07.00 - 10.00 Transfer to Edirne
Edirne is vibrant,
exciting, sensual, hard, European
and Oriental at the same time. For a
while it was the capital of the
Ottoman Empire. The approach to
Edirne is along the E80 from
Istanbul is spectacular for much of
the way, the road passes through
dank bogland where sedge-rimmed
pools reflect a pallid sky. In the
early evening, you may be rewarded
by the sight of a livid, apocalyptic
sunset like those found in the
canvases of some medieval German
painters. 10.00 - 12.00 Edirne sightseeing
Eski Camii, was built of cut stone and brick 1402-14 with fine white marble portal and decorative calligraphy on the interior walls and pillars.
Üç Serefeli
Camii, the
name of the mosque derived from the
three balconies on the southeast
minaret. Each balcony is reached by
a separate stairway. The decorative
tile designs on the minarets are all
different. The minarets were the
most important development in the
structure of the mosque in the
fifteenth century.
Selimiye Mosque Edirne's
crowning glory, was built for Selim
II, (1566-74) by Sinan who was the
architect of the Abode of Felicity
for 50 years. It was the masterpiece
of Sinan's old age. The symmetrical
design strongly emphasised by the
four minarets and the soaring rise
of the central dome.
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch break
Semiz Ali Pasa Arasta
is also the work of Sinan. Completed
in 1589, it is a long tunnel-like
building with shops on both sides.
Here you may buy one of Edirne's
specialities, soap shaped like fruit
or vegetables.
Meric bridge (New Bridge)
constructed at the junction of Meriç
and Arda rivers between 1842 - 1847.
Kule Kapisi (12 C Tower Gate) is
all that remains of the tower which
once protected the principal gate of
the citadel. It was rebuilt by the
Byzantine emperor John Comnenus II
(1118-43) as part of his repair of
the Hadrianic defensive system.
Beyazit Kulliyesi is the largest
in Edirne, the complex had a mosque
and an hospital which was famous for
the skill of its surgeons. In the
octogonal, domed timarhane the
insane were treated by musical
therapy.
