Bursa Daily Photo

Good Night

2009-03-14T18:39:00.003+02:00

I'm sorry to stop posting here because I cannot find time to go out and take photos at the moment.

Thanks to everyone who has visited and commented. It was really nice to be part of the Daily Photo group.

If you are from Bursa and would like to take over the blog send an email. The address is in the profile.

Splash!

2009-03-03T19:14:00.000+02:00

We went to Mudanya and some children were having fun throwing stones into the water. Otherwise it was very calm and clear.

Valentine

2009-02-28T18:44:00.000+02:00

Late Valentine's day greetings!

Road to Uludag

2009-02-27T18:30:00.001+02:00

Peeping out of the window on the way to Uludag. The sun was still shining at this point!

Over the rooftops

2009-02-26T10:55:00.000+02:00

If the weather was clearer you would be able to see Uludag in the back of this picture.

Uludag in the clouds

2009-02-24T09:04:00.003+02:00

We went to ski at Uludag this weekend and found some very foggy weather! The top of Uludag is around 2500 metres and it spent most of the weekend in the clouds! Maybe you can make out faintly some skiiers through the fog there in the back of the photo.

Mobile cafe

2009-02-23T15:06:00.002+02:00

I've never seen such a big tea tray! The owner was taking tea around the market stallholders. He filled the glasses from a huge teapot in his other hand.

Candy Floss stand

2009-02-21T14:12:00.000+02:00

Somehow I always thought candy floss was for the summer, but it seems I am wrong :)

Turkish pizza

2009-02-20T16:45:00.000+02:00

Our local baker makes extremely tasty pide (Turkish pizza). Here they are waiting to go into the oven.

It's a cat's life

2009-02-19T18:14:00.000+02:00

Bursa is full of cats and here is another one. They live outside, but they don't seems to be bothered by the cold weather.

School's out

2009-02-18T18:21:00.003+02:00

When I took this photo I wondered why the walls were covered in scorch marks. Yesterday I found out. Some of the boys were tending the fire, the others were enjoying a game of football.

Turkish rolls?

2009-02-17T20:26:00.003+02:00

My family is visiting at the moment and they loved these cakes! They photographed them so much that they baker cut one up and gave them all a piece to try. They taste good too!

Gloomy coastline

2009-02-16T10:27:00.004+02:00

We are having a lot of grey and rainy weather at the moment. I think this is why Bursa is so green. Here is a small break in the clouds along the coast from Mudanya.

Secluded spot

2009-02-12T08:19:00.000+02:00

This cafe feels a bit like a private garden. In fact I couldn't see where the actual cafe is, just the tables.

Turkish recycling

2009-02-09T20:00:00.001+02:00

This is recycling, Turkish style! There is hardly any official recycling here, but people like this man do a good job or sorting and recycling the rubbish. He was taking plastic, tins etc from the waste bin and putting it in that big white carton. Who knows where it will go next?

Where next?

2009-02-08T11:13:00.001+02:00

These containers are waiting in the Bursa free trade zone which is next to the port at Gemlik, just outside Bursa. The free trade zone produces goods for export - mainly to Europe but also the rest of the world.

Trimmings

2009-02-07T12:23:00.002+02:00

I found these trimmings by the side of the road. I suppose they were waiting to be cleared away but I thought they looked quite pretty there.

Deserted

2009-02-06T16:47:00.000+02:00

"this photo is taken in mudanya 30 km from bursa ..a nice little town...it was nicer before when we used to swim in the sea.the water is not clean any more unfortunatelly ...it seems clean but they found louds of collibasili(microbs) that can be dangerous..anyway the people are still swimming in the hot summer days ...you can see it feels like deserted but it is not...louds of appartments had been built up in the hills ...but still you have the sea to look at and feel like deserted:))"

Serving mantı since 1975

2009-02-05T18:17:00.002+02:00

This restaurant claims to be Bursa's first mantı maker, although it has only been open since 1975. Mantı are small parcels of pasta filled with meat, a bit like Italian ravioli. Like a lot of dishes here they are eaten with yogurt.

