir to the south. Bursa has a Mediterranean climate (Csa/Cs) under the Köppen and Trewartha classifications. The city has hot, dry summers that last from June until September. Winters are cool and damp, also containing the most rainfall. There can be snow on the ground which will last for a week or two. Air pollution is a chronic problem in Bursa.

Ulu Cami is the largest mosque in Bursa and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture, which incorporated many elements from Seljuk architecture. Ordered by Sultan Bayezid I, the mosque was designed and built by architect Ali Neccar in 1396–1400. It is a large and rectangular building, with a total of twenty domes that are arranged in four rows of five, and are supported by 12 columns. Supposedly the twenty domes were built instead of the twenty separate mosques which Sultan Bayezid I had promised for winning the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. The mosque has two minarets. Inside the mosque, there are 192 monumental wall inscriptions written by the famous calligraphers of that period. …