Büyük Cami, Bolu

Overview

In the center of Bolu, two minarets rise over a single dome. For the museum, the old town and lunch, join our Bolu city and food tour. This is the Büyük Cami, the Great Mosque, also called the Yıldırım Bayezid Mosque after its founder.

The Story of the Büyük Cami

Yıldırım Bayezid built the mosque in the late 14th century; its date is given as 1382 or 1391. In 1899, a fire destroyed the building. However, the people of Bolu rebuilt it on the same site, with twin minarets and a single dome.

Two Mosques of Yıldırım Bayezid

Bayezid left his mark on Bolu twice. First, as a prince, he built the Yıldırım Bayezid Mosque in Mudurnu, dated 1382, with one of the first large Ottoman domes. In Bolu itself, he built this mosque and a bath, so the town’s Great Mosque carries his name too. Its founding date is given as 1382 or 1391. However, the building you see today is the one the people of Bolu raised after the fire of 1899.

So a visit to both mosques shows two stages of the same story: the early dome in Mudurnu and the rebuilt city mosque with its twin minarets.

A Walk Through Central Bolu

From the mosque, walk to the Bolu Museum, which opened in 1981 on the ground floor of the Culture Center. Then continue to the Tabaklar Hamamı, an old double bath of the tanners’ quarter. Also, Bolu is known for its cooks, above all those from Mengen, so stop for Bolu etli mantı or a bowl of Bolu potato soup. For souvenirs, look for Bolu keşi and Bolu kızılcık tarhanası, a soup mix with cornelian cherry, both registered local products.

So Bolu makes a good base for nature, too. About 65 percent of the province is forest, and it holds some 200 lakes and ponds. Then, from the center, drive up to Gölcük, or go farther to Lake Abant and Yedigöller. Also, travelers have come this way for a long time: Ibn Battuta passed through Bolu between 1330 and 1340. So start or end your walk here, because the museum, the bath and the mosque lie within a few minutes of each other.

How to Visit the Büyük Cami

The mosque stands in the Büyükcami neighbourhood of central Bolu. It is a working mosque, so visit outside prayer times. Nearby, see the Bolu Museum. A few minutes away stands the old Tabaklar Hamamı.

Would you like to see Bolu with a local guide? Our Bolu city tour walks from the Büyük Cami to the Tabaklar bath and a cooks’ lunch; the lakes and old towns are in our Bolu guide.