Uludağ is a sacred place located in the former Ottoman Empire. Even the ancient Egyptians mentioned the mountain in their writings, calling it Mizmos. The Romans named it Calbyes, and the Byzantines referred to it as Misolimpos. According to legends, this is the very mountain from which the Greek gods watched over the course of the Trojan War. It is only with the Ottomans that the history of Uludağ, the mountain of the priests, begins.
The Uludağ resort was founded in the early twentieth century. From 1904 to 1923, the mountain was explored, cultivated, and the foundations of the future resort's infrastructure were laid. The outbreak of World War I greatly contributed to these developments. Its beginning coincided with a harsh and snowy winter when the only means of transportation in the surroundings was skiing. In 1915, Victor Pichman, an Austrian officer, gave the first skiing lessons in the mountains. And six months before that, the first pair of locally made skis stepped on the local snow.
With the end of the war, the need for skiing in the mountains diminished, and they were forgotten until 1933. It was then that a mountaineering club emerged in Bursa, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire located 35 miles away from Uludağ. One of its areas of focus became skiing in the mountains. The development of the resort is attributed to the director of the tourist club in that city, Tefik Halis Bey, who pioneered the sport of alpine skiing in Turkey.
Additionally, his daughter, Keriman Halis, was crowned Miss World at the time. Several publications about Tefik, his daughter, the mountains of Turkey, and skiing breathed life into this resort. Since 1934, Uludağ has gained worldwide popularity. In 1964, the mountain area was declared a National Park of Turkey.
Today, the low and gentle slopes of the mountain primarily attract beginner skiers. It is also a popular destination for families with children as the resort's slopes are smooth, gentle, and calm. Uludağ is particularly appealing to those accustomed to summer vacations in Turkey. The hotels here operate on the typical "all-inclusive" program, and the restaurants offer familiar local cuisine. The season starts at the end of November with dry and powdery snow. However, by March, towards the end of the season, the snow is usually wet.
The local currency in the resort area is the Turkish lira (TRY).