Big and small

2009-02-04T09:40:00.001+02:00

This is also at Mudanya. There is a small harbour where cargo boats sometimes dock. They are usually carrying sand. Maybe the small boat was helping to bring yesterday's fish..

More fish

2009-02-02T16:24:00.004+02:00

I've posted a photo of the fish market at Mudanya before but yesterday we got there early and there was a lot more fish than usual.

If you look carefully maybe you can also see the different fish which are found at this time of year. The most common fish here are sea bass and sea bream, which are available all year round. Yesterday there was also red mullet, mackerel and bonito.

Take a break

2009-02-01T16:49:00.000+02:00

The pigeons were enjoying a bit of sun on top of the restaurant.

Wintery Scene

2009-01-31T19:42:00.000+02:00

This was a few weeks ago now, when there was a lot of snow around. Now the snow has retreated to Uludag, although we will probably have more before the end of winter. The photo was taken looking across from Guzelyalı, where the ferry to Istanbul leaves.

Who left these simits here?

2009-01-28T20:16:00.000+02:00

I couldn't see who was selling them, I'm sure he would come back quickly as soon as a customer came though.

Korupark Houses

2009-01-27T16:13:00.003+02:00

I'm not sure what happened here - everything came out at a funny angle. These are some of Bursa's newest houses, right next to the Korupark shopping centre.

What does it all mean?

2009-01-26T18:00:00.000+02:00

"it means :no to high speed, yes to live our life:....i don't know why they wrote it here on this , i think they should have wrote this onto a road sign...maybe they think that it is less expensive to write here ...i mean i can find a reason...if you have any ideas write us a comment...hihihi "

Bursa chamber of commerce

2009-01-25T19:13:00.000+02:00

BTSO is the Bursa chamber of commerce and industry. The main industries here are textile and automotive. Many foreign companies have factories in Bursa, and BTSO has a section devoted to improving ties with Europe and the USA.

The wind never blows when you want it to

2009-01-24T14:28:00.001+02:00

Unfortunately the wind would not blow so that I could get the flag properly. It makes an interesting combination.

Yes Man

2009-01-23T20:25:00.002+02:00

No that's not a man hanging off the side of the shopping mall, it is an advert for Jim Carey's latest film Yes Man. The cinema is up there on the top floor.

Feeding time

2009-01-22T11:51:00.002+02:00

These geese were in a small farm on the edge of Bursa. They were waiting to be fed so it was difficult to photograph them as they kept charging around in different directions, always moving as a group though.

Baldo Rice

2009-01-21T20:56:00.000+02:00

Here in Turkey rice is an important part of cooking. There are several types of rice available but foreign strains like basmati are difficult to find.

Kat 3

2009-01-19T16:55:00.001+02:00

A local band called Retro performing at Kat 3 bar. The name means 'third floor'

Before the restoration

2009-01-18T19:00:00.000+02:00

A piece of old wall next to the newly restored Balibey Han. This is more or less what Balibey Han looked like before the work so you can see what a good job they did.

Vantage Point

2009-01-17T15:34:00.000+02:00

This house must have a good view. It is in the oldest part of Bursa but it has been nicely renovated. The front overlooks the covered market and Ulu Cami.

Lost in fog

2009-01-16T16:11:00.001+02:00

We are getting some wintery weather at the moment. You can just see the roofs of the covered market here through the haze. The domes are quite typical of Ottoman architecture (there are some very similar looking buildings in the centre of Sarajevo). On the right is a corner of the Ulu Camii.

Great guns

2009-01-15T13:12:00.002+02:00

These cannons are also in the Tophane park next to the clock tower. From Tophane you can hear a cannon shot every evening during Ramadan, to mark the end of the fast. I don't know if they use one of these though.

Souvenirs of warmer weather

2009-01-14T10:02:00.000+02:00

Another outdoor cafe is shut for winter. I wonder how long these empty bottles will wait to be sent back and refilled.

