Cumalikizik is a village that has preserved the texture of residential Ottoman architecture until the present time. These historic houses are now protected.
History
Cumalıkızık was one of the first places settled by the Ottomans when they moved into Bursa. 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.
Climate
Summers are hot and dry and winters are mild and rainy.
Cumalıkızık Houses
Generally Cumalıkızık houses have three storeys; relatives are used to share these houses together in total cooperation and harmony. This village has 270 houses, 180 of which are still in use.
The privacy of the families was the primary concern during the construction of these houses. The ground floor, courtyard and the first floors of these houses were built by rubble and wooden walls in total accordance with the flooring of the street. The framework of the upper floor is filled with half-timbered wall and covered with tiles in the Ottoman style. It is not possible to see the inside of the house from outside. Upper floors are decorated with bay windows. Two types of layout generally are observed for Cumalıkızık houses. One of these is the exterior courtyard surrounded by a high wall built by rubbles. Passing through this courtyard, one will encounter the entrance door,which prevents direct connection to the street.
However there is no courtyard in the second type of these houses. Living section of the house is directly available through the street door. The outside wall is strengthened with a horizantial beam embedded to it and there is also lightning and ventilation. The living area enables accesibility to the inner courtyard, stable, storages and stairs.The entrance door of the house is opened to both directions. These wings of the door generally made of walnut tree are attached by wrought iron braces and nails with large knobs.Door handles and knockers are also of wrought iron. The construction of the doors serve for the purpose of easiness while carrying the products and vehicles of agriculture inside.
The living section is accessible from the outer courtyard or directly from the street surrounded by wooden columns on which the upper floor is perched on. The ground is paved with flat and wide stones.Living section is the most widely used part of the Cumalıkızık houses. The productions which are reaped are temporarily stored, seperated and arranged there. Chestnuts are shelled there. Wedding ceremonies are arranged there. Also the supplies of the heat are carrefully stowed there. If the living section is higher than normal, a mezzanine will be constructed to store and keep the materials for a long time here.
At the ground floor, where most of the houseworks are carried out, there are depots, kitchen, lavatory, stable, hut and stove. The first floor with a lower height is where the households reside during the winter months. Bedrooms, siting rooms, baths and stoves are there.
The second floor is used during the sumer months. Along the hall, there are rooms, eyvan( a vaulted room with one side open to the court), doorsteps and sofas. The main room is the most carefully arranged room on the upper floor. The flooring of the house is made by using beams and veneers nailed on them.
Heating of the houses are provided by stoves.
The roofs with two or four inclinations are covered by tiles in the Ottoman/ Turkish style.
How to Get
By Road
This village can be reached by following the Ankara highway east from Bursa for 10 km and then continuing 3 km south toward the slopes of Uludağ. The city buses and minibuses leaving from the central bus station in Bursa arrive in Cumalıkızık in about half an hour.
Don't Leave Without
Visiting Cumalıkızık houses.
