The weather may be unseasonably mild, but that’s no reason not to be able to head out to the ski slopes in search of snow. If you live in İstanbul, things could hardly be easier.



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Turkey’s most sophisticated winter sports resort is but a skip and a jump away at Uludağ (Great Mountain) on the outskirts of Bursa, where snow can be guaranteed regardless of how warm it may be elsewhere.

At 2,453 meters, Uludağ is the highest point of a national park that is actually at its most beautiful in spring and autumn, the times of year when heavy mists are least likely to descend without warning. But of course most visitors tend to come here in winter to take advantage of the 10 ski slopes and the many hotels that provide the après-ski fun. Most of them cater to the better-heeled part of the market; to save money you may need to put up in Bursa itself and travel to the slopes on a daily basis, taking advantage of the cable car that whisks visitors up to the snowline.

Uludağ has several things in its favor beyond the quality of the snow. In the first place, it’s easier to get to than most of Turkey’s other ski resorts. From İstanbul, for example, you need only hop on the İDO ferry from Yenikapı to Güzelyalı, and then transit Bursa to reach the slopes. Secondly, Uludağ makes a good choice for groups that include non-skiers because they will be able to find more than enough to amuse them in Bursa itself.

These days Bursa is a fast-growing industrial town with flourishing textile and automobile industries. However, beyond the initially off-putting modern development there lurk many reminders of the days when it was the first Ottoman capital, and a town that the later sultans tended to look on with a favorable eye. For those with an interest in Ottoman history, the first place to start exploring is Timurtaş Paşa Parkı, the ridge of land high up above the main road that rips through the town center. It’s here that you will be able to inspect the tombs of Osman and Orhan, the father and son who started the Ottomans on their path to supremacy in the 13th and 14th centuries. The original tombs fell victim to a 19th-century earthquake; what you see today are the replacements ordered by Sultan Abdülaziz (r. 1861-76), who could not have known at the time that he would one of the last half-dozen men to govern the empire.

The city walls that used to surround the tombs have long since disappeared, although sections still survive in nearby Tophane and have recently been restored to form the centerpiece of an increasingly trendy part of town. Buses from Tophane trundle out to the suburb called Çekirge (“Grasshopper”), which is best known for its many thermal baths. You can try the waters at the Eski Kaplıca (“Old Hot Spring”) or its rival the Yeni Kaplıca (“New Hot Spring”), which actually dates back to the 16th century. Better still, book into one of the many thermal hotels which offer either mineral water in the bathrooms or access to private hamams. Most impressive is the Hotel Çelik Palas, whose beautiful bathing facilities come courtesy of Atatürk, who built a private home right next door.

The baths are great places to chill out after a long day on the ski slopes, but there are plenty of other corners of Bursa that repay exploration, too. If you love bazaars but find the full-on attentions of some of the shopkeepers at the Kapalı Çarşı (Covered Bazaar) in İstanbul a bit hard to take, then Bursa’s partially covered bazaar will come as a welcome surprise. For visitors, the main items to look out for are the lovely fluffy bathrobes (bornoz) and towels for which Bursa is famous. Alternatively, you may want to track down the Aynalı Çarşı (Mirrored Market), a good place to shop for Karagöz shadow puppets inside what was once a 14th-century bathhouse.

The bazaar spreads out from behind the austere late 14th-century Ulu Cami, which stands right beside the main road. Just a little way to the east is the Koza Han, where merchants used to come to sell silkworms. It’s still a great place to shop for a silk scarf, or, if shopping’s not your thing, just to have tea in the shade of some of Bursa’s venerable plane trees.

Within walking distance of the Koza Han, behind the statue in Heykel of Atatürk that is an important landmark, is the City Museum, where you can find out about the Ottoman emperors and about some of the picturesque local trades that no longer exist. A bit further away is the Tofat Museum of Anatolian Carriages, a fine collection of all things mobile housed inside an old silk factory. It’s the perfect place to bring older children who are desperate for distraction after overdosing on all the history.

Bursa’s other sites are more spread out although an efficient network of dolmutes will get you to most of them in no time at all. Best known is the Yeşil Türbe, the so-called “green” but actually blue-tiled tomb of Sultan Mehmet I (r. 1413-21), which stands right beside the Yeşil Cami, a mosque that marked a step change in Turkish mosque architecture away from Persian prototypes. This is an especially pleasant area to wander around, with panoramic views back over the city and a number of fine old wooden houses.

It’s also well worth seeking out the Muradiye area, which centers on the fine Muradiye complex, a collection of 12 tombs gathered in a box-scented garden behind the early 15th-century Sultan II. Murat Cami. Most of the tombs house the remains of crown princes who fell victim to a system of inheritance that left the succession up to the strongest son rather than the first-born; the results were inevitably bloody as relatives turned on each other to ensure their own supremacy. Nearby are a couple more small museums that may or may not be open: The Ottoman House Museum offers the chance to see what a typical home might have looked like in the 19th century, while the Hüsnü Züber Evi contains some interesting collections, including a set of wooden spoons whose delicacy will cast all those you’ll see on sale today into the shade.

True ski enthusiasts will want to stay on Uludağ to make the most of the snow. Otherwise, there are a wide variety of hotels in Bursa itself, with something to suit all budgets. If you’re up for a splash-out, the Authentique Club in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens in Soğanlı is likely to be one of the quietest options in a big city. It’s also close to a branch of Kebapçı İskender where you can sample the İskender kebab that was supposedly invented in Bursa. Otherwise, the Safran Hotel mimics the old wooden houses and is close to Tophane and the Kitabevi, a stylish bookshop-cum-restaurant with great views. It’s also handy for Sakarya Caddesi, the Bursa take on İstanbul’s famous Nevizade street of meyhanes (taverns).

WHERE TO STAY:

Authentique Club, Bursa. Tel: 0224 211 3280

Beceren Otel, Uludağ. Tel: 0224 285 2111

Grand Yazıcı Hotel, Uludağ. Tel: 0224-285 2050

Hotel Çe?meli, Bursa. Tel: 0224 224 1511

Hotel Çelik Palas, Bursa. Tel: 0224 233 3800

Kervansaray, Uludağ. Tel: 0224 285 2187

Montebaia Hotel, Uludağ. Tel: 0224 285 2383

Safran Hotel, Bursa. Tel: 0224-224 7216

HOW TO GET THERE:

Catch an İDO ferry from İstanbul to Bursa (www.ido.com.tr)

and then take a local bus from Heykel to the foot of the cable car on Uludağ.




15 February 2009, Sunday


PAT YALE BURSA