sukru.sarac

The galata tower was built in1384it was the highpoint in the city walls of the

Genoese colony called Galata

During the first centuries of Ottoman era the Galata tower was occupied by a

detachment of Janissaries, the elite corps of the Turkish Army. In the sisteenth

century the tower was used to house prisoners of war, who were usualy consigned

as galley slaves in the ottoman arsenal at Kasimpasa on the golden horn.

During the reign of Selim 2nd (1566-1574) the Galata Tower was used as an

observation point by the renowed Turkish astronomer Takiuddin, who had his main

observatory in Pera. In the following century, during the reign of Mustafa 2nd (1695 -

1703) the seyhulislam Feyzulah efendi tried to set up an astronomical observatory in

the tower with with the aid of a Jesuit priest, but the effort was cut short when he

was killed in 1703.

The Galata Tower was reconstructed on a number of occasions in the Ottoman

period, most notably, after a great fire that destroyed much of Galata in 1794 (during

the reign of Selim III) and by Mahmut II in 1832. the tower's conical cap was blown

off during a storm in 1875, and it was not replaced in the subsequent restoration.

The tower was used as a fire- control station until 1964, when it was closed for

restoratiom before being opened in 1967 as a tourist attraction. The conical cap was

replaced in this restoration, giving the tower much the same appearance as it had in

Genoese times, though retaining the changes in fenestration and other structual

aspects done in the Ottoman period.

Agva is known by its green nature, miracle rivers, deep blue sea, fresh

air and different kind of fish. This is what comes in mind briefly.

Cumalıkızık Village is located in 10 kilometers west of the Bursa, at the foot of the Mt. Uludağ. Its history goes back to the Ottoman Empire's foundation period. The village is within the border of the Yıldırım county.

Cumalıkızık was founded by a waqf village. The historical textures have been well protected and the civilian countryside architectural structures of the early Ottoman period have been successful at remaining undamaged until today. Because of this characteristic, the Cumalıkızık has been the center of the population that is the most attractive to the people and a frequently visited place.

The villages are placed close together between the foot of Mt.Uludağ and the valleys have been called kızık - In Turkish; The name stands for one of the twenty-four clan of the Oghuz Turksand the people from other villages also called kızık such like Değirmenlikızık, Derekızık, Hamamlıkızık called the village Cumalıkızık, because they had been gathering for ritual of worship on Fridays in this village. In Turkish Friday means cuma.

In the village's square, there is a museum called Cumalıkızık ethnography museum where the historical objects belongs to the village has been exhibited. In the village, raspberry festival is held on Junes. and The famous Cumalıkızık houses has been made out of wood, adobes, rubblestones. Most of them are triplex houses. The windows upstairs are generally latticed and with a bay window. The handles and knockers on the main entry doors are made out of wrought iron. Also there are very narrow streets having cobblestone and without having sidewalk. The mosque, the fountain of 'Zekiye Hatun' next to the mosque and the bath with one dome is an inheritance to the village from the Ottoman Empire. Also there is a ruin of a church built by Byzantines.

In Cumalıkızık, there are totally 270 historical houses in the village. Some of these houses are in process of restoration and maintenance. 180 of them are still being used as dwellings.

In 1969, the remains of a Byzantine church were unearthed in the southeast of the village at the foothills of Mt. Uludağ. Some architectural works are on display in the Archeological Museum of Bursa. There are also a lot of movies that have often been recorded in the village about historical themes.