Apolyont Han

2009-01-12T17:58:00.002+02:00

The Apolyont Han is right next to the Zafer Plaza and has just been renovated. A lot of small shops and restaurants have opened inside.

Tophane Clock Tower

2009-01-11T14:22:00.002+02:00

Tophane is situated on a small hill overlooking Bursa, and it is where this view over Bursa was taken from. The Tophane clock tower is in the Tophane park, and dates from 1906.

Ipek Han

2009-01-10T14:25:00.000+02:00

This is the section of the covered market which was dedicated to silk in the past (ipek means silk). Here they were selling the finished goods, as opposed to the Koza Han which is where the silk cocoons were traded. Today the Koza Han is more known as the silk market.

Snow on the hills

2009-01-09T09:47:00.001+02:00

Another view from Yeşil, where you can see the snow has reached the hills just above Bursa. Up on Uludağ there is plenty of snow and the skiing season has already started apparently.

Giant Billboard

2009-01-08T22:56:00.000+02:00

This is the Zafer Plaza, the first Western style shopping centre to appear in Bursa. The glass pyramid makes quite a contrast with the old buildings which surround it. Especially at the moment while it seems to be used for an advertising campaign.

Closed for now

2009-01-07T19:43:00.000+02:00

There aren't many takers for sitting outside at the moment. But that gives an opportunity to admire the beautiful tables.

Inside Yesil Mosque

2009-01-06T18:39:00.003+02:00

The Yeşil Cami (Green Mosque) is very atmospheric inside. This is a detail of the ceiling and below there are some beautiful green / blue tiles. The hanging chandeliers give a lovely light.

Rice and chick peas

2009-01-05T16:25:00.000+02:00

These stalls selling rice and chick pea snacks can be found in various places around Bursa. I think it might be a winter speciality because I don't remember seeing them at other times.

It's warm inside

2008-12-28T13:08:00.000+02:00

Some cold weather has arrived these days. Many houses use wood for heating, especially in the old part of town.

2008-12-22T11:00:00.000+02:00

"in Bursa some streets actually most of them are very narrow especially in the town center..we have lots of cars and traffic so sometimes it is better to walk....you can see from the photo the cars,people old buildings and a tree trying to survive:)"

Sun Express

2008-12-21T20:21:00.000+02:00

There is an airport in Bursa but the only airline that flies there is Sun Express. It is a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. For the moment the only destinations are within Turkey - Trabzon, Erzurum and Diyarbakır. This poster is advertising seats at 49YTL (€22/$33).

Bursa has a lot of inhabitants from other parts of Turkey who came to find work, so these flights maybe let them visit their families more easily. Travelling to these cities by road would take well over 18 hours.

There are a lot of international businesses here though and the ferry to Istanbul is always filled with people travelling to the airport. It is strange that Bursa's airport is not more used.

Bursa as it is now

2008-12-19T14:12:00.000+02:00

This is the modern day view of yesterday's photo of Bursa in 1977. The mosque is still there, although it's almost obscured by the road now. This was a quiet moment for traffic - usually the roads are a lot busier than this.

Bursa as it used to be

2008-12-18T15:12:00.000+02:00

Many thanks to Elaine for this photo. It was made from a slide taken in 1977. Tomorrow we will post the view as it appears nowadays.

Cumhurriyet caddesi

2008-12-18T14:24:00.001+02:00

Palm Trees

2008-12-17T19:23:00.000+02:00

How nice to live in a place with palm trees around. Even if it gets quite cold here in winter so I am quite surprised they can survive.

Every kind of t-shirt

2008-12-16T17:13:00.000+02:00

Another part of the covered market in Bursa. You can still buy just about everything in this market, it is more functional than the one in Istanbul which has become more of a tourist destination. The market is arranged into different areas for different goods - this is the clothes section.

Kafkas

2008-12-15T22:37:00.000+02:00

This is one of the newer branches of Kafkas, maker of the cakes we wrote about earlier. This branch also has a restaurant and coffee shop.

