The Ulu Jami Mosque, or Great Mosque, was built in Bursa during the reign of Bayezid I Yıldırım (Lightning). Having triumphantly defeated the Crusader armies at the Battle of Nikopol on the Danube, the sultan subjugated Bosnia, conquered Bulgaria, forced Wallachia to pay tribute and established a protectorate over Byzantium. According to legend, before the battle Bayezid I vowed to erect 20 mosques in case of his victory, but having won, he decided that one mosque with 20 domes would be enough. The construction of the mosque lasted four years and was completed in 1400.
The mosque is located in the very centre of the Old City, by the bazaar. It was the very first multi-domed structure in the Ottoman Empire, in a beautiful Arabic style. To this day, Ulu Jami, the creation of architect Ali Nejar, serves as a model for the construction of mosques throughout the country. It has everything that Ottoman mosques should have - a fountain for religious ablutions, mihrab, minbar, carpets on the floor and inscriptions from the Quran on the walls.
Ulu Jami has been subjected to destruction several times. The first time was during the invasion of Timur. Later, the building was very badly damaged in the earthquake of 1855 and was rebuilt by French architect Léon Parville. It was he who introduced baroque elements into the early Ottoman architecture, which were reflected in the design of calligraphic inscriptions and decorations on the tops of minarets. Unfortunately, a fire in 1889 damaged the mosque again, but it has now been restored.
The base of the mosque is in the form of a rectangle with sides of 63 and 50 metres. The mosque building includes 30 supporting pylons: 18 of them are located in the walls of the mosque and 12 inside the structure. These majestic pillars support the powerful twenty domes of the mosque. The structure has three entrances (north, east and west), and in the centre of the hall there is an unusual marble fountain with a pool for ritual ablutions. It represents three huge bowls placed one above the other and is illuminated from a round window in the dome above it. The interior of the mosque is decorated with 192 huge calligraphic inscriptions in Diwani and Kufi styles, listing all 99 names of Allah. The central gate of the mosque is made without the use of nails. It is made of walnut wood and is considered a masterpiece in woodwork. Thanks to the large light dome, the inside of the structure is well lit.
The majestic Ulu Jami Mosque, which covers an area of 5000 square metres, is still the most monumental building in Bursa. With its unusual interior decorations and original wood carvings, Ulu Jami is considered one of the most interesting historical monuments in Turkey.
