Irgandi Bazaar Bridge

The Irgandi Bazaar Bridge is an Ottoman-style covered bridge across the Gökdere stream, with workshops and small shops built into the arches above the water. The concept was common in the medieval Ottoman world — combining bridge with commerce — but almost all have been demolished. This one, reconstructed in 2008 based on the 15th-century original, is now one of the few surviving examples of the form.

The bridge is lined with craft workshops — jewellers, wood-carvers, miniature painters, ceramicists — working in open-fronted studios. You can watch artisans at work and buy directly from them. It is pleasant to cross at dusk when the lights reflect off the water, and the setting in the old bazaar district makes it an easy addition to a walk between the Grand Mosque and the Tophane area.

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The original Irgandi Bridge dates from the 15th century and was demolished in 1959 as part of a road-widening scheme — a loss that Bursa spent decades regretting. The current structure, completed in 2008, was rebuilt on the original foundations using historical records and surviving photographs. It claims to be the only working bazaar bridge in the world, though it was a very common Ottoman urban form before modernisation removed most of them.

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