Iyi Bayramlar

2008-12-05T19:25:00.000+02:00

Next week is Kurban Bayram in Turkey and we will be back on december 15th. Iyi bayramlar!

Memories of summer

2008-12-04T18:09:00.000+02:00

Another view of the Ataturk statue at heykel. It was taken a while ago but it's nice to see some flowers now that the weather is getting colder.

Hitching a ride

2008-12-01T21:38:00.000+02:00

This photo isn't very clear (blame it on the dirty windscreen) but is the best I could get. This kind of sight is quite common on the edge of Bursa but I never seem to have my camera at the right moment to snap it properly. From the looks of it the sheep aren't going hungry.

Cake, anyone?

2008-11-30T21:35:00.001+02:00

These delicious looking cakes are for sale in the Kafkas shop. Kafkas is more famous for kestane şekeri (candied chestnuts), a Bursa speciality. But their cakes are not bad either. Here it is very common to take a cake like this when you are invited to someone's house for dinner.

Abandoned

2008-11-27T17:00:00.000+02:00

They made an area for sitting inside the cinema at the Korupark shopping centre, but I have never seen anyone sitting in it. The empty chairs look a bit lonely.

it doesn't seem that after the movies someone is sitting there and discussing about them....

Silk Road International Film Festival

2008-11-26T19:54:00.000+02:00

This weekend is the 'International silk road film' festival in Bursa. There will be screenings of films from different countries including Japan, Mexico, Bosnia, and even the USA :-)

I don't know if we will be able to go to any screenings because apparently it is difficult to get tickets, but we will be hanging around in the town to see if we can snap any celebrities!

Balibey Han

2008-11-25T14:35:00.000+02:00

A new han in the town centre which has recently been restored. Inside there are some shops and cafes. Above on the hill behond you can see part of the original old city walls.

British style phone boxes

2008-11-22T19:38:00.000+02:00

The famous red post box has made an appearance in Bursa as well. These are inside the Carrefour shopping centre on the Izmir road.

Ikea opens in Bursa

2008-11-21T22:49:00.000+02:00

The new Ikea which just opened in Bursa. It was quite strange seeing it here.

Watermelon Slim

2008-11-20T14:07:00.001+02:00

Another photo from last night's blues concert, this time of the imaginatively named Watermelon Slim.

Blues festival

2008-11-19T11:44:00.001+02:00

John Lee Hooker Jr playing at the Efes Pilsen Blues festival in Bursa Suare (pronounced soirée!). Bursa is near enough to Istanbul to benefit sometimes from musicians who play in Istanbul and tag an extra night onto their tour. It means they usually play on schoool nights though, because Istanbul gets them at the weekend.

Autumn colours

2008-11-18T10:48:00.000+02:00

Autumn colours are starting to show. This is one of many peach orchards on the fertile plains just outside Bursa.

We never milked a cow before

2008-11-17T14:30:00.000+02:00

"This is the publicity campaign of a turkish telephone operator....they have a campaign for the children in Turkey...They chose last summer some children who were studying in the big cities and took them to the east part of Turkey ...gave them a chance to pass their summer vacation in the villages...Also for the ones who were living in the villages and got use to the village life had the chance to see the big cities...

so the photo of the pub had taken in one of those eastern villages..you can see the children with the cow ...they are going to drink their first milk DIRECTLY from the producer:))) instead of buying from the city's big markets...

nice idea isn't it...."

Turkish style scaffolding

2008-11-16T17:56:00.000+02:00

As we mentioned before there is so much building going on in Bursa at the moment. I don't know anything about how this scaffolding compares with the metal sort used in some other places, but I think it looks nicer.

Iznik medresa

2008-11-13T09:15:00.000+02:00

"it is the peaceful part of one of the medresa in iznik(it is situated about 100km. to bursa,it was the capital of Byzantin Empire 1204-1261)..it is renovated of course..there are some doors inside ..these were once the classes for students who came here to study religion..nowadays they are shops selling pottery and you can have a nice cup of tea or coffee in front of the shops.."

