Edirne
—  Town  —
Selimiye Mosque, built by Mimar Sinan in 1575.
Justice Tower
Edirne Location of Edirne within Turkey.
Coordinates: 41°40′N 26°34′E / 41.667°N 26.567°E / 41.667; 26.567
Country	Turkey
Region	Marmara
Province	Edirne
Government
• Mayor	Hamdi Sedefçi (CHP)
Population (2010)
• Urban	138,793
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Licence plate	22

Edirne (Turkish pronunciation: [eˈdiɾne]) is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople (Istanbul) became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne Province in Turkish Thrace. The city's estimated population in 2010 was 138,793, up from 119,298 in 2000. It has consulates of Bulgaria, Germany (Honorary), Greece, Romania (Honorary) and Slovakia (Honorary). Its sister cities are Haskovo and Yambol in Bulgaria and Alexandroupolis in Greece. There is a Jewish community.^[1]

Etymology[link]

The city was founded as Hadrianopolis (Aδριανούπολις), named for the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This name is still used in the Modern Greek (Αδριανούπολη). The English name Adrianople, by which the city was known until the Turkish Postal Service Law of 1930, has fallen into disuse. Turkish Edirne, Bulgarian Одрин (Odrin, [’odrin]), Albanian Edrêne, Macedonian Eдрене (Edrene) and Serbian Једрене (Jedrene) are adapted forms of the name Hadrianopolis or of its Turkish version. (see also its other names)

History[link]

The area around Edirne has been the site of no fewer than 16 major battles or sieges, from the days of the ancient Greeks. Military historian John Keegan identifies it as "the most contested spot on the globe" and attributes this to its geographical location.

Kasr-ı Adalet (Tower of Justice)

According to Greek mythology, Orestes, son of king Agamemnon, built this city as Orestias, at the confluence of the Tonsus (Toundja) and the Ardiscus (Arda) with the Hebrus (Maritza). The city was (re)founded eponymously by the Roman Emperor Hadrian on the site of a previous Thracian settlement known as Uskadama, Uskudama or Uskodama or Uscudama . It was the capital of the Bessi.^[2] Hadrian developed it, adorned it with monuments, changed its name to Hadrianopolis, and made it the capital of the Roman province of Haemimont, or Thrace. Licinius was defeated there by Constantine I in 323, and Valens was killed by the Goths in 378 during the Battle of Adrianople (378). In 813 the city was seized by Khan Krum of Bulgaria who moved its inhabitants to the Bulgarian lands towards the north of the Danube.

During the existence of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, the Crusaders were decisively defeated by the Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan in the battle of Adrianople (1205). Later Theodore Komnenos, Despot of Epirus, took possession of it in 1227, and three years later was defeated at Klokotnitsa by Asen, Emperor of the Bulgarians.

Symbolic inscription consisting of two "waw" letters on the walls of the Eski Cami (Old Mosque, also known as Ulu Cami, meaning Grand Mosque) built between 1403 and 1414.^[3]

Following its capture by the Ottoman Sultan Murad I in 1365, Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453; until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) which became the empire's new capital.

Under Ottoman rule Adrianople was the principal city of a vilayet (province) of the same name, both of which were later renamed as Edirne. Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, was born in Adrianople. It was here that he fell under the influence of some Hurufis known as Certain accursed ones of no significance, who were burnt as heretics by Mahmut Paşa.^[4]

Sultan Mehmed IV left the palace in Constantinople and died in Edirne in 1693.

Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, lived in Edirne from 1863 to 1868. He was exiled there by the Ottoman Empire before being banished further to the Ottoman penal colony in Akka. He referred to Edirne in his writings as the "Land of Mystery".^[5]

Ottoman külliye and hospital built by Bayezid II

Edirne was a sanjak centre during the Ottoman period and was bound to, successively, the Rumeli Eyalet and Silistre Eyalet before becoming a province centre at the beginning of the 19th century. Edirne Province comprised the sanjaks of Edirne, Tekfurdağı, Gelibolu, Filibe and İslimye before 1878.

