Bursa is the fifth largest city in Turkey and one of its economic engines. Textiles are huge here, as are other industries. And while the focus of this tour is on culture and not business/trade, I do have a few statistics to share (given off the cuff by our guide, so consider this is a small margin of error). Unemployment in Turkey ranges from 13 to 20 percent. The average income is less than $5000 per year. A three bedroom apartment will cost you about $200,000 to buy in Bursa (and even more in Istanbul), but most people cannot buy because the lending market – very new to the country – charges 1.4 percent interest per month (yes, per month) for a maximum of 20 years. About 8 percent of the country’s profit goes to 3 percent of the people. So how do people make it? They barely do, and they have to work other jobs – selling in the market, for example – to make up their losses.

Let’s talk silk. Bursa is located at a strategic crossroads along the old Silk Road so, following a morning visit to a few mosques and tombs, we of course had to visit the silk market. Here you can find everything from machine-made, no-stitch-of-silk-in-it items to hand-stitched wool and silk scarves and clothing that are absolutely beautiful and represent hours of work. I was a little overwhelmed by the options, all the while wondering whether Tonya, my wife, would like what I bought for her. As we say back home, “There ain’t no taking it back …”

Next door to the silk market is the city’s old covered bazaar, but unlike the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Market in Istanbul, Bursa’s covered bazaar very much serves the needs of the locals. For us tourists, it is a wolfing Wal-Mart in traditional sheep’s bazaar clothing. I ran through that one with time to spare, and was actually early for the bus (and the bus was 10 minutes late this time – go figure).

We ended the day with a visit to the shadow puppet theatre. This is a traditional art form that is being revived by several fans throughout Turkey, including the mayor of Bursa. The puppets are made from camel skin (see photos). It’s a one man show – meaning one person operates all puppets (even if five or six appear at once) and does all the voices. Adlibbing is often involved, so it’s a form of impromptu comedy theatre. Our group loved it, following the intonations of voice and twitching vocal changes between characters. The show made us laugh right through the language barrier.

After a week of perfect sunny weather, much needed rain came to Bursa at nightfall and the sleeping was good.