Walls in the old city

2008-11-12T16:37:00.000+02:00

This wall is on the edge of the covered bazaar complex, facing onto Cumhuriyet (Republic) street. It seems like there used to be more of it, possibly it was removed to make room for the street.

relax..

2008-11-11T09:00:00.000+02:00

"relax during the daytime in front of this little cafe..the men on the right they are playing backgammon...nice game to pass time...in turkish it is called -tavla-...there are some shops around..probably the workers come to pass time and drink a fresh lemonade!!"

inside the market

2008-11-10T09:19:00.000+02:00

"this is the decoration of the ceilings in the covered market...there are some shops selling special things for the wedding party...actually it is before the wedding...the groom's family should buy to the bride and her family some presents..so the shops in that part of the market are specialized for this reason..."

Entrance to Ulu Cami

2008-11-09T21:15:00.000+02:00

"the second entrance of the big mosque(Ulu Camii)...you have to leave your shoes outside the mosque ...it is forbidden to walk with shoes inside ..there is a huge carpet on the floor...before everybody was leavng them outside,nowadays they are giving plastic bags to put the shoes in because they might be taken(stole) by somebody..."

Back soon

2008-11-08T22:40:00.000+02:00

I snapped the postman's bike while he was off delivering letters. Looks like the postal service is modernising with these new scooters.

Underground fountain

2008-11-07T09:10:00.000+02:00

"this historical fountain is very inside of the bazaar...the covered market in Bursa has got so many little roads inside..you walk through one of these and you can come to this old fountain made of marble...you can drink clean water from the mount of Uludag.."

Shoes for sale

2008-11-06T14:00:00.000+02:00

"COME COME TO BUY THE CHEAPEST SHOESSSSSS:: the man was yelling...these are colourful summer shoes for women...the are selling them near the road...if somebody likes and wants to get one please send us a message we will ship you.....hahaha"

Devlet Tiyatrosu

2008-11-05T19:10:00.000+02:00

"this is Bursa's main government theatre..they have given one of the famous turkish poet's name..the season has just opened.... "

Religious Books

2008-11-04T19:10:00.000+02:00

"In the entrance of the bazaar near to the main Ulu Camii there are some religious book sellers...the ones on the top are Kur'an ..the other ones' are little prayers for daily life.."

Fried sweets

2008-11-03T15:00:00.000+02:00

"these are fried sweets ...they are natural bombs for energy...it has a taste similar to churros (spanish sweet)...i think it is origin is coming from syria but i am not sure...it is very very sweet indeed...it can warm you up quickly in a cold winter day...yum yum.."

Egg shop

2008-11-02T21:31:00.000+02:00

So many eggs for one little shop!

Ikea comes to Bursa

2008-10-31T20:02:00.001+02:00

This post is for anyone who thought Bursa was not on the international map... that's right Bursa IKEA will be opening soon! Bursa has been flooded with advertisements like this one for the grand opening on 13th November. The caption says 'Uludağ (mountain) is in Bursa, and a mountain-like bookcase is in one box'

We are also very pleased to add Elaine of Willits Daily Photo as a new author on BDP. Elaine has kindly offered to help us with potential logistical difficulties over the next weeks (or months, if it goes anything like the Wordpress ban)

Pideli Köfte

2008-10-30T08:53:00.000+02:00

Apologies to vegetarians for this post...

When we sat down in the restaurant they asked if we would like one or one and a half portions. This is the small version!

The dish is a bit like the famous Bursa kebab - cubes of pide bread with tomatoe sauce eaten with yogurt on the side. However instead of sliced lamb as in the Iskender kebab, it is topped with meatballs (köfte). Yum!

last summer sun..

2008-10-28T18:15:00.001+02:00

"come along to drink a glass of tea in the last sun of the summer...which they call here "the summer of pastirma" ...pastirma is a kind of dry meat..and definitely Lamia i mean me should learn why Turkish people use that term. so keep watching later you will find the answer coming soon..."

