EDIRNE

Located at the Turkish Bulgarian bolder, Edirne, second capital of Ottoman Empire, offers the great monuments of past. Visitors enjoy the Oriental Bazaars, the works of great Ottoman architect, Sinan and vivid Turkish city. Edirne was founded by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 125 A.D. on the remains of an old Thracian city called Uskudama. Being on the major trade and military roads, the city witnessed the passage of the great armies and people moving from Europe to Asia or vice versa. This great privilege of being on the major military roads was also the cause of great disasters to the town because of the fact it was also on the invasion roads of the great armies of the history. Some of the battles stayed as a necklace of disasters on Hadrianapolis: 323 AD, Constatine fighting with Licunius; 378 AD, Emperor Vales is defeated by the Goths; 586 AD, Avars put a siege to Adrianapolis but could not capture it 814; Bulgarians captured and looted the city in 922 AD and in 1022 AD, Bulgarians recapture the city; 1204 AD, Crusaders looted the city; 1360 AD, Byzantine armies leave the town to Turks Ottoman Sultan Murad I moved his palace ( his administrative offices) to Edirne in 1367 making it second capital of the Ottoman Empire. Bayezıt the Lightning and Sultan Murad II built beautiful Ottoman monuments in Edirne and used the town as a base for the attacks to Contantinople. The agony of Constantinople ended when the city was captured by young Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqurer in 1453. Sultan didn't loose time to move the capital of the empire to the banks of Bosphorus. During the following years, the expansion towards Europe was main goal of Ottoman Sultans who used Edirne always the base for their military campaigns to assemble the Ottoman armies there. The decline of the Edirne coincided with decline of the Ottoman Empire and with failure of its armies. Edirne was reason for the great arguments and fight among the Russian, Bulgarian and Turkish armies. Selimiye Mosque Built by Sultan Selim, Selimiye Mosque is one of the masterpieces of Ottoman architecture and finest mosque, Sinan built after his long carrier as the imperial architect of Ottoman dynasty. Sinan who built 316 mosques, theological schools and caravanserails praises Selimiye Mosque as his finest mosque. After passing a courtyard,visitors come to a magnificent monumental gate, bought from another mosque in Birgi, giving access to the main praying hall. Looking from outside, one enjoys the cascades of half domes, arches, vaults leading the visitors eyes towards the central main dome. Four elegant minarets rise in elegant way from the four corners of the mosque. Uc Serefeli Camii Uc Serefeli Camii which was built by Murad II in 1447 is situated at Republic Square. It faces to a Turkish bath attributed Sinan. Grand Bazaar Near to Clock Tower, the Garand Bazaar built by Ali Pasa is situated. Bedesten Bedesten is second Covered Bazaar built by Mehmet Celebi at XV. century to get income for the Eski Camii. It was rebuilt by the sons of Bayazit the lightning after his defeat and capture at Ankara Battle in 1402. Muradiye Bayazit Camii Saray Ici In Edirne there are still the remains of the old Ottoman Palace built during the time of Mehmet the Celebi, Bayazit II and Suleyman the Magnificent when Edirme was either the capital city or the city of ancestors. The old palace was destroyed during the war Turkish-Russian War in 1877-1878. There still remains of kitchens, Turkish baths, remains of the Justice Palace and Cihannuma Palace, built by Mehmet Celebi.