Mausoleum of Orhan Gazi

This structure, which shelters the tomb of Ottoman Sultan Orhan Gazi (1281-1362), who conquered Bursa in 1326, was built where the church of St. Elias Monastery, known to have been existing in this place in the 11th century . There are some mosaics, remains of the Byzantine period, traces of which are still found today in this mausoleum’s flooring, proving the existence of this church. This structure was completely destroyed in the 1855 earthquake, and re-built by Sultan Abdulaziz in 1863.

The mausoleum of Orhan Gazi being built on its old location has a square plan. The dome inside this mausoleum, the pendentives, and the window pediments are decorated with hand-drawn, Turkish Baroque ornaments according to the 19th century’s decorative style. The capitals, too, reflect the art style of this period. The curtains made of Hereke fabric give its interior the air of a palace.

There are 20 sarcophagi inside this mausoleum. The sarcophagus of Orhan Gazi is situated in the centre of the mausoleum, on a marble base, and surrounded by a lattice made of cast brass. Inside this mausoleum, there furthermore are the sarcophagi of Nilufer Hatun, the wife of Orhan Gazi, of Shehzade Kasım, the son of Orhan Gazi, of Fatma Sultan, the daughter of Yıldırım Bayezid, of Abdullah, the son of Cem Sultan, as well as of Shehzade Korkut, the son of Bayezid II. The names of those persons buried in the other sarcophagi are unknown.

This mausoleum was renovated in 1801, 1863, and in 2009.