...  HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Selimiye Mosque

The architectural wonder of the world is a superb example of Ottoman-Turkish art, having been designed by the prolific architect, Mimar Sinan, as his masterpiece at the age of 80. It was built by order of Selim II between 1569-1575, and has become the symbol of Edirne and the Ottoman Empire. Its four minarets can be seen from a great distance, showing Mimar Sinan's skill as a city planner as well as an architect in choosing this ideal, highly visible location in the city. The mosque is built of hewn stone. The inside is 1,620 m2, while the entire mosque covers an area of 2,475m2, the largest in architectural history. The great dome has a diameter of 31.30 m, and its center is 43.28 m above the floor. It rests on 8 massive pillars joined to one another with arches 6 meters wide. It is Sinan's most successful 8-pillar plan. There are four thin minarets with three balconies each which are 3.8 m wide by 70.89 m high. The two minarets in the rear have separate stairways for each balcony. Besides its outstanding architectural design, the mosque is also ornately decorated with stone, marble, tiles, wood, and mother of pearl.
The niche showing the direction to Mecca and pulpit are made of finely carved marble. The prayer leader's gallery, sitting on 12 short pillars in the center, is one of the fines examples of classic gold decoration in Edirne style. The decorative 16 th century Iznik tiles were the finest ties of their time produced with guarded trade secrets. They hold a special place in Ottoman and worldwide art.
The outer courtyard, surrounded by a stone wall, included three rooms for students lessons. One section is now the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. The bazaar under the terrace of the mosque was built in the period of Murat III in order to raise revenue. It was designed by Davut Aga.

Bayezid II Complex

This Mosque complex on the shore of the Tunca River is another of Edirne's most important historical buildings. The complex covers a large area and includes a mosque, medical school, public soup kitchen, insane asylum, Turkish bath, kitchen, and rooms for storage and other things. It was built by order of Bayezid II from 1484-1488 by the architect, Hayreddin. It has a striking appearance with almost 100 small and large domes.
The most interesting building is the monumental mosque with two minarets and a central dome measuring 20.55 m across. The asylum and medical school west of the mosque. The insane were treated in domed cells around the courtyard. The main instrument of healing was the sound of music and water.
The complex was also home to an important eye treatment center. The whole complex is important for its cultural history. The Health Museum is located here.

Eski (Old) Mosque

This mosque is the oldest Ottoman monument in Edirne. Construction was begun by my Emir Süleyman in 1403 and completed during the reign of Çelebi Sultan Mehmet in 1414. It was designed by architect Haci Alaaddin from Konya and built by Ömer Ibn Ibrahim. It has many domes after the "Grand Mosque" (Ulu Camii) style. The marble gate and decorative inscriptions inside are arresting.

Üç Serefeli Mosque

The name of this mosque means "three balconies." It refers to the monumental 67.62-meter-high minaret. It is interesting to note that the stairways to each balcony are separate. The minaret seems to move because of the red zigzag stones surrounding the diamond shaped white stones.
The mosque was built in 1443-1447 by order of Murat II in an original style combining early and classical Ottoman styles. The decorative tile designs are different on each of the minarets. The prayer hall is covered by a dome 24m in diameter. It is supported on the north and south by the walls and on the other sides by to enormous hexagonal pillars. There are two smaller domes on each side of the main dome which cover square rooms below. The mosque extends into the courtyard area in a new rectangular design which Mimar Sinan further developed in Istanbul. This mosque is also the first example of a covered courtyard in Ottoman style. The minarets are placed at the four corners of the courtyard. Its new features made it an example for other mosques to follow. The carvings on the domes over the courtyard are the oldest examples to be found in Ottoman mosques.

Lozan Monument

Lozan Monument, Square and Museum were built on the Karaagaç Campüs in accordance with the proposal of the Rector Osman Inci, to commemorate the Lozan Treaty which set boundaries of the Turkish Republic. In accordance with the Mondoros Treaty signed on 30th October, 1918 the border of Trakya was Meriç River; Karaagaç district and the right banks side of Meriç River remained in the Greek area.
That situation was discussed in details at the meetings held for the Lozan Treaty and the mentioned areas were given to the Turkish Republic with Lozan Treaty which was signed on 24th July, 1923. Hence, the University Senate decided during the 7th annual meeting on 27th November, 1996, to construct the monument on the Karaagaç Campus to commemorate this historical event. The Lozan Monument, which is one of the biggest monuments in Turkey was first inaugurated by the President of the Turkish Republic Süleyman Demirel on 19th July, 1998.

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