The site of the house believed to have belonged to Osman Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, has been officially registered as a cultural asset following a 20-year study by Professor Taner Bilgin, head of the History Department at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University. The house, located in the northwestern province of Bilecik, was reportedly destroyed during the Greek occupation in the Turkish War of Independence.
Bilgin began investigating the location after meeting Celal Devecioğlu in 2005, who said that Osman Gazi had a house on the grounds of the Sheikh Edebali Complex and that it was later demolished by occupying Greek forces.
In 2006, during a visit to Berlin, Bilgin saw an 1891 oil painting depicting the house, created by the wife of a German railway worker who had worked in Bilecik during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. He later discovered a document dated April 1911 in the Presidential State Archives referring to renovation works on the house.
Bilgin also found details in a 1935 Ottoman-language book titled “Bilecik History and Geography Study,” written by former Bilecik Mayor Necmi Kadıoğlu, describing the residence as a two-story structure with gilded ceilings and carved wooden elements.
Based on these findings, Bilgin applied to the Bilecik Governor’s Office last year for the site, believed to be within the Sheikh Edebali Complex, to be registered. Following fieldwork conducted by the Eskişehir Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the existence, location and architectural features of the house were officially registered in 2025.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Bilgin said Bilecik was one of the lands where the Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 but that many structures from the period did not survive, particularly due to destruction during the War of Independence.
“As historians, we can only speak based on documents,” Bilgin said, noting that archival sources also mention gifts sent to the area during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II.
“A team from the regional board conducted examinations on site. Title deeds in the board’s possession confirmed that the land is foundation property. This 40-square-meter area has been registered as ‘the site of Osman Gazi’s house.’ I hope we can revive this two-story house,” he added.
According to documents, a family known as the Kesilioğulları was responsible for the maintenance and protection of the house, Bilgin said.
