"Unforgettable place! Edirne" Top 5 Page for this destination Edirne Ili by Aydemiray

Edirne: A Crossroad to History

Edirne, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, is the historic connection between Europe and Asia, located in the northwest corner of Turkey, where the three Thracian nations, Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria, meet. Historically, Edirne was the seventh largest city in Europe and the launching point for the Ottoman sultans’ conquests west into Europe. Today, it is the border crossing point for backpackers heading east from Europe to Turkey’s famous cultural heritage and Aegean and Mediterranean beaches. Emperor Hadrian founded the city and named it Hadrianopolis, but when his Roman Empire famously fell, the city went to the Byzantines. In 1361, Sultan Murat of the Ottoman Empire took it back and made it his capital. The Greeks had it for a time after that but, in 1922, it was reclaimed by the Turks and called Edirne. As the capital of the Ottoman Empire (it was preceded by Bursa and succeeded by Istanbul), Edirne was graced with a large number of historically and architecturally important works, the main one being the Selimiye Mosque, considered the finest of all Ottoman mosques. The city is located in a picturesque forest of popular trees at the confluence of the Tunca and Meric rivers where nature and Ottoman history converge. Take a stroll along the river banks or through the woods and discover the ruins of the Ottoman Empire’s governing palace or the Beyazid sanatorium. Additionally, Edirne is home to the world’s oldest continuously held sporting competition, the 550-year old Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in June. Shamefully ignored by tourists, Edirne has retained its unique mix of modern Turkish culture and its more cosmopolitan past, unscarred by western fast-food or name-brand tourism. Edirne is a perfect introduction to Turkish culture: genuinely welcoming and genuinely Turkish. Edirne, with its mosques, religious complexes, bridges, bazaars, caravanserais and palaces still in use, is a living museum. Hoþgeldeniz. Welcome to Edirne…

• Pros:Meals, Customs, scenary, sight-seeing, nature, sea, Edirne city is perfect!
• In a nutshell:kirkpinar Oil wrestling festival is thecontinously oldest sport competition accoriding to Guinness Worl Records. Just go Edirne