Trakya University in Edirne

The subdivisions of the Edirne Province before 1878 were:^[6]

• Sanjak of Edirne: Kazas of Edirne, Dimetoka, Kırkkilise, Maa Çimren Cisr-i Mustafa Paşa, Cisr-i Ergene, Babay-ı Atik, Beykar Hisar, Maa Hatunili-Kızılağaç, Havsa, Ferecik.

• Sanjak of İslimye: Kazas of İslimye, Ahyolu, Misivri, Burgaz, Aydos, Karinabad, Yanbolu and Zağra-i Cedit.

• Sanjak of Gelibolu: Kazas of Gelibolu, Gümülcine, Şarköy, Enez, Evreşe and Keşan. Gümülcine was a kaza of the Filibe sanjak at the beginning of the 19th century.

• Sanjak of Filibe: Kazas of Filibe, Pazarcık, Zagra-i Atik, Hasköy, Kazanlı, Çırpan, Ahiçelebi, Sultanyeri.

• Sanjak of Tekfurdağı: Kazas of Tekfurdağı, Vize, Çorlu, Lüleburgaz, Malkara, Midye, Hayrabolu.

The subdivisions of the Edirne Province between 1878-1912 were:^[7]

• Sanjak of Edirne: Kazas of Edirne, Havsa, Dimetoka, Mustafapaşa, Ortaköy, Cisr-i Ergene and Kırcaali.

• Sanjak of Kırkkilise: Kazas of Kırkkilise, Ahtabolu, Vize, Midye, Lüleburgaz, Babaeski and Tırnovacık.

• Sanjak of Tekfurdağı: Kazas of Tekfurdağı, Çorlu, Malkara and Hayrabolu.

• Sanjak of Gelibolu: Kazas of Gelibolu, Eceovası (its center was Maydos and renamed as Eceabat in 1923), Mürefte, Şarköy and Keşan.

• Sanjak of Dedeağaç: Kazas of Dedeağaç, Enez and Sofulu.

• Sanjak of Gümülcine: Kazas of Gümülcine, İskeçe, Ahiçelebi, Darıdere, Eğridere and Sultanyeri.

Edirne was briefly occupied by imperial Russian troops in 1829, during the Greek War of Independence; and in 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The city suffered greatly in 1905 from a conflagration. In 1905 it had about 80,000 inhabitants, of whom 30,000 were Muslims (Turks and some Albanians, Roma and Circassians); 22,000 Greeks; 10,000 Bulgarians; 4,000 Armenians; 12,000 Jews; and 2,000 more citizens of non-classifiable ethnic/religious backgrounds. Edirne was a vital fortress defending Ottoman Constantinople and Eastern Thrace during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. It was briefly occupied by the Bulgarians in 1913, following the Battle of Odrin; and by the Greeks between the Treaty of Sèvres in 1920 and the end of the Turkish War of Independence in 1922.

According to the 2007 census, Edirne Province had a population of 382,222 inhabitants. The city is a thriving center of commerce for woven textiles, silks, carpets and agricultural products.

Ecclesiastical history[link]

Selimiye Mosque

Adrianople was made the seat of a Greek metropolitan and of a Gregorian Armenian bishop, Adrianople is also the centre of a Bulgarian diocese, but not recognized and deprived of a bishop. The city also had some Protestants. The Latin Catholics, foreigners for the most part, and not numerous, were dependent of the vicariate-apostolic of Constantinople. At Adrianople itself were the parish of St. Anthony of Padua (Minors Conventual) and a school for girls conducted by the Sisters of Charity of Agram. In the suburb of Karaağaç were a church (Minor Conventuals), a school for boys (Assumptionists) and a school for girls (Oblates of the Assumption). Each of its mission stations, at Tekirdağ and Alexandroupoli, had a school (Minor Conventuals), and there was one at Gallipoli (the Assumptionists).

