Bursa Ulu Camii

Ulu Camii is the largest mosque in Bursa and displays the original Ottoman architecture. It was built by Ali NECC between 1396 and 1399 following the orders of Sultan Bayezid I. It is a rectangular building with twenty domes distributed in four rows with five each fastened by twelve columns. It is twenty domes instead of the twenty independent mosques that the sultan promised to build to win the Battle of Nicopolis. It has two minarets. In the interior, there are 192 monumental inscriptions on the walls written by famous calligraphers. There are also a source (şadırvan) inside the mosque where the faithful practice abdesto before prayers, the dome that rises above the şadırvan is crowned with a skylight. Architecturally, the source reflects light and helps illuminate the interior of the mosque.

The interior space is designed to create a quiet and contemplative. Subdivisions formed by the different columns and domes create a feeling of privacy and intimacy. This environment contrasts with the later Ottoman mosques (see, for example, works of Sinan, chief architect of Solimán the Magnificent), which had very high central dome that emphasized verticality aspect as to convey the overwhelming power of the Ottoman Empire.