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Çekirge is a neighborhood a little ways outside of the historic city center of Bursa. The area is mostly residential but has a few historic places worth visiting.
Getting to Çekirge, Bursa
Getting to Çekirge shouldn’t cost too much by taxi from the Bursa city center. You can tell the driver to let you off at Çekirge Square (Çekirge Meydanı). All of the sites are within walking distance from there.
Hüdavendigâr Mosque
The Hüdavendigâr Mosque (Hüdavendigâr Camii), also known as the Murad I Mosque (I. Murad Camii) is an interesting looking Ottoman mosque built between 1365 and 1385. The architecture draws from Byzantine, Gothic, Seljuk, and early Ottoman influences. Some of the materials were recycled from earlier Byzantine structures.
The Hüdavendigâr Mosque has a second story with an arched balcony that served as a madrasa. It’s the only known Ottoman mosque with a second story madrasa. There’s one minaret.
The prayer hall is quite plain but has a charming fountain. It’s shaped in a reverse T and there are rooms on either side of the entrance. This mosque, included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Bursa, was undergoing minor repairs when I last visited. Click here for a virtual tour of the mosque.
Tomb of Murad I
Across the street from the mosque is the tomb of Murad I (I. Murad Türbesi). Sultan Murad I (b. 1326, Bursa – d. 1389, near Pristina, Kosovo) was the 3rd Ottoman Sultan (r. 1362-1389). He conquered Adrianople, renamed it Edirne, and in 1363 made it the new capital of the Ottoman Empire. He then brought much of the Balkans under his rule and forced the princes of northern Bulgaria and Serbia as well as Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos to pay him tribute. Murad I was killed by Serbian knight Miloš Obilić (d. 1389) during the Battle of Kosovo. His internal organs are buried on the battlefield in Kosovo.
Karagöz Museum
The Karagöz Museum (Karagöz Müzesi) pays tribute to the famous shadow puppets born in Bursa. Karagöz and Hacivat are the two main characters and are a cultural symbol of the city. Karagöz is the vulgar and unintelligent character while Hacivat is more level-headed and logical. The museum opened in 2007. Admission is free and it’s open daily except Mondays.
It isn’t clear when or why the puppets were actually created, but a popular theory many of my students told me is that the two main characters were real people. According to legend, they were construction workers on the Orhan Gazi Mosque project in Bursa. They were always arguing and distracting the other workers, in turn slowing down the construction process. A local official became angry with them and had them both executed. They were loved by the other workers for their comic relief, so they created the puppets to pay tribute to their memory.
The puppet shows are popular during Ramadan in Turkey. They also spread to the rest of the Ottoman Empire and are especially popular in Greece, where they’re known as Karagiozis (Καραγκιόζης).
Karagöz Monument
Across the street from the museum is the Karagöz Monument (Karagöz Anıtı). It features larger than life figures of the two characters. Other characters sit around the base. The monument was built in 1950 by Turkish artist Gönül Akıncı.
