Bilecik

Marmara, Turkey 4 tours visit here

Bilecik is a small provincial capital in the inland southeast of Turkey's Marmara region, set in hilly country on the historic road between Bursa and Eskişehir. It matters far beyond its size: this was among the first territories taken by Osman I in the late 13th century, and the province is counted as one of the birthplaces of the Ottoman state. The focus of a visit is the hillside tomb complex of Şeyh Edebali, the dervish sheikh who was Osman's spiritual guide and father-in-law, with a terrace looking out over the valley below. Nearby stand an early Ottoman mosque attributed to Orhan Gazi and the old citadel quarter. Elsewhere in the province, the town of Söğüt holds the tomb of Osman's father, Ertuğrul Gazi, where commemoration ceremonies are held each year. Bilecik is usually visited as part of an Ottoman heritage route rather than on its own, often paired with Söğüt and with Bursa. The main monuments take roughly half a day, mostly on foot but over steep ground. The climate is continental rather than coastal, with hot summers and cold winters, so spring and autumn are the easier seasons. The town is also a stop on the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed rail line.