Influence of Early Ottoman Urban Pattern in Bursa on the Balkan Cities: Skopje Case

Abstract

Bursa, as the first capital of Ottoman State, is a peculiar Anatolian city representing unique urban development of Early Ottoman Era. Various studies have depicted that there was an established Ottoman model for the development of new towns and agreed that the Early Ottoman urban pattern beginning with Bursa influenced the development of Balkan cities that were conquered during the 14th century. This study focuses on the effects of urban development idea of Early Ottoman State on Bursa and Skopje. Skopje is one of the Balkan cities conquered by Ottomans following Bursa. The city of Skopje, displayed similar characteristics with Bursa in terms of its topography and urban pattern. Although their development differed after the Ottoman sovereignty ended, their early development displayed some similarities. The settlement pattern, during Early Ottoman Era, can be characterized with an existing citadel, a bazaar and neighborhoods called ‘mahalle’. These neighborhoods were developed around a nucleus composed of religious, commercial, social and cultural buildings called ‘kulliye’. Within the scope of this study, the similar urban pattern of Bursa as the first Ottoman capital and Skopje, as one of the earliest Balkan cities conquered by Ottomans is analyzed. There are various studies focusing on Early Ottoman urban pattern in Bursa and Skopje separately. However, the similarities of the development of these two cities are rarely studied. Therefore, this study aims to depict these similarities and the effect of Early Ottoman urban pattern on these two cities.