Days out · 2½–3 hours west
The second Ottoman capital: Sinan’s Selimiye Mosque (UNESCO), the Old Mosque, the bazaars, Kırkpınar oil wrestling, tava ciğer and almond paste.
Days out feature
The mosque Sinan called his masterwork, in the old Ottoman capital.
Arrive for the morning light on the Selimiye and lunch on tava ciğer.
Read the full back story below, then plan your trip.
The back story
The second Ottoman capital, crowned by Sinan’s Selimiye Mosque, near the Greek and Bulgarian borders.
Sinan’s masterwork, UNESCO
Sinan’s great mosque of 1568–75, with four slender minarets and a vast dome, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Before Sinan
Two early Ottoman mosques in the centre of Edirne, showing how the style grew before Sinan.
Fried liver and badem ezmesi
Edirne’s thin-sliced fried liver, its almond paste and fruit-shaped soaps.
By coach or car, high-speed train coming
By intercity coach or car, about 2½–3 hours; the new high-speed line is opening in stages.
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