n.
formerly Brusa ancient Prusa
City (pop., 1997: 1,066,559), northwestern Turkey.
It was founded in the 3rd century BC, at the foot of the Mysian Mount Olympus near the southeastern shore of the Sea of Marmara , as the seat of the kings of Bithynia . It flourished under the Romans (see Roman Republic and Empire ) and later under the Byzantine Empire . After Crusaders conquered Constantinople (modern Istanbul ) in 1204, it was a seat of Byzantine resistance. The Ottoman Empire took it in the early 14th century and made it their first great capital. Conquered by Timur in the early 15th century, it was later recovered by the Ottomans. Though the Ottoman capital was later moved to Constantinople, Bursa continued to prosper. Under the Republic of Turkey, it is a centre for agriculture and is noted for its carpets and many 15th-century mosques.