TURKEY BURSA
HISTORY
The archaeological excavations carried out on the burial
mounds in the region indicate that the first settlement in the area is more
than 8 millennia old. Among more than 30 of these ancient burial mounds, the
most important are Mentese, llipinar, Demirtas and Cakirkoy.
When the first central authority of Anatolia, the Hittite
Empire, collapsed around 1200 BC due to internal strife and migration from the
west, Bursa was badly affected like many other parts of Anatolia. The region
fell to the Lydians around the 7th century BC and then to the
Persian Empire in 546 BC.
Prusias (232 -192 BC), the King of Bithunia, was believed to
be the founder of the city. The region was under the control of Roman Empire in
the 1st century BC and it came under Byzantine rule in 395 AD.
During the 11th century the city frequently changed hands between
the Byzantine and Seljuk empires. In 1326, it was conquered by Orhan Ghazi and
added to the Ottoman territory.
Bursa gained its historical importance during the reign of
the Ottomans and Orhan Ghazi made Bursa the capital of the Ottoman
Principality. After the conquest of Edirne in 1361 it became the capital of the
European lands of the Ottomans while Bursa continued to serve as the capital of
the Anatolian lands. When Istanbul was conquered in 1453, it became the only
capital. Bursa then became a Sanjak and in the 19th century it
became the seat of the province.
Bursa is second only to Istanbul in regard to its abundance
of Ottoman works of art. The riches from its historical and cultural
backgrounds are on display in its numerous museums.
No comments:
Post a Comment