BRUSA, brro'sa, or BROUSSA (anciently, Lat. Prusa). A town of Asiatic Turkey. the cap ital of the vilayet of the same name, situated at the foot of Mount Olympus. about 20 miles from the Sea of Marmora (Map: Turkey in Asia. C 2). The town is divided into several parts by a mountain stream, spanned by a number of bridges. It has an old ruined castle in the centre, and while its streets are not very wide or straight, the town has a very neat. and pic turesque appearance. Mosques are numerous, and some of them—as e.g. the Oglu-Djami possess architectural beauty. There are also a number of tine baths, khans, and bazaars, which are well stocked with European goods imported from Constantinople. in 13rusa and vicinity are the tombs of several of the early sultans and of a large number of Turkish notabilities. About a mile west of the town are found four hot sul phur springs used for bathing. The industrial
importance of Brusa is considerable. It pro duces silk goods and garments of a very high reputation in the Eastern markets. exported also to Lyons. The port of Brusa is Mudania, with which it is connected in' a railway line about 20 miles long. Brusa had once a population of 100,000, which has dwindled at present to about 10.000, mostly Turks.
Brusa was built by Prusias II., King of Bi thynia. In 1326 Orkhan, son of Othman. the sec ond Sultan of Turkey, captured it and made it the capital of his empire, and it continued so until the Sultan Amurath l., the successor of Orkhan, removed the capital to Adrianople. The Tartars plundered it in 1402. It has suffered much from fire and earthquakes. Consult Wil son, Constantinopic. Bruce. and the Troad (Lon don, 1893).