The anniversary of the conquest of Bursa by Orhan Gazi 698 years ago was celebrated with ceremonies. Bursa Governor Mahmut Demirtaş, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey, Osmangazi Mayor Erkan Aydın, headmen, civil and military officials and citizens attended the ceremonies held at Fetih Kapı. After the Mehter band and the sword and shield teams took their place at the gate walls of Conquest, the ceremonies started with the reading of the National Anthem and the Conquest sala. Uludağ University Faculty of Science and Letters Lecturer Dr. Yusuf Ziya Karaslan talked about what happened during the conquest and the development process of the city.
Speaking at the ceremony, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey emphasized that with the conquest of Bursa, Orhangazi conquered the hearts of the people living in Bursa. Stating that an important door was opened for the Ottoman Empire with the conquest of Bursa, Mayor Bozbey said, “This is the 698th anniversary of the conquest of our beautiful Bursa, every corner of which smells of history. We are endlessly grateful to those who made us feel this pride. With the conquest of Bursa, the most important route of the Silk Road, the Ottoman Empire began to make significant progress in the commercial field. With this conquest, a great door was opened within the Ottoman Empire. While Orhan Bey conquered Bursa, he also conquered the hearts of the people living in this city. The conquest was permanent because they embraced every person. Bursa became the exemplary capital of the Ottoman Empire. "We will always work by keeping in mind this special place of Bursa, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire," he said.
“THIS ANCIENT CITY IS ENSURED TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF BURSA”
Stating that Bursa is a special city with its own identity, Mayor Mustafa Bozbey continued his speech as follows: “Our Bursa is a very special city with its existence, style, culture and people. It has an important place in Turkish and Islamic civilization. The conquest of Bursa is a success achieved with perseverance, faith and determination. The great achievements in our history also shed light on our path. We worked tirelessly until we achieved our goal for this city, we achieved what was said to be impossible by working, believing. I would like to remember with mercy and gratitude Osman Gazi, Orhan Gazi and their glorious army who inherited this magnificent city to us. I also remember with gratitude Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who protected the conquest of Bursa and its legacy and saved this city from the invaders. This ancient city is entrusted to all the people of Bursa. Together, we will keep the legacy of Orhangazi and Atatürk alive forever. We will protect this trust. The courage of those who conquered this city to demand the impossible will guide us. We will use our courage to elevate Bursa and make it a world city.
The ceremonies at Fetih Kapı were completed with the reading of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar's poem 'Time in Bursa' by Gazi Anatolian High School 11th grade student Yiğit Soykök, the mehter marches and the performance of the sword and shield team.
Mayor Bozbey and protocol members then watched the guard change in front of the Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi tombs in Tophane. After the prayer made by Deputy Provincial Mufti Faruk Güneş, the tombs of Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi were visited.
Conquest ceremonies ended with activities in Balabanbey Castle.