Around 1850, from the standpoint of the Oriental Catholics, Adrianople was the residence of a Bulgarian vicar-apostolic for the 4,600 Uniats of the Ottoman vilayet (province) of Thrace and after 1878 - of the principality of Bulgaria. They had 18 parishes or missions, 6 of which were in the principality, with 20 churches or chapels, 31 priests, of whom 6 were Assumptionists and 6 were Resurrectionists; 11 schools with 670 pupils. In Adrianople itself were only a very few United Bulgarians, with an Episcopal church of St. Elias, and the churches of St. Demetrius and Sts. Cyril and Methodius. The last is served by the Resurrectionists, who have also a college of 90 pupils. In the suburb of Karaağaç, the Assumptionists have a parish and a seminary with 50 pupils. Besides the Uniate Bulgarians, the above statistics included the Greek Catholic missions of Malgara (now Malkara) and Daoudili (now Davuteli village in Malkara), with 4 priests and 200 faithful, because from the civil point of view belonged to the Bulgarian Vicariate.

Later however, the Roman Catholic diocese was discontinued, and exists only in name as a titular metropolitan archbishopric, under the full name Hadrianopolis in Haemimonto to distinguish it from several other titular sees named Hadrianopolis.

Climate[link]

Edirne has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). with long, hot summers and cold and occasionally snowy winters.

Culture, sites and partnership with Europe[link]

Houses in Edirne

Municipality building

Situated near the Greek (7 km) and Bulgarian (20 km) borders, this city is famed for its many mosques, domes and minarets. Adrianople contains the ruins of the ancient palace of the Ottoman Sultans and the Selimiye Mosque, one of the most important monuments in this ancient province; built in 1575 and designed by Turkey's greatest master architect, Mimar Sinan, it has the highest minarets in Turkey, at 70.9 meters and a cupola three or four feet higher than that of Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. Carrying the name of the then reigning the Ottoman Sultan Selim II, this mosque represents Turkish marble handicrafts and it is covered with valuable tiles and fine paintings.

Another notable building is the Trakya University's Bayezid II Külliye Health Museum, an important monument with its complex construction comprising many facilities used in those times.

Besides the mosques, there are different sites to be visited in Edirne, all reflecting its rich past. The most prominent place being the Edirne Palace, which was the "Palace of the Empire" built during the reign of Murad II. There are caravansaries, like the Rustem Pasha and Ekmekcioglu Ahmet Pasha caravansaries, which were designed to host travelers, in the 16th century.

Of Edirne's Christian heritage, there remain two Bulgarian Orthodox churches: Saint George (dating to 1880) and Saints Constantine and Helena (built in 1869). The Bulgarian churches were reconstructed in the 2000s with the cooperation of Turkey, using mostly Bulgarian state funds. They are both in a good condition today; Saint George also has a Bulgarian library and an ethnographic collection. The two Bulgarian churches are the only functioning Christian places of worship in the city today,^[9][10] as none of the Greek churches are active or even preserved.^{[citation needed]} Saraçhane Bridge is one of several old bridges.

A cultural partnership with Lörrach in Germany has been started in 2006. The goal is to exchange pupils and students to improve their cultural skills and understanding.

Festivals[link]

Oil-wrestling at Kırkpınar

Edirne is home to the traditional oil-wrestling tournament called Kırkpınar. Held every year in June, it is said^{[by whom?]} to be the oldest active sport organization after the Olympic Games that were refounded only after centuries of inactivity.

Another international festival in Edirne is Kakava, a celebration of Romani people held on May 5 each year.

Economy[link]

Edirne's economy largely depends on agriculture. 73% of the working population work in agriculture, fishing, forests, hunting. There are lots of things that are cultivated here. Its lowlands are productive. The field crop cultivation has developed so much here. Corn, sugarbeet and sunflower are the first. Melon, watermelon and viniculture are advanced. For the last decade, the agricultural products have doubled. Corn, rice, sunflower, sugarbeet, tomato, eggplant, melon, watermelon, grape are cultivated so much.

