The Bursa Grand Mosque (Turkish: Ulu Cami) is a mosque in Bursa, Turkey. Built in the Seljuk style, it was ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I and built between 1396 and 1399 CE. The mosque has 20 domes and 2 minarets. The Grand Mosque of Bursa is the most prominent landmark and mosque in Bursa, Turkey.
Ordered by Sultan Bayezid I, the mosque was designed and built by architect Ali Neccar in 1396–1399. The mosque is “600 years old,” and “one of Islam's most famous sanctuaries”. Ulu Cami is the largest mosque in Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture which used many elements from the Seljuk architecture.
circa 1399 CE
Interior
Although it was built during the decline of the Ottoman Empire, The Mosque was meant to be an ancestral keepsake for the generations to come. It is a large rectangular building, with twenty domes arranged in four rows of five that are supported by twelve columns. The horizontally spacious and dimly lit interior is designed to feel peaceful and contemplative. The subdivisions of space formed by multiple domes and pillars create a sense of privacy and even intimacy.
circa 1399 CE
Fountain
The inner fountain (şadırvan) inside the mosque where worshipers can perform ritual ablutions before prayer; the dome over the şadırvan is capped by a skylight which creates a soft light below, playing an important role in the illumination of the large building. In addition to The Grand Mosque’s structural exterior extravagance, it is also well known for its’ interior calligraphy. Calligraphy has been used in various different countries since the beginning of time and reached its prominence in the nineteenth century.
