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THE Adrianople (Turkish: Edirne, Bulgarian: одрин) is a city in the area Turkey, in Eastern Thrace, capital of the homonymous province very close to the border with Hellas and Bulgaria..
At a glance
Edirne was its third capital Of the Ottoman Empire from 1363 to 1453, before the Constantinople become the fourth and final capital of the empire. Today Edirne is the capital of the homonymous province. The population of the city is 165,979 inhabitants (2014).
It is noted that the name "Edirne" is a corruption of Hadrian (city)> Andrino, which was carried in the 14th century> Entrino> Edirne ending in Edirne where it prevailed. In Ottoman sources it is also mentioned with the names "Entrinous", "Entrune", "Entrinamboli" as well as "Edirnopolou" which undoubtedly are all paraphrases of the Greek name that was preserved by the Hellenism there until 1922.
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What to see
Located 7 km from the Greek and 20 km from the Bulgarian border, Edirne is famous for its many mosques, domes and minarets.
- Selimiye Mosque (Selimiye Camii). The Selimiye Mosque, built in 1575 and designed by Turkey's greatest architect, Mimar Sinan, is one of the city's most important monuments. In 1574, the year of the conquest of Tunis by the Ottomans, Sultan Selim II died after falling into his bath at the age of fifty. However, he prevented and supervised the construction of the Selimiye Mosque, not in the capital of his empire, Constantinople, but in his favorite city and former capital of the Ottomans, Edirne. The Mosque is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and the most complete creation of the architect Sinan. It is worth mentioning that the building was built exclusively from the spoils of the Ottoman campaign in Cyprus, as earlier Suleymaniye (Suleiman Mosque) was built with the booty of the campaigns in Belgrade, Rhodes and Malta. It has the tallest minarets in Turkey, with 70.9 m and a dome, about a meter higher than that of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The mosque is named after the then reigning Ottoman Sultan Selim II (b. 1566–1574) and has works of Turkish marble and is covered with precious tiles and beautiful paintings.
- Uts Serefeli Mosque (Şç Şerefeli Cami) (Near the old mosque). Another important mosque is the Uts Serefeli Mosque also known as the Burmali Mosque (Snake Mosque).
- Archaeological Museum (Archeology Museum), Alipaşa Mahallesi, Kadirpaşa Sokak 7, ☎ 90 284 225-11-20, fax: 90 284 225-57-48.
- Monument to Şükrü Pasha and Museum of the Balkan Wars (Şükrü Paşa Anıtı and Balkan Savaşları Museum). Near the Palace is the Balkan War Memorial Cemetery, with a monument to an unknown soldier, depicting an Ottoman soldier in front of its entrance.
In addition to the mosques, there are attractions in Edirne for the visitor, which reflect its rich past. What stands out are the Palaces of Edirne (in Ottoman Turkish "Saray-ı Cedid-i Amire", ie "New Imperial Palace") in the district of Saraitsi, built during the reign of Murat II (b. 1421–1444). Although the palace buildings and their baths (Kum Kasrı Hamamı) are in ruins, the palace gate and its kitchen facilities have been restored. The Kasr-ı Adalet (Castle of Justice), built as part of the palace complex, remains intact, next to the small Bridge of Faith, over the Tountsa River.
Another important building in the area is the Kuliyye Health Museum of Bayazit II, of the University of Thrace, an important monument, with its complex including many facilities used at that time.
The abandoned and ruined Great Synagogue of Andrianoupolis was restored and reopened in March 2015. In the city there are one Roman Catholic and two Bulgarian Orthodox churches.
Edirne has several historic arched bridges over the Evros and Tunca rivers, which flow around the city to the west and south. There are caravanserais, such as Rustem Pasha and Ekmektsioglu Ahmet Pasha, built to accommodate travelers in the 16th century. The historic Karaagac Railway Station now houses, after its renovation, the University School of Fine Arts, in the city’s eponymous suburb. Next to it are the Monument and the Museum of the Treaty of Lausanne.
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Edirne has three historic covered markets: Arasta, next to the Selimiye Mosque, Bedesteni, next to the Eski Mosque and Ali Pasha Charsisi (Ali Pasha Market).
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