Edirne: the back story

About Edirne: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Before Constantinople fell, Edirne (ancient Adrianople) was the Ottoman capital, and the sultans kept a love for it long after. Its glory is the Selimiye Mosque, which Sinan, the great architect of the empire, called his masterwork.

The Selimiye

Built between 1568 and 1575 for Sultan Selim II, the Selimiye Mosque rises on a hill over the city with four slender minarets. Inside, a single vast dome, comparable in diameter to Hagia Sophia’s, floats over an open, light-filled space. The mosque and its complex were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011.

The old capital

The Ottomans made Edirne their capital in the 14th century. The Old Mosque (Eski Cami) and the Üç Şerefeli Mosque show how their architecture grew before Sinan, and Sinan’s Ali Paşa Bazaar is still a busy covered market.

Sinan built the Selimiye in his eighties, and wrote that it was his masterwork.

Kırkpınar

Every early summer Edirne hosts Kırkpınar, the oil-wrestling championship, held for centuries and on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage since 2010.

Flavours

Try tava ciğer, Edirne’s thin fried liver, badem ezmesi (almond paste) and the fruit-shaped soaps sold in the bazaars.

Our advice: make it a long day or an overnight trip, arrive at the Selimiye in the morning light, and eat tava ciğer for lunch.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Edirne: the back story before you go.