original text by Vera Yumira, executive summary by darmansjah
Althoughour visit wasshort, butuniqueEdirnehas stolenourhearts. Cities inTurkey'snorthwest sideis ahidden gemthat has not beenwidely knownbeauty.Located235kilometers fromIstanbul,Edirneisa 2.5 hourbus ride.Originallythe capital ofthe Ottoman EmpirewasEdirne(1365-1453), later changedConstantinople(Istanbul). "Neighbors" Greece andBulgariawas oncedubbed, "Happiness Gate"because duringthe reign ofMuratIIbyMehmetIVfilledcelebration ofthe victorythe conquest ofother regions. ButEvliyaCelebi, thelegendaryOttomannomads, called him, "CityofPerpetualHeartache", because it is oftenbatteredenemy.
One of thebeautiful buildings, SelimiyeMosque, which was builton the orders ofSultanSelimII in1569-1575, and was designedbyMimarSinan, MimarSinanisOttoman famousarchitect. Before enteringthe mosque, we drove throughthe covered marketinArastasiSelimiyemosque complex, shaped255meterlonghallwaywith rows ofshopson either side.The interior of themosqueis very beautiful, where inthe middlethere is awooden structurelike amarqueedécorEdirnewiththe 16th centuryweredominated bygold andplantmotifs. In thehallthere is ashowerof whitemarblewith sevenholes. Availablecopperglassesfor anyonewho wants todrink the water.
Other objectsof interest inEdirneisan ancientstonebridgespanningtheRiverMeric. Before returning toIstanbul, we boughtsouvenirdollsdressed in traditionalBulgarian.