The through highway with an important role in global transport that connects Europe to Middle East and Anatolian to Istanbul passes through Edirne.

Also, the existence of many historical and natural touristic places and events lead the fact that tourism has become a leading component of the economic growth of the city in recent years.

Industry has also been developing. Agriculture-based industries (agro-industries) are especially important for the city's economy.

This section requires expansion.

Education[link]

Trakya University Congress Center

• Trakya University linked with Loerrach through the Erasmus programme of the EU
• Website Trakya University Edirne
• University of Cooperative Education Loerrach

High Schools[link]

• Beykent Educational Institutions
• 80th Year of Republic Anatolian High School (80. Yıl Cumhuriyet Anadolu Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne Anatolian Technical High School (Edirne Anadolu Teknik Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne High School (Anatolian High School) (Edirne Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne Yildirim Anatolian High School (Edirne Anadolu Lisesi - Yıldırım Anadolu Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne Anatolian Teacher Training High School (Edirne Anadolu Öğretmen Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne Suleyman Demirel Science & Maths High School (Edirne Fen Lisesi in Turkish)
• Edirne İlhami Ertem High School(Edirne İlhami Ertem Lİsesi in Turkish)
• Edirne Anatolian Technical High School (Edirne Anadolu Teknik Lisesi İn Turkish)
• Edirne Milli Piyango Trade Profession High School( Edirne Milli Piyango Ticaret Meslek Lisesi)
• Edirne Beykent High School of Science (Özel Edirne Beykent Fen Lisesi)
• Edirne Beykent High School of Anatolian (Özel Edirne Beykent Anadolu Lisesi)
• Edirne Anatolian Technical High School (Edirne Anadolu Teknik Lisesi)
• Edirne Industrial Vocational High School (Edirne Endüstri Meslek Lisesi in Turkish)

Twin cities[link]

• Yambol, Bulgaria
• Prizren, Kosovo

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

• List of battles of Adrianople

References[link]

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Edirne.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Edirne

External links[link]

• Edirne travel guide from Wikitravel
• About Edirne
• Photographs and information about Edirne, Turkey guide
• Edirne Web Portal
• Edirne Directory
• GigaCatholic
• Edirne Weather Forecast Information
• Over 600 pictures of the town and monuments
• Photos of Edirne in Webshots
• Edirne Synagogue or the ruins of it
• Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2008

v t e Edirne in Edirne Province (in the Marmara region) of Turkey Urban districts Edirne Rural districts Enez - Havsa - İpsala - Keşan - Lalapaşa - Meriç - Süloğlu - Uzunköprü Regions Provinces Aegean Afyonkarahisar - Aydın - Denizli - Izmir - Kütahya - Manisa - Muğla - Uşak Black Sea Amasya - Artvin - Bartın - Bayburt - Bolu - Çorum - Düzce - Giresun - Gümüşhane - Karabük - Kastamonu - Ordu - Rize - Samsun - Sinop - Tokat - Trabzon - Zonguldak Central Anatolia Aksaray - Ankara - Çankırı - Eskişehir - Karaman - Kayseri - Kırıkkale - Kırşehir - Konya - Nevşehir - Niğde - Sivas - Yozgat Eastern Anatolia Ağrı - Ardahan -Bingöl - Bitlis - Elâzığ - Erzincan - Erzurum - Hakkâri - Iğdır - Kars - Malatya - Muş - Siirt - Tunceli - Van Marmara Balıkesir - Bilecik - Bursa - Çanakkale - Edirne - Istanbul - Kırklareli - Kocaeli - Sakarya - Tekirdağ - Yalova Mediterranean Adana - Antalya- Burdur - Hatay - Isparta - Kahramanmaraş - Mersin - Osmaniye Southeastern Anatolia Adıyaman - Batman - Diyarbakır - Gaziantep - Kilis - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Şırnak

Coordinates: 41°40′N 26°34′E / 41.667°N 26.567°E / 41.667; 26.567

Okan Bayülgen (real name: Okan Kaan Görgün) (born March 23, 1964) is a Turkish actor, variety and talk show host, comedian and photographer.

