Things to do in Edirne
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Melek Anne
Occupying a 120-year-old house, there's an arty feel to 'Mama Angel's' green and purple furniture and outdoor area with beanbags. A good range of home cooking is offered throughout the day, including breakfast plus vegetarian and chicken dishes.
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Selimiye Mosque
It's impossible to miss the Selimiye Mosque, Edirne's grandest and most central mosque, designed by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Constructed for Sultan Selim II (r 1566-74) and finished just after his death, it is smaller but more elegant than Sinan's tremendous Süleymaniye Camii (1557) in İstanbul, and it's said that Sinan himself considered it his finest work.
To best appreciate the mosque you should enter from the west, as the architect intended, rather than through the terraced park and the arasta (row of shops) to the south. The broad, lofty dome - marginally wider than that of İstanbul's Aya Sofya - is supported unobtrusively by eight pillars, arches a…
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Adalet Kasrı
Standing near the ugly modern stadium in Sarayiçi, the Adalet Kasrı (Justice Hall; 1561) is a stone tower with a conical roof that dates from the time of Süleyman the Magnificent. In front of it are two stones: on the Seng-i Hürmet (Stone of Respect) people would place petitions to the sultan, while the Seng-i İbret (Stone of Warning) would display the heads of any high-court officers who had offended the sultan.
Behind the Justice Hall is another small bridge. Cross it and on your right you'll see a memorial and museum dedicated to the Balkan Wars. To the left, the path winds past the scattered and scant ruins of the Edirne Sarayı (Edirne Palace).
To get here from H…
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Sultan II Bayezid Külliyesi
Standing in splendid isolation north of the centre, this mosque complex was undergoing renovations at the time of writing. Ottoman architect Hayreddin built it for Sultan Bayezid II (r 1481–1512) between 1484 and 1488. In style, the mosque lies midway between the Üç Şerefeli and Selimiye models: its large prayer hall has one large dome, similar to the Selimiye, but it also has a courtyard and fountain, like the earlier Üç Şerefeli. The interior has a rough, almost unfinished feel to it.
The extensive complex includes a tabhane (travellers hostel), bakery, imaret (soup kitchen), tımarhane (asylum), medrese and darüşşifa (hospital).
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Museum of Health
Part of the Sultan Bayezid II Külliyesi complex, this museum has scooped European tourism awards for its illustrations of the therapy and teaching that took place here. One of the most important Ottoman hospitals, it operated from 1488 to 1909, and music therapy was employed from 1652 – when mentally ill people were still being burnt alive in Europe. A 10-piece band played different 'modes' to treat ailments from paralysis to palpitations. Because all healing work was carried out in one room (the şifahane – healing room), the hospital required fewer staff. This created the first centralised hospital system. The sound of water was also used, and the gurgling fountain i…
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Urban History Museum
Housed in the restored Hafızağa Mansion, a particularly fine 19th-century wooden Ottoman villa, the small new Urban History Museum has poster displays on Edirne's historic buildings, local governors, and some old postcards. As there are currently no English captions it's not an essential stop for visitors, but the house itself is nice and offers great views onto the west side of the Selimiye Mosque (across a car park).
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Edirne Sarayı
Behind the Justice Hall is a small bridge. Cross it and to the left (opposite the museum) the path winds past the scattered and scant ruins of the Edirne Sarayı. Begun by Sultan Beyazıt II in 1450, this palace once rivalled İstanbul's Topkapı Palace in size and luxury, although you'd be hard-pressed even to visualise it now.
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Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Hamam
Across the street from the Üç Şerefeli Cami, Mimar Sinan designed this atmospheric hamam for Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet Paşa in the 16th century.
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Erdine Museum
Erdine Museum is opposite the Selimiye Camii to the north, with a garden of gravestones in front. The grounds contain all kinds of jars, sculptures, dolmens and menhirs (standing stones), as well as replicas of the sort of wattle-and-daub huts that may have been used by Thrace's Stone Age inhabitants.
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Villa
One of the best riverside options, boasting a breezy open terrace past the southern end of the Meriç Köprüsü. The bilingual menu covers stews, grills and mezes, plus fish (price varies) and the intriguing 'chicken diversity'. Euros are accepted here if you're strapped for Turkish cash.
