Uludag

Summer activities, such as trekking and camping, also are popular.

Turkish Uludag means "Great Mountain", but in colloquial Turkish, the mountain is called Keşiş Dagı, "Mountain of Monks". It is said that Homeros used to refer to Mt. Uludag as Olympos Misios or Bithynik Olymp .According to the legends , it is said that Trojan wars used to have been watched by the Apollon and the other Greek Gods . In the Roman Empire and Hellenic periods, Mt. Uludag a place of seclusion for early Christian monks.

Mt. Uludag is the highest mountain of the Marmara region. Its highest peak is Kartaltepe 2543 meters high. To the north are high plateaus: Sarıalan, Kirazlıyayla , Kadıyayla , Sobra.

There is an abandoned wolfram mine near the summit. The mine and the integrated plant which were built in 1974 for 60 million dollars, were eventually closed in 1989 due to high production costs.

Uludag National Park Turkey

The highest area in western Anatolia, Uludag is easily ascended by car or cable-car. The park is about 22 km south of Bursa and is signposted from there. Bursa can be reached by road from Istanbul. The cable-car ascends from Bursa and has an intermediate stop in the alpine meadows of Kadiyayla at about 1000 m elevation. It ends at Sarialan at about 1630 m.

Habitats of the park range from maquis on the lower slopes, through deciduous woodland and beech and fir forest to alpine meadows at the highest levels. It is a refuge for mountain birds, such as Lammergeier and other vultures, Golden Eagle and more than 20 other raptor species. Other high-altitude species include Alpine Accentor, rock thrushes and choughs. The area is also good for eastern specialities such as Isabelline Wheatear, and, at almost the most westerly points of their range, Red-fronted Serin and Krüper’s Nuthatch. The dense fir forest holds Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Crossbill and Tengmalm’s Owl, a rare and very local bird in Turkey. White-backed Woodpecker has been seen. The rare and local butterfly, Parnassius apollo graslini, is found on Uludag and the area has much of interest to botanists, with colourful pink primroses, Primula vulgaris var sibthorpii; Leopardsbane, Duronicum orientalis; crocuses: the purple Crocus siberi and yellow Crocus flavus; and grape hyacinths, Muscari racemosum.

Bursa

Bursa (formerly known as Brusa, Prusa) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the governmental center of Bursa Province. With a population of 1,194,687 (2000 census), it is Turkey’s fourth largest city. It was known in the antiquity and the medieval period with the name Prusa. The city is known as "Yeşil Bursa" (meaning "Green Bursa") from its beautiful parks and gardens located throughout the city. The city is famous for its ski resorts (on the mountain of Uludağ), the mausoleums of Ottoman sultans, the surrounding fertile plain, thermal baths and Karagöz & Hacivat shadow puppets. It is also the home of some famous Turkish foods, especially candied chestnuts, peaches, and a meat dish called Iskender kebap.

History

The earliest known site at this location was Cius, which Philip V of Macedonia granted to the Bithynian king Prusias I in 202 BC, for his help against Pergamum and Heraclea Pontica (modern Karadeniz Ereğli). Prusias renamed the city for himself, Prusa.

It was later a major city, located on the westernmost end of the famous Silk Road, and was the capital of the Ottoman Empire following its capture from the Byzantines in 1326 until the capture of Edirne in 1365 and remained an important administrative and commercial center even after it lost its status as the capital. During the rule of the Ottomans, Bursa was the source of most royal silk products. It received the raw silk from Iran, and occasionally China, and was the ‘factory’ for the kaftans, pillows, embroidery and other silk products for the royal palaces up through the 17th century. Some of these included golden or silver silk thread which were of particular luxury because they were made by wrapping extremely thin gold or silver wire around a single silk thread by hand. Another traditional occupation is knife making and horse carriage building. Nowadays you can still find hand made knifes, and instead of carriages, there is a big automobile industry.

Bursa sits on a geologic fault like most of Turkey. The city has been partially leveled by strong earthquakes coupled by fires and rebuilt after each time. The last devastating earthquake happened in 1885.

Economy

Bursa is the center of the Turkish automobile industry, where FIAT and Renault have located their factories, as well as textile and food industries where Coca Cola, Pepsi and many canned food factories are present in the city’s organized industrial zones. Traditionally Bursa was famous with its fertile soil and agricultural activities, which are decreasing due to the heavy industrialization of the city. Bursa also is a major tourist attraction: One of the best ski resorts of Turkey is located at Uludağ just next to city proper. Thermal baths have been used in therapy through Roman times, apart from baths operated by hotels, Uludağ University has a physical therapy center using the thermal water. In Bursa district the ancient city of Nicea, (İznik), is the place where the first ecumenical conference of bishops was held which resulted in the phrasing of the Nicene Creed.