Six centuries of branches
An oriental plane estimated at over 600 years old, 35 metres tall with a trunk more than nine metres round, its thirteen limbs held up on iron props.
HasanChinar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · HALUK COMERTEL — CC BY 3.0 · E. Nedim Dövencioğlu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · HALUK COMERTEL — CC BY 3.0
One plane tree shades an entire village square. That is the whole scene at İnkaya, on the western slopes of Uludağ, where this oriental plane is reckoned to have sprouted around 1330, in the founding years of the Ottoman state, and is still standing more than six centuries later. It is 35 metres tall, the trunk is over nine metres round and roughly three across, and from it spring thirteen main limbs, each as thick as a full-grown tree, some propped on iron crutches so they do not snap under their own weight. It is a registered monument tree (anıt ağaç) and one of Bursa's civic symbols; locals like to tie it to Osman Gazi's famous dream of a tree growing from his chest to shade the world, though that belongs to legend rather than history. What makes it worth the drive is that it is not a relic behind a fence but a living square. The village cafes and breakfast places have put every table under the canopy, so you sit with tea and hot gözleme (the village flatbread stuffed with cheese, potato or spinach) beneath six hundred years of branches. A long rural Turkish breakfast is the real ritual here, above all at weekends when Bursa families arrive en masse and the square fills up. Prices are village prices, and stalls around the edge sell honey, jams and handicrafts. There is no admission; you pay only for what you eat. Getting there is easy. İnkaya sits on the old Uludağ road climbing from the Çekirge district, about 3 km above Çekirge and some 8 km from central Bursa, so twenty to twenty-five minutes by car or taxi, with roadside parking that overflows on holidays. The minibuses heading up to Uludağ from the centre also pass through. The cable car is no use here, as it leaves from the east side of town. The smartest plan is to make it a stop on the way up to Uludağ or on the way back down, and the outing costs you no extra detour. For families it is ideal: flat ground, no stairs, pushchairs roll easily, and the colossal trunk is wonder enough for small children. In August heat the air under the canopy is noticeably cooler than the city; spring and autumn are the tree at its finest. In winter it stands bare and the square loses half its magic, and snow can lie on the road above the village, but it remains a warm tea stop before the climb. An hour or two is plenty. Do not come expecting a museum or a grand monument; come for tea under the strangest tree in Bursa.
An oriental plane estimated at over 600 years old, 35 metres tall with a trunk more than nine metres round, its thirteen limbs held up on iron props.
The whole village square is one tea garden: tea, gözleme and a long rural breakfast at tables set directly beneath the tree.
It sits on the old mountain road up from Çekirge, so it is the natural pause on the way to Uludağ or back.
Uludağ Cd. No:163, İnkaya, Osmangazi, Bursa
Treat it as a stop on the Uludağ road, going up or coming down; it is a tea square under a magnificent tree, not a half-day sight. If you are not heading up the mountain at all, it still justifies a short morning outing for a quiet village breakfast, ideally on a weekday rather than a weekend, when Bursa families fill every table.
Yes: flat ground, no stairs, pushchairs roll easily and children love the sheer size of the trunk. In winter the tree is bare and the square loses much of its charm, and snow can cover the road above the village, but the cafes stay open as a warm tea stop before the climb.
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