We travelled to Türkiye in November to participate in a global conference of 50Hz. power plant owners and operators, with attendees from 23 countries. We spent our time in the beautiful, historic city of Bursa, on the opposite side of the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul.  It was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire in 1326 but does not get many international tourists — which was a good thing at that time of unsettling events not far away. We went two weeks without seeing another American.

We spent the first part of our visit working with friends from many countries. Click on any image below to view a slideshow of full-size images.

And then we spent some quality time exploring the history and culture of Bursa, which had been an important city in the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire before it became the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. It was on the ancient Silk Road from China across Central Asia to Europe, and already by the mid-6th century Bursa was known as a famous silk textile manufacturing center. Click on any image below to view a slideshow of full-size images.