Gable-Walled Mosques in Bursa and Front Facade Arragements of this Mosques

The gable-walled mosques known as peculiar to Bursa in the Ottoman architecture look quite similar in terms of planning, the materials used, craftsmanship and front arrangement. However, the most striking aspect of these mosques is undoubtedly their entrance frontage. The front walls of these three-arch span mosques were built in a way to exceed the height of their main walls and in this respect, they were meant to appear like crown gates available in the Seljuk architecture. The majority of the 36 gable-walled mosques detected in Bursa were built as neighbourhood masjid during the 15th century. All these constructions that were later turned into mosques have alternating walls. The related mosques which also make a difference with their front-side brick decorations were shaped under the influence of the Middle Asian, Seljuk and Ottoman states, became popular in Bursa in the 15th century and even served as a model for other architectural structures. Yet, these mosques lost their effect in Bursa during the 16th century and were not preferred again