First Ottoman mint to be renovated

BURSA - Doğan News Agency

The restoration of the ruined royal mint will be completed by October. AA photo

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality has started work to restore the royal mint where the first coin of the Ottoman Empire was printed in the 1300s during the reign of Orhan Gazi.

“We are very happy to present another historical trace that was the first of the Ottomans in Bursa,” said Mayor Recep Altepe following a visit to the historical mint before the beginning of the restoration work.

“Bursa is very special in term of having the first marketplace, Turkish bath, hospital, public house and dervish lodge in the Ottoman era. This mint is another example of historical heritage found in Bursa in which the first money of the Ottomans was minted,” the mayor said.

The mint had been allowed to fall into ruin due to neglect over the years, necessitating the restoration process.

A culture center

“The nationalization of the building has been completed and, after a great effort, the royal mint building on Maksem Street is now in the possession of the municipality,” he said.

“The building has a great importance in terms of the identity of the town,” he said, adding the time had now come to launch the renovation work. “We aim to complete the renovation by October and make the building as it was in its original.”

The building is slated to become a center for the hosting of social and cultural activities, although there will be a section displaying money that has been minted since the Ottoman era.

Aziz Elbas, the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality historical and cultural heritage projects coordinator, also visited the site along with Altepe.