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Sarayiçi
The Inner Palace is actually an island that was once the private hunting reserve of the Ottoman sultans. Today it's the site of the famous Kırkpınar oil wrestling matches.
Near the modern stadium, which is flanked by uberbutch başpehlivan (champions) in bronze, stands the Adalet Kasrı (Justice Hall; 1561), a stone tower with a conical roof that dates from the time of Süleyman the Magnificent. In front of it are two square columns: on the Seng-i Hürmet (Stone of Respect) to the right, people would place petitions to the sultan, while the Seng-i İbret (Stone of Warning) on the left displayed the heads of high-court officers who had managed to dis the sultan.
Behind th…
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Contemporary Art & Sculpture Museum
Housed in the beautiful Ikinci Beyazit Külliyesi complex is the Contemporary Art & Sculpture Museum which, while not wildly exciting, is worth a quick look to see what sort of thing the local talent is turning out.
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Zindanaltı Meyhanesi
Choose your meze, such as spicy patlıcan (eggplant/aubergine), and mains, including a karışık (mixed) plate with köfte (meatballs) and şiş kebap (roast skewered meat) among other goodies, and head to the roof terrace. The wooden-fronted building is a popular spot with views of the pedestrianised main drag.
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Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum
One of the Selimiye Mosque's medreses (seminaries) houses the Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum, which has a variety of stone inscriptions and early Ottoman artefacts, plus a display on oil wrestling.
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Orange 22
The Orange is a bit of an unusual bar-club option amid the pub and restaurant strip south of town, opting for a slick modern metallic style with vintage car pics and lots of spirits at the front terrace.
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Café Sera
This big, open-air café in front of the Selimiye Camii is a great place to sit out by the fountains and watch the people coming and going, with the added benefit of being above street level.
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Leyli Türkü Café
Right next door, this student favourite opts for a much more traditional café-pub vibe, attracting daytime coffee-sippers as well as live music crowds.
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Özge Pastanesi
Upstairs seating and a good selection of cakes and fast food have kept the Özge's popularity up, where its neighbour the Saray seems to have waned.
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Lalezar
The best riverside option on the way to Karaağaç, Lalezar has a bilingual menu with dishes ranging from pide (Turkish-style pizza) to pasta, including the spicy içli köfte (stuffed meatball) starter. The grounds are a delight, and some choice tables are set on raised platforms among the trees.
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Tunca Café
This inviting, wood-filled tea garden is set round a duck pond facing Kadın Kakları Parkı (Women's Rights Park).
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Kahve Bahane
A modern-style coffeehouse in a restored wooden building, complete with internal courtyard and full menu of fancy coffees.
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Üç Şerefeli Cami
With its four strikingly different minarets, the Üç Şerefeli Cami dominates Hürriyet Meydanı (Freedom Sq). The name refers to the three balconies on the tallest minaret. The second-tallest minaret has only two.
It was built between 1437 and 1447 in a design halfway between the Seljuk Turkish-style mosques of Konya and Bursa and the truly Ottoman style, which would later reach its pinnacle in İstanbul. In the Seljuk style, smaller domes are mounted on square rooms, whereas here the 24m-wide dome is mounted on a hexagonal drum and supported by two walls and two massive hexagonal pillars. The designs under the domes and central şadırvan in the partially covered courty…
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Selimiye Camii
Great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan designed Edirne's grandest mosque (1569–75) for Sultan Selim II (r 1566–74). The mosque is smaller but more elegant than Sinan's Süleymaniye Camii in İstanbul, and it is said that he considered this to be his finest work. Lit up at night, the complex is a spectacular sight.
Enter the mosque through the courtyard to the west, as the architect intended, rather than through the terraced park or the subterranean row of shops to the south. You don't need to buy a plastic bag for your shoes from the ladies in the courtyard.
The broad, lofty dome – at 31.3m, marginally wider than that of İstanbul's Aya Sofya – is supported by eight unobtru…
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Selimiye Arastası
Also known as Kavaflar Arastası (Cobblers' Arcade), this is below Selimiye Mosque.
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Penaltı
Its walls hung with photos of soccer stars, 'Penalty' snack bar is the local tip for Turkish kahvaltı (breakfast). Not-so-inspiring burgers are also available.
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