Cumalıkızık

Where it is & how to get there

• From Bursa: About 10 km east of the centre: taxi in 20 minutes, or bus 22 from the city.
• Tours: Bursa day tours from Istanbul often include the village.
• On foot: The village is small and best explored on foot.

The story of Cumalıkızık

Cumalıkızık was founded around 1300, in the earliest days of the Ottoman state, as one of the villages that supported the new capital at Bursa. Its name comes from the Friday prayers ("Cuma") held here and the Kızık tribe.

Its houses, built of wood, stone and adobe with overhanging upper floors, are painted in purple, yellow and green. Together with Bursa, the village was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2014 as the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Have a village breakfast in one of the houses.
• Have a traditional village breakfast in one of the garden cafés.
• Buy homemade jams and raspberries from the villagers' stalls.

What's around Cumalıkızık

• UludağThe mountain above the village, with cable car access from Bursa.
• Bursa Grand Mosque20 minutes back to the city.
• Emir Sultan MosqueA historic mosque on the way to the village.
• Green MosqueTurquoise-tiled mosque in Bursa.

Questions travellers ask