Edirne Day Trip
ITINERARY
Edirne was the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1361 until 1453, when Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Constantinople and made it the capital. It is home to three special mosques, each unique in its own right.
We will pick you up at your hotel at 7AM for the three hour drive to Edirne. We will visit each of the three mosques: Eski Camii which was built of cut stones and bricks between 1402-14. It is known for its fine white marble portal and decorative calligraphy on the interior walls and pillars; Üç Serefeli Camii whose name comes from the three balconies on its 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; and Selimiye Mosque, Edirne’s crowning glory. It was built for Selim II. (1566-74) by Sinan, the masterpiece of his old age. The symmetrical design is strongly emphasized by the four minarets and the soaring rise of the central dome.
We will also visit Meric Bridge (New Bridge); Kule Kapisi (12 Tower Gate), which is all that remains of the tower that once protected the principal gate of the citadel; and Beyazit Kulliyesi, which included a mosque and a hospital, famous for the skill of its surgeons and where the insane were treated by musical therapy. We will depart Edirne at 3:30PM for our return to Istanbul, returning you to your hotel about 6 pm.
NOTE
Tour departs with minimum 8 participants.