Biography[link]

Bayülgen was born on March 23, 1964 in Istanbul, Turkey, the son of a lawyer father and a painter mother.

He spent six years in Galatasaray High School which he says emotionally harsh years, then he passed to Bodrum High School, eventually he graduated from Şişli High School in 1984. He attended Tours University Faculty of Law and transferred to Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics. After a year of studying economics, Bayülgen returned to Turkey and attended Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts State Conservatory,a Turkish state university dedicated to the higher education of fine arts. He graduated in 1989 with a master's degree.

Bayülgen started his career as the youngest director of the State Theaters in 1989. He also worked as an actor there. In 1991, he began his broadcasting career by hosting his own radio show at Kent FM. He took part in the American TV series "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (1992) while it was filming in Istanbul. In 1994, after he was appointed to Trabzon, he was preparing a new play as a director in the State Theatre of Trabzon. However the play got canceled by the executive directors and he quit. After a successful radio career, he created his own late-night TV show called "Gece Kuşu" ("The Night Bird") in 1995 which brought him fame.

In 1996, he appeared on TV with a new late-night TV show, called "Televizyon Çocuğu" ("The Television Kid").

After 2 years break, he returned with "Zaga", his new late-night TV show, and had a huge success again. In 2004, he offered an alternative publishing model with his new high quality and intellectual show program "Herkes Bunu Konuşuyor" ("Everybody Talks This"). In 2005, the late-night TV show "Televizyon Makinası" ("Television Machine") showed everyone his own creativity and hard work. He continued with Makina (Machine) in 2006 and 2007.

After a year break, he started to a new TV show Disko Kralı, (King of Disco) in 2008.

His acting career started with a Mustafa Altıoklar movie, called "İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında", in 1996. In 1997, the 5 ft.7 actor won the Best Actor Award at Sadri Alışık Acting Awards, for his role in "Ağır Roman" and continued his acting career successfully, as expected. He acted in "Romantik" (1999), "Oyun Bozan" (2000), "Hemşo" (2001) and "Komser Şekspir" (2001), "Sır Çocukları" (2002) and "Gülüm" (2002) ... and many TV series. He is one of the most popular dubbing performers and many famous Hollywood movies were dubbed into Turkish by him.

He continues his photography works and is also known as a photograph artist since March 2012^{[citation needed]}

Filmography[link]

Movies

• 1996 - İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında, (Istanbul Under My Wings)
• 1997 - Ağır Roman, (The Heavy Novel)
• 1999 - Romantik, (Romantic)
• 2000 - Oyun Bozan, (Wet Blanket)
• 2001 - Hemşo, (Homie)
• 2001 - Komser Şekspir, (Sheakspeare the Commissar)
• 2002 - Sır Çocukları, (Children of Mystery)
• 2002 - Gülüm, (My Dear)
• 2006 - Sınav, (The Exam)
• 2009 - Kanalizasyon, (Sewage TV)

Movie serials

• 1998 - Utanmaz Adam, (Shameless Man)
• 2004 - Size Baba Diyebilir miyim?, (May I Call You 'Daddy'?)

