Tekirdag, Turkey

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southwest. Tekirdag was the birthplace of the Turkish poet Namik Kemal.

The Phrygians set out across the Sea of Marmara from Tekirdag in their conquest of Asia Minor. For many years the town was under control of the Thracians who gave their name to the whole region. In 46 B.C., the Romans under Vespasian occupied Tekirdag and the rest of Thrace but the town continued to play an important part during Byzantine times.

The birthplace of the Hungarian prince Rakóczi has been converted into a small museum and the Damat Rüstem Pasa complex which comprises a mosque and bedesten (covered bazaar) was built about 1565 by the famous architect Sinan.