BROUSSA, Brussa, or Brusa, in Turkish Bursa, a city of Asiatic Turkey, in the province of Anatolia, and capital of the sanjak of Khodavendkiar, is situated in a fertile valley, at the northern foot of Mount Olympus or Keshislι Dagh, 57 miles S.S.E. of Constantinople. Its streets are narrow and dark, and its houses are for the most part built of wood; but its numerous minarets give it a magnificent appearance from a distance, and the rich variety of colouring that everywhere meets the eye has a very striking effect. It is abundantly supplied with water, which flows down the middle of many of the streets, and rises every here and there in beautiful fountains. On the top of a rock in the heart of the town stands the ancient citadel, the walls of which date from thel3th century, and are of Greek construction; and on the west side is the Byzantine church of Elijah, which is now known as the Daud Monasteri mosque, and contains the tomb of Orkhan. The most important of the other mosques, the number of which is said to be upwards of 600, are Oglú Jami, or the mosque of the three sultans; tlιe Yeshil Jami, or the green mosque; and Ghazi Unkiαr Jami, or the mosque of the conqueror. There are also in the town three Greek churches, one Armenian, and several synagogues. Many of its colleges, bazaars, and caravanserais are buildings of considerable importance, and bear comparison with those of Constantinople. Broussa is the seat of a provincial governor, of a mollah or judge, who ranks as third in the kingdom, and of a mufti or spiritual chief. The Greeks and Armenians have each an archbishop in the town. As a commercial city Broussa ranks with the most flourishing in the empire. The town of Gemlik at the head of Mudani Bay, from which it is about 20 miles distant, serves as its ...port. It manufactures carpets, tapestry, and various kinds of silk goods, the material for the latter being obtained from the mulberry-plantations of the neighbourhood. In 1862 there were nc fewer than sixty silk factories belonging to Italians, Frenchmen, and Germans. About a mile and a half from the town are the famous baths of Broussa, which are fed bj several mineral springs varying in temperature up to 184°. and from a hill in the vicinity is obtained a good supplj of meerschaum clay. The population of Broussa is various!) estimated,—by Mostrás (Diet. Geog. de VEmpire Ottoman. 1873) in 1863 at 70,000, by Dr C. Sandreczki in 1844 a1 60,000, and bv Consul Sax at 40,000.
Broussa, the Prusa of the classical writers, founded, it is said, at the suggestion of Hannibal, was for a long time the seat of the Bithynian kings. It continued to flourish under the Roman and Byzantine emperors till the 10th century, when it was captured and destroyed by Seif-ed-daulet of Aleppo. Restored by the Byzantines, it was again taken in 1327 by the Ottomans after a siege of ten years, and continued to be their capital till Amurath I. removed to Adrianople. In 1402 it was pillaged by the Tatars; in 1413 it resisted an attack of the Karamanians; in 1512 it fell into the power of Ala Eddin; and in 1607 it was burnt by the rebellious Kalenderogli. In 1833 it was seized by Ibrahim Pasha, and from 1852-55 afforded an asylum to Abd-el-Kader. In modern times it has suffered several times from earthquake and conflagration, especially in 1855.
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