Edirne Attractions
Once known as Adrianopolis, Edirne, capital of its province, is situated 245km/152mi northwest of Istanbul at the confluence of the Tunca and Arda with the Meriç (Maritza). It is the second largest city in European Turkey, benefiting from its position as a major road and rail junction close to the Greek and Bulgarian frontiers. It is surrounded by fertile farming country and has recently emerged as an increasingly prosperous industrial town (textiles, leather goods, staple and luxury foods, perfume).
With its endowment of mosques (including the magnificent Selimiye Camii), caravanserais, low timber houses and narrow alleyways, this historic Thracian border town still retains its Old Turkish air.
History
Edirne was founded around A.D. 125 by the Roman emperor Hadrian (hence Hadrianopolis/Adrianopolis), afterwards being continually fought over on account of its strategic position. From the time of its capture by the Turkish Sultan Murat I, to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Edirne was the seat of the Turkish rulers. At the end of the 19th century it became a frontier stronghold and played an important role during the Balkan Wars. In 1989 hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian Turks, fleeing across the Turkish-Bulgarian border, settled in the Edirne-Istanbul area.
With its endowment of mosques (including the magnificent Selimiye Camii), caravanserais, low timber houses and narrow alleyways, this historic Thracian border town still retains its Old Turkish air.
History
Edirne was founded around A.D. 125 by the Roman emperor Hadrian (hence Hadrianopolis/Adrianopolis), afterwards being continually fought over on account of its strategic position. From the time of its capture by the Turkish Sultan Murat I, to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Edirne was the seat of the Turkish rulers. At the end of the 19th century it became a frontier stronghold and played an important role during the Balkan Wars. In 1989 hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian Turks, fleeing across the Turkish-Bulgarian border, settled in the Edirne-Istanbul area.
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Selimiye Camii
The 16th C mosque of Selimiye Camii is known for its fabulous interior. It was built on the orders of Sultan Selim II and designed by the famous architect Sinan.
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Bayazit II Camii
Designed and built by Ottoman architect Hayrettin, the Bayazit II Camii is a beautiful mosque dating from the mid to late 15th C.
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Three Galleried Mosque
The Three Galleried Mosque was founded by Murat II and dates from the 15th C.
Ali Pasa Çarsisi
The Ali Pasa Çarsisi, a covered bazaar in the Saraçilar Caddesi in Edirne, was built by the famous architect Sinan for Hersekli Ali Pasa, one of Süleiman the Magnificent's viziers. It is constructed on the traditional pattern: a roofed-over street, with rows of shops running parallel, and entrances at the front and sides.
Bayazit I Camii
The 14th century Bayazit I Camii stands in what is now the suburb of Yildirim on the western edge of Edirne. It is built in the (early) Bursa style, laid out in the shape of an inverted "T". A relatively narrow corridor, with domed chambers either side, leads from a narthex-like portico to the domed central space, square in plan, from which barrel-vaulted rooms radiate in the manner of a church.
Bedesten
Now in less exalted use as an antique emporium, the old bedesten in the city center of Edirne was built by the Sultan Mehmet I. Fourteen small cupolas adorn the roof of the two-aisle, pillared hall and cluster of little shops.
Rüstem Pasa Kervanserayi
The Rüstem Pasa Caravanserai in the southeast corner of the city center of Edirne was built by the great Sinan for Rüstem Pasa, Grand Vizier to Süleiman the Magnificent. Completed around 1560 the imposing rectangular, two-storyed building, with its large inner courtyard and hamam, was restored some years ago and is now a hotel.
Saray
The turmoil of the 1878 Turko-Russian War left this once magnificent sultan's palace and fortifications on the banks of the Tunca almost completely destroyed, apart from a few fragmentary remains. The first building to occupy the site was a Roman fortress constructed at the time of Hadrian. A pavilion was then erected in the 15th century, probably by the Sultan Murat II. His son, Mehmet II Fâtih, added further buildings until a complete palace precinct took shape.
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