Emirhan

Emirhan is an inn built right beside the Grand Mosque of Bursa. Back then, the Grand Mosque of Bursa was considered to be one of the most important mosques in the Muslim world. Usually, the faithful would be going to these mosques for pilgrimages and thus rose a demand for places to stay in the area. The Emirhan caters to these people as it is an inn as well as a market. Really, not unlike the hotels we have today. Emirhan is a two story building with a courtyard in the center. The rooms would have been surrounding the courtyard and the upper level would have been a nice place to just observe day to day life here.

There are no inns here at Emirhan anymore. They have all been replaced by some souvenir shops and coffee shops. It feels nice to be hanging around at the courtyard with all the trees covering most of the square. At the center of courtyard is an ablution fountain for people who want to cleanse themselves before proceeding to the Grand Mosque. I thought it was interesting to see this fountain here since the mosques would usually have their own fountains for people to use. The fountain can still be used for cleansing but personally, I think it would be a bit strange to be having coffee and at the same time have people cleansing themselves just a few feet away from you.

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