Bursa - the First Ottoman Capital, Bursa, Turkey

Located in the shadow of Uludağ Mountain, Old Town Bursa is bursting with history from the early Ottoman years. Since it was the Empire’s first capital, its buildings give a glimpse of what was important to this burgeoning powerhouse.

For almost 600 years the Ottoman Empire ruled over much of Western Asia, as well as parts of Southeastern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Although they amassed a large empire, their beginnings were much humbler. The Ottoman didn’t come into this empire as power hungry conquerors. They began as a collection of nomadic tribes, likely from the steepes of Mongolia. In the late 10th or early 11th centuries they were forced out by the Mongols and moved into what is present day Turkey. The Ottoman tribes weren’t the only ones. There were other, similar tribes who began to spread across Asia Minor at the same time. By the 11th century one of these tribes, the Seljuks, had settled down and established a small kingship in Eastern Turkey, Iran and Mesopotamia. (Read our post about the Seljuks here.)

Unlike the Seljuks, the group that would become the Ottoman Empire didn’t settle down at first. Instead, they followed the ghazi tradition of travelling and spreading the word of Islam. At the same time they raided towns and villages that were in their path and began to acquire wealth. They were known to be fierce warriors and many were afraid of them. One legend says that in order to protect his own land, the Seljuk king suggested that the Ottoman warriors fight the Byzantines instead of his Muslim settlement. Whether that’s true or not, the Ottoman soon began to put their efforts toward Byzantine held villages and towns. This marked the beginning of their empire building. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).