Theatre pieces

• 1998 - Atları da Vururlar Müzikali, (actor) (Horace McCoy - They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) (musical)
• 2003~2004 - Hangisi Karısı, (director) (Ray Cooney - Run For Your Wife)
• 2005~2006 - Kiralık Oyun, (actor) (Rented Game)

TV shows[link]

• Gece Kuşu, (The Night Bird) (1994, ATV)
• Televizyon Çocuğu, (The Television Kid) (1996, ATV)
• Zaga, (Zaga) (1997–2005, Kanal D)
• Herkes Bunu Konuşuyor, (Everybody is Talking This) (2004–2005, NTV)
• Televizyon Makinası, (Television Machine) (2005–2006, Kanal D)
• Makina, (Machine) (2006–2007, Kanal D)
• Haber Makinası, (News Machine) (2006,CNN TURK)
• Bu Sizi İlgilendiriyor, (This Interests You) (2007, NTV)
• Disko Kralı, (King of Disco) (2008,2009...., Kanal D)
• Okan Bayülgen Sade Vatandaş, (Okan Bayülgen Simple Citizen) (2008,2009...., NTV)
• Medya Kralı, (King of Media) (2009...., Kanal D)
• Muhabbet Kralı, (King of Chat) (2009...., Kanal D)
• Çek Bakalım, (Let's Shoot) (2011...., ATV)

Photo exhibitions[link]

• Baobab Yolu - Madagaskar, (Baobab Road - Madagascar), (2006)
• Yaşam Gücü, (Life Power), (2006)
• Pudra - Zamanın Tozu, (Powder - Dust of Time), (2007)
• Erkeklerin Saatlerini Takan Kadınlar, (Women Wearing Men's Watches), (2008)
• Çünkü Gördüğüm En Güzel Kız Sensin, (Because You're the Most Beautiful Girl I've Ever Seen) (-Dove's Global Campaign for Real Beauty), (2008)

Trivia[link]

• In his latest show King of Chat intro many hidden texts can be read stones drop down each reading "CONSUME","OBEY","DIE.

References[link]

• Biyografi.info - Biography of Okan Bayülgen (Turkish)

External links[link]

• Okan Bayülgen at the Internet Movie Database

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [keˈnan iˈmirzalɯˌoːɫu], born 18 June 1974) is a Turkish actor.

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu was born as the youngest of three children to Mustafa and Yıldız İmirzalıoğlu in the village of Üçem in Balâ, Ankara Province. At age 12, he moved to the city of Ankara for his middle studies. He graduated in Mathematics from Yıldız Technical University. He won the Best Model Of Turkey in 1997 along with Deniz Akkaya.

He caught the eye of director Osman Sınav who cast him in the TV series Deli Yürek (Crazy Heart). He also starred in its spinoff film Deli Yürek: Bumerang Cehennemi (Crazy Heart: Boomerang Hell). He then acted in Alacakaranlık (Dusk) written and directed by Uğur Yücel and Yazı Tura (Toss up) which featured the same cast. In 2005, İmirzalıoğlu played the lead role in Osman Sınav's Aci Hayat (Bitter Life) based on the 1962 film of the same name. He followed that by lead roles in the action films Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali (The Last Ottoman: Knockout Ali) and Kabadayı (For Love and Honor). He returned to television in 2009 with the series Ezel and also starred in the action film Ejder Kapanı (Dragon Trap) directed by Uğur Yücel.

Filmography[link]

Series[link]

• Deli Yürek (Yusuf Miroğlu) (1999–2003)
• Alacakaranlık (Ferit Çağlayan) (2003–2005)
• Acı Hayat (Mehmet Kosovalı) (2005–2007)
• Ezel (Ezel Bayraktar) (2009-2011)

Films[link]

• Deli Yürek: Bumerang Cehennemi (Yusuf Miroğlu) (2003)
• Yazı Tura (Hayalet Cevher) (2004)
• Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali (Yandım Ali) (2006)
• Kabadayı (Devran) (2007)
• Ejder Kapanı (Akrep Celal) (2009)
• Uzun Hikâye (2012)

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kenan İmirzalıoğlu

• Kenan İmirzalıoğlu at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile of Kenan İmirzalıoğlu
• Film.com.tr (Turkish)
• Milliyet.com.tr (Turkish)

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