Edirne: Selimiye Mosque

Edirne, located on Turkey's land border with Bulgaria and Greece, served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire for over 80 years. The city has many structures, especially for history and culture enthusiasts. One of these structures is Selimiye Mosque...

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne

The mosque, built by Mimar Sinan (Sinan Agha the Grand Architect), is, in the famous architect's own words, a masterpiece. (His apprenticeship is Şehzade Mosque and his journeyman work is Süleymaniye Mosque.)

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne

The mosque, which was started to be built in 1568, has been standing since 1578. The mosque, which is open for worship, is also the center of attention of local and foreign tourists...

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne


Due to its architectural feature, the interior of the mosque is quite spacious and you can see most of the places from a wide angle. Its interior, decorated with Iznik potteries, presents detail and aesthetics together.

Selimiye Mosque, Edirne

I visited the mosque twice. The second time I went, I heard something called "inverted tulip". The mosque was quiet, I searched a lot; but I couldn't find it. There was an inverted tulip motif under one of the marbles. Rumor has it that there was a tulip garden on the land where the mosque will be built. The owner of this land did not want his land to be sold at first. Finally, he asked Mimar Sinan to have a tulip motif in the mosque and sold his land. Architect Sinan also made the tulip motif in reverse. The tulip motif represents a tulip garden on this plot, and the reverse represents the owner's mischief.

What should you eat when you go to Edirne? The answer is here: Edirne Cuisine: Top Three

Comments

  1. The selimiye mosque is so beautiful and mischievous with tulip and the architecture bulids the interior designs with so much effort with aesthetics that makes the design even more beautiful and good to the religious worship

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