Edirne

Edirne, city, extreme western Turkey. It lies at the junction of the Tunca and Maritsa (Turkish: Meriç) rivers, near the borders of Greece and Bulgaria. The largest and oldest part of the town occupies a meander of the Tunca around the ruins of an ancient citadel. Edirne’s site and turbulent history were determined by its strategic position on the main route from Asia Minor (Anatolia) to the Balkans.

Originally called Uskudama and probably first settled by Thracian tribes, the town was rebuilt and enlarged about 125 ce by the Roman emperor Hadrian, who renamed it Hadrianopolis. In 378 the city was the site of the Battle of Adrianople, in which the Goths dealt Rome a crushing defeat. It was besieged by the Avars in 586. The city was captured by the Bulgars in the 10th century and was ransacked twice by Crusaders until it fell to the Ottomans in 1362. It then served as the forward base for Ottoman expansion into Europe. It served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 until 1458 and flourished as an administrative, commercial, and cultural centre. Its decline came with foreign occupations and devastation in wars. Edirne was occupied by the Russians in 1829 and 1878. It was taken by the Bulgarians during the First Balkan War in 1913 and was retaken by the Turks that same year. It was captured by the Greeks in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence and was finally restored to Turkey in 1922.

The centre of the city has several beautiful mosques and other buildings of note. The most spectacular of these is the Mosque of Selim (Selimiye Cami), a masterpiece of the celebrated Ottoman court architect Sinan. Built between 1569 and 1575, the mosque lies on the summit of rising ground and dominates the skyline. The mosque’s main structure comprises a succession of 18 small domes dominated by a huge central dome resting on eight columns with three-balconied minarets on four sides. The mosque forms an architectural whole, with adjacent complementary buildings, school, library, and theological college, now housing archaeological and ethnographic museums. The mosque complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011. The Mosque of Bayezid (Bayezid Cami), built by Sultan Bayezid II in 1488, has a great dome supported by four walls and an elegant marble niche pointing toward Mecca. Bedesten is a restored 15th-century covered bazaar.

Edirne lies along the London-to-Istanbul railway. Major roads connect it with central Europe and Istanbul. Known for its peynir (white cheese), the city also produces cotton and woolens, soap, and leather goods. The surrounding agricultural area produces wheat, rice, rye, and fruits. Pop. (2000) 119,298; (2013 est.) 148,474.