Edirne

Edirne is located at the south of Tekirdağ, the province between Turkey and Greece. The city had been the second capital of Ottoman Empire for years and in the 18th century had become one of the seven biggest cities of Europe.

As it was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago, there are numerous historical and architectural important structures in the province. Edirne is a living city - museum with its mosques, religious complexes, bridges, old bazaar places, caravanserais and palaces.

How to Get
Edirne is connected to Istanbul and consequently to Anatolia by both D - 100 road and TEM highway and also the road of D - 100 connecting the city to Çanakkale province and therefore Aegean Region.

The city is connected to Bulgaria and then to Europe by Kapıkule Border Gate; not only by highway, but also by railway. The city is connected to Greece by Pazarkule and İpsala Border Gates by highway and from Uzunköprü border gate by railway. Edirne has a systematic transportation to Anatolia over the provinces of Istanbul and Çanakkale.

Coach Station Tel: (+90 - 284) 225 19 79 Railway Station Tel: (+90 - 284) 238 20 36 - 238 23 12 Harbour Tel: (+90 - 284) 811 60 27

Places to Visit
Edirne Palace After the first palace constructed by Sultan Murad I, the construction of the Edirne Palace had started during the reign of Sultan Murad Iat the west of Tunca over a wide area in 1450. After the death of Sultan Murad II in 1451, his son Fatih Sultan Mehmed completed the construction of the palace. Among the ruins are, Cihannüma Kasrı (Worldwide Mansion), Kum Kasrı Hamamı (Sand Mansion Bath), Babusseade, Matbahi Amire and Adalet Kasrı (Justice Mansion).

Selimiye Mosque Selim II constructed the mosque in between 1569 - 1575. The mosque is an unmatched creation with its stone masonry, tiles and chisel artisanship.

Some of the other various mosques located in Edirne province are, Üç Şerefeli Cami (Three - Balcony Minaret Mosque), Eski Cami (Old Mosque), Muradiye Mosque, Külliye of Beyezid II and Beylerbeyi Mosque.

Mosques and Churches
The creation of Architect Sinan’s mastery period, Selimiye Mosque is the most important work of Edirne and is one of the most beautiful samples of Ottoman Architecture.

The other major mosques and churches of the city could be counted as Üç Şerefeli Cami (Three Minaret Balcony Mosque), Muradiye Mosque, 2nd Bayezid Mosque and Külliye, Eski Cami (Old Mosque), Yıldırım Bayezid Mosque, Fatih Cami (Enez Hagia Sophia), Külliye of Sokullu (Külliye of Kasım Paşa), Sweti George Church and Yahudi Havrası (Jewish synagogue).

One of the major structure types of Edirne is the bridges. No other capital or city had attained the beauty of the bridges constructed inside and outside Edirne, which were constructed in the period of Sinan.

The oldest bridge constructed in the city was from the period of Byzantine Emperor Michael Palaiologos (1261-1282). As the bridge was later reconstructed by Gazi Mihal Bey, it was called with his name (1420). In 1640, Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Paşa had added the sharp arched History Mansion to this twenty seven sectioned bridge. The Şahabettin Paşa (Saraçhane) Bridge that was constructed in 1451 has twelve arches and eleven pillars.

The major bridges of Edirne Province are the Fatih Bridge constructed in 1452 during the period of Fatih Sultan Mehmet; Bayezid Bridge constructed by Architect Hayrettin in1488; the Saray (Kanuni) Bridge, which was among the creations of Architect Sinan in 1560; the Ekmekçizade Ahmed Paşa Bridge constructed by Sedefkar Mehmed Ağa between the years 1608-1615; the Meriç Bridge (New Bridge)constructed at the junction of Meriç and Arda rivers in between 1842 - 1847.

Caravanserais
The Rüstem Paşa Caravanserai, which has a line of shops among the street and is one of the most interesting examples of classical Ottoman architecture was constructed by Architect Sinan in the name of the famous grand vizier of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, Rüstem Paşa.

The Ekmekçioğlu Ahmed Paşa Caravanserai was constructed by Defterdar (head of the financial department) Ekmekçioğlu Ahmet Paşa by the order of Sultan 1st Ahmed in 1609.

Houses of Edirne
The houses were constructed by the wooden framework darned by stone walls and plasters. These houses displayed a wonderful symmetry with the roof, which is connected to the higher fringes by dual curved elements, and the central entrance that was located deep in the main entrance cubicle.

There was sections called “hayat” (life), among the houses located in the Balkan Peninsula. This section was found either in the smallest or in the imposing house. This section was the space where all the chamber doors are opening to and was directed towards the garden of the house and was on the columns of 1,5 - 2 meters. At the end of this section, another separate part one step higher was covered with wooden divans.

There was a marble fountain located at an appropriate part of the gardens, which were accessed by large doors from harem and selamlıklar (Greeting halls for men and women). In some houses, there were small ponds at the central regions of the gardens covered by pergolas on which vines grow. There was a small door between the Harem ve selamlık (Greeting halls for men and women), which was accessed through the courtyard.

Bazaars
In order to cover the requirements of an increasing economy and commerce density of the city located on the transition ways and obtain income for the mosques and charitable establishments in the development period, numerous inns, bedestens and bazaars were constructed.

Between the years of 1417 - 1418, a bedesten was constructed by Architect Alaeddin by the order of Çelebi Sultan Mehmed I as a charitable establishment for the Old Mosque.

The Ali Paşa Bazaar which was constructed by Architect Sinan in 1569 by the order of Hersekli Semiz Ali Paşa was composed of a hundred and thirty shops.

The bazaar was three hundred meters long and with six doors. The arasta (the part of the bazaar for some artisans) which was 73 arched, 255 meters long and containing 124 shops was constructed by Davut Ağa by the order of Murad III (1574 - 1595) as a charitable establishment for Selimiye Mosque.

The Enez Ancient City Although Enez ( Ainos ) was a major port during historical times, the city is now 3.5 km inland from the coastal line. The Enez Castle that was restored many times during history is worth seeing. Also there is a church whose history extends to B.C 6th century, some tombs carved from stones and a beach with clear waters.

Dolmens (Menhir, Stone Tombs) There are ‘Dolmens’ (Menhir, stone tombs) at the Lalapaşa district which are dated to the ends of B.C 2000 and the beginning of B.C 1000. During the excavations carried on, some remnants and tools were found inside these tombs (Tear drop bottle, metal jewelry) and these findings are exhibited at the Edirne Archeology and Ethnography Museum.

Beaches
Edirne has border with the Aegean Sea (Saros Gulf) at the south part of the province and the shores and the beaches have rich tourism potential.

Edirne - Gala Lake Nature Reserve
Location: The lake is 10km away from district of Enez, which is in the far southwest corner of Thrace, and near the villages of Karpuzlu and Koyun.

Transportation: The lake can be reached via the Eceabat-Kesan-Enez highway.

Highlights: The nature reserve covers an area of 2369 hectares, and houses 111 species of birds, many of which are extremely rare and under threat of extinction. The area was specifically set up to protect the wildlife, increase the awareness of conservation and also enable scientific research to take place. The ecosystem of the lake, its salinity, plankton and temperature changes, are also of great scientific interest.