Orhan Mosque

This mosque, which is the central structure within Orhan Kulliye complex, was built by Orhan Bey in 1339. It is the first structure built out of the Castle after the conquest of Bursa. This structure, which represents one of the most important designs of the Early Ottoman architecture, is the first mosque in Bursa built with a “^” plan (with a lodging room for travellers and a hermitage).

This mosque is built with many striking elements, such as its high, pointed arches built with patterns of stones and bricks at its frontages, its brick-built sun disks, and its rosettes, respectively. At the lateral frontages of this structure’s portico for latecomers, there are capitals from the Byzantine era. Influencing the city’s physical structure, Orhan Mosque also had a great impact concerning the enrichment of the city’s non-material cultural heritage, with both its influence on its physical structure, and the legends arising during the construction period. According to a legend, Hacivat and Karagöz, who today are incorporated in the UNESCO List of Non-Material Cultural Heritages, were craftsmen who worked at the construction site of Orhan Kulliye complex. 

This structure is situated within a site, which was declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2014.

Views