Bursa

Sister cities

• Oulu
• Mykolaiv
• Košice
• Pristina
• Tirana
• Simferopol
• Sarajevo
• Rabat
• Darmstadt
• Sofia
• Plovdiv
• North Nicosia

History

The earliest known human settlement near Bursa's current location was at the Ilıpınar Mound in . It was followed by the Bithynian city of Prusa, which was built by King Prusias I of Bithynia. The city was also referred to as Prusa ad Olympum after its location at the foot of the Bithynian Olympus (present day Mount Uludağ). One of the known characteristics of Prusa at that time was its hot springs that's dubbed as the "royal waters". In 75/74 BC, Nicomedes IV, the last king of Bithynia, bequeated his entire kingdom to the Roman Republic in his last testament before he died. According to a letter that's written to Roman Emperor Trajan () by Roman author Pliny the Younger, then the Imperial Governor of Bithynia and Pontus, constructions of baths took place in Prusa after a permit by the reigning emperor. An early Roman artifact was found in Bursa. It was composed of woman's silver toiletry articles. It is currently reserved in the British Museum since 1913. Encyclopædia Britannica suggests that, when Prusa was under Byzantine rule, the city prospered after the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I built a palace there. Prusa then became a garrison city in 562, where imperial guards were stationed. Already by the mid-6th century, Prusa was known as a famous silk textile manufacturing centre. Bursa became the capital city of the early Ottoman Empire following its capture from the Byzantines in 1326. During the Ottoman rule, the city witnessed a considerable amount of urban growth, such as the building of hospitals, caravanserais (including the Koza Han), and madrasas. The first official Ottoman mint was established in the city. After conquering Adrianople (later Edirne) in East Thrace, the Ottomans turned it into the new capital city in the 1360s. No longer a capital city,…

Geography

The area covered by Bursa corresponds to 1.41% of Turkey's land area, which makes the city 27th in the country in terms of land area. Bursa stands on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludağ (known as the Mysian Olympus in classical antiquity), on the banks of the Nilüfer River, in the southern Marmara Region. It is the capital city of Bursa Province, which borders the Sea of Marmara and Yalova to the north; Kocaeli and Sakarya to the northeast; Bilecik to the east; and Kütahya and Balıkesir to the south. Bursa has a Mediterranean climate (Csa/Cs) under the Köppen and Trewartha classifications. The city has hot, dry summers that last from June until September. Winters are cool and damp, also containing the most rainfall. There can be snow on the ground which will last for a week or two. Air pollution is a chronic problem in Bursa.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  476
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  420
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  402
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  401
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  393
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  391
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  380
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  355

Most recent

• M 4.6 — 2025-09-28
  22 km W of Emet, Turkey
• M 3.8 — 2025-07-05
  30 km SSW of Kumburgaz, Turkey
• M 4.2 — 2025-07-02
  4 km NE of Gemlik, Turkey
• M 4 — 2025-07-01
  3 km S of Umurbey, Turkey
• M 4.3 — 2025-04-25
  19 km SSW of Kumburgaz, Turkey
• M 4.4 — 2025-04-25
  29 km N of Simav, Turkey