Emir Sultan Mosque, Bursa, Turkey

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Bright Sun

Bursa's Emir Sultan Mosque complex is toward the eastern end of the historic city, to the east of the Green Mosque, a short walk away.

I suggest that you take a bus, dolmush or taxi from the center of Bursa all the way to Emir Sultan so that after visiting this mosque you can walk downhill to the Green Mosque (Yesil Cami) complex (about 10 minutes).

The Emir Sultan mosque you see today was rebuilt in Ottoman rococo style in 1805, during the reign of Sultan Selim III. Further repairs and renewals were done in the early 1990s.

The eye-catching motif at the Emir Sultan is the ogee arch, with its graceful curves and upward-pointed center. The mosque courtyard is quite pretty with its marble paving and marble ablutions fountain (sadirvan).

The interior of the mosque is surprisingly plain, but this doesn't detract from its function as a place of prayer.

The mosque is surrounded by an extensive cemetery which, graced with tall cypress trees and well away from the bustle of the city center, gives it a calm, peaceful ambience. The mosque is a favorite of Bursa's most pious Muslims.

From beneath the huge sycamore trees on the east side of the mosque complex you can enjoy panoramic views of sprawling Bursa while sipping a glass of Turkish tea or coffee.

Gazing north across the valley, you may notice two domes on a small hill not too far away. This is the Yildirim Beyazit Mosque (1391), among Bursa's oldest, similar in concept to the Green Mosque. In its complex are the tombs of its founder, Sultan Beyazit I "the Thunderbolt" (1389-1402) and his son Isa, as well as a medrese (theological seminary).