We travelled to Bursa in Anatolia at the foot of Mount Uludag, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Here, we visited some more mosques: the Green Mosque and the Grand Mosque. Ahmet, a devout Muslim, went to great lengths to show us these mosques!
Bursa—a bird’s eye view
Every mosque had its own character—with many similarities
With every mosque, there was a story
Artwork, calligraphy, mosaics and tiles—most impressive!
Dedrie looked the role—paying her respects and guarding my shoes in the rack
Outside the Green Mosque, we found the most delightful garden. We sat down in the shady garden outside. It was delightful under the trees, with temperatures hovering around 37 degrees outside!
We were getting enough of the throngs inside the mosques. Some decided to sit in the garden instead
Cumalikizik
We visited the Heritage Site of Cumalikizik, near Bursa, one Turkey’s main cities. Traditional lifestyles are still maintained as residences.
The village had an atmosphere that bears traces of ancient times.
We were welcomed to the UNESCO village!
The place was packed with tourists– we were free to wander alone and savour the atmosphere
There were mosques of all shapes and sizes
Turkish school kids gave some members of our tour group a hug for the Aussies
Old and new seamlessly co-existing
Peach went down well on a 37-degree day!
This kitty cooled down in the shade along the 1500-year-old cobbled road