Diving Suit anyone?

2008-10-26T19:49:00.001+02:00

One of the more specialist shops founds in the centre of Bursa. I think you can buy everything here, if you know where to go!

Blocked

2008-10-24T22:44:00.001+03:00

A lot of renovation work is going on in the town centre at the moment. This is one of the houses that have been restored.

Blogger and all blogspot blogs have been blocked in Turkey from this afternoon, so please bear with me if posting is a bit erratic until it comes back - it's not very easy to get into the site at the moment.

Flying Saucer?

2008-10-23T21:14:00.000+03:00

here's another shot of the spaceage Korupark, this time from above.

Korupark

2008-10-21T21:54:00.000+03:00

Korupark is one of two large shopping malls to open in Bursa over the last year, and has become a favourite weekend activity for a lot of people. Inside are international chains as well as Turkish shops. It's not bad as shopping centres go, but the town centre is more atmospheric.

Autumn Leaves

2008-10-20T21:00:00.000+03:00

The leaves are starting to turn autumnal these days. I like these colourful red ones.

Olive Groves

2008-10-19T18:53:00.000+03:00

Outside Bursa towards a small town called Gemlik are olive groves which produce olives and olive oil for consumption all over Turkey. By the side of the road around Gemlik there are shops selling delicious olive oil, soaps and other olive oil products.

Getting ready for Christmas

2008-10-18T20:01:00.000+03:00

Now that seker bayrami (the holiday at the end of Ramadan) is finished, the shops are already looking forward to Christmas. Christmas is not a holiday here, but there are still Christmassy things in the shops and the odd tree.
There are a few Christmas designs among these colourful slippers.

Fresh from the oven

2008-09-29T23:55:00.000+03:00

Hard at work baking bread in time for iftar.

This will be my last post for a few days as for the rest of this week we are celebrating Eid.

New motorway

2008-09-28T22:29:00.000+03:00

This was taken on the new motorway that runs around the top of Bursa. At the moment it doesn't go anywhere else, but they are working to extend it and hopefully at some point it will connect with Istanbul and Izmir. It would certainly shorten the journey times to have a good road.

You can probably tell from the photo, we are having a lot of rain at the moment!

Popcorn

2008-09-27T23:42:00.000+03:00

I had never seen a popcorn machine like this before, although I'm sure they are common in other places. The metal pan is making the popcorn and when it is ready the lids at the top open and the popcorn jumps out.

Dolmus

2008-09-25T20:55:00.001+03:00

The dolmus is a very convenient way of getting around. It is a type of shared taxi which runs on a set route (the sign on top of the car says what route it does). You pay a set fare generally, but you can get in and out wherever you want by asking the driver. The fares are comparable with the bus and they are very frequent so it works very well.

Bursa plain

2008-09-24T22:14:00.000+03:00

This photo was taken looking across the plain from Çekirge. A lot of new development is taking place in the far distance of this photo, but there is still some green left in the middle for now at least.

Evening Sun

2008-09-23T21:41:00.000+03:00

A very normal street, but I liked the way the evening sun is shining through the tree.

Kaplama

2008-09-22T23:13:00.000+03:00

Kaplama means 'covering' and this cart offers plastic covering of documents, for instance a driving license.

Flag

2008-09-21T23:44:00.000+03:00

A modern take on the ubiquitous Turkish flag - it is made out of some shiny shimmering material and was quite impressive reflecting the evening sun.

Queueing for Pide

2008-09-20T18:58:00.000+03:00

During Ramadan the bakeries don't sell much during the day, but around 6pm they start to sell Ramadan Pide. Here people are queueing to get theirs fresh from the oven ready for the end of the fast.

Autumn Sky

2008-09-18T19:49:00.000+03:00

Today for the first time the weather is starting to feel autumnal. The temperature has dropped around 10 degrees (C) in the last 3 days. As you can see from these clouds, there is rain as well.