First published: 05/01/14.

Clyde 3.0

Selimiye Mosque

Selimiye Mosque (Inscribed)

Selimiye Mosque by Clyde

I visited Edirne in January 2014. It is quite off the beaten track due to its geographic position not far from the borders of Bulgaria and Greece. It is around 238km from Istanbul but well worth a visit. The main highlight of this WHS is the squarish Selimiye Mosque built by Mimar Sinan around 1575. The 4 minarets that adorn this mosque are indeed the tallest in the Muslim world. It is built in the centre of a kulliye, ie. a complex including a hospital, an Islam teaching centre, a bazaar, gardens, a courtyard and also a cemetery.

I enjoyed the fact that the locals are the main inhabitants of this town and tourists are a minority (unlike Istanbul). The best mosque interior in Edirne (if not the Islamic world!) can be seen in the old Eski Mosque, with its red and white archways (like Cordoba's mesquita) and the huge black Islamic calligraphy on the walls. Another mosque worth visiting is the Ottaman Üç Şerefeli Mosque with is candy-like spiral minaret. As an aside, do try the Edirne Kofte! Truly delicious!

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