We took a two-day excursion to Edirne, former capital of the Ottoman Empire. The city of 165,000 sits very close to the Greek and Bulgarian borders. Near the end of our three hour journey, Turkish police boarded our bus to check for passenger identification. After arriving in the center of Edirne, we set out to explore the three large mosques, which are the most commonly visited sites in the city.

Eski Cami – In the city center we easily located the Old Mosque, built from 1403 to 1414 and restored in the early 1900s because of fire and earthquake damage. Originally the structure included only one minaret. A second one was added 10 to 20 years later. Unlike most other Turkish mosques, Eski Cami features mural calligraphy and does not have an inner courtyard.

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Uc Serefeli Camii – Sultan Murat II commissioned the “balcony mosque” in the mid fifteenth century. The Ottoman structure features not only red and white painted interior arches, but also two red and white stone minarets at the corners of the main entrance wall. Of the three mosques we visited in Edirne, this one included the most incredible painted ceilings with intricate details and a variety of colors and designs.

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Selimiye Mosque – Architect Mimar Sinan, who designed many of Istanbul’s famous mosques, completed this structure when he was 85 years old. Artisans spent six years, from 1569 to 1575, building the mosque with 1620 square meters of cut stone. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Selimiye is the only mosque in Edirne to amplify the five daily calls to prayer, a feature we noticed during our visit. 

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