Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami)

The Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) is Bursa's largest and oldest mosque, built between 1396 and 1399 under Sultan Bayezid I. Its twenty domes — arranged four across and five deep — cover a vast prayer hall supported by twelve massive pillars, giving the interior an unusual cathedral-like quality. The building established the multi-domed form that would define Ottoman mosque architecture for the next century.

The interior is covered with enormous Arabic calligraphic inscriptions filling every available surface — 192 sayings from the Quran and Islamic tradition painted in monumental script by six of the great calligraphers of the age. The mihrab and mimber (pulpit) are both exceptionally fine carved woodwork. In the middle of the hall, the şadırvan (ablution fountain) sits beneath its skylight. The mosque is still an active place of worship; be quiet and respectful, and avoid visiting during Friday noon prayer.

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A story
Sultan Bayezid I vowed to build twenty mosques after his victory at the Battle of Nicopolis (1396). He managed one — this one, with twenty domes — which his court considered a fair compromise. The mosque's famous ablution fountain sits inside the building rather than outside, fed by a skylight; it was originally open to the sky, and the sound of falling water accompanied prayer for five centuries.