Edirne, Turkey - October 29, 2017: Tourists visiting the Selimiye Mosque at Edirne, Turkey. the masterpiece of famous architect Mimar Sinan and one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture.

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Thrace & Marmara

Grand narratives have unfolded in this corner of Turkey for millenniums, leaving an extraordinary archaeological site (Troy), a city of Ottoman buildings (Edirne), historically significant battlefields (Gallipoli) and a culturally fascinating and physically beautiful island outpost (Gökçeada) for visitors to explore. It was here that Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont on his conquering march to Persia, and where the Achaeans (Greeks) and Trojans fought the war immortalised by Homer in the Iliad. Mehmet II launched his campaign to conquer Constantinople from the Ottoman capital of Edirne, and nearly 500 years later Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Peninsula, triggering a bloody stand-off with Turkish troops that would drag on for nine long months and help to define the modern nations of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. History continues to echo, but there is an increasingly contemporary verve in the student bars of Çanakkale and the vineyards of Thrace.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • View of Selimiye mosque in Edirne, Turkey. Unesco heritage site. Famous works of Ottoman architecture. Selimiye Mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan in 1575.

    Selimiye Mosque

    Edirne

    Designed by Ottoman architect Mimar Koca Sinan (1497–1588), whose best-known works adorn İstanbul's skyline, this exquisite World Heritage–listed mosque…

  • Museum of Troy

    Museum of Troy

    Thrace & Marmara

    The Museum of Troy's rust-coloured cube, rising from sunbaked earth, is a spectacular multi-floor showcase of the archeological layers of the historic…

  • Kilitbahir Castle Museum

    Kilitbahir Castle Museum

    Gallipoli Peninsula

    Reopened in 2019 as a museum focussing on Ottoman and maritime history, this sprawling castle was originally built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 and…

  • Kırkpınar Evi

    Kırkpınar Evi

    Edirne

    A dusty shrine to the sport of oil wrestling, the museum in this 19th-century timber house features press clippings, photographs and a few naff mannequins…

  • Korfmann Library

    Korfmann Library

    Çanakkale

    Housed in a 19th-century former school in the old town, this library opposite the Tıflı Camii was the bequest of the late Manfred Osman Korfmann (1945…

  • Roman Theatre, Troy IX, Archaeological site of ancient Troy (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1998), Hisarlik, Turkey

    Ruins of Troy

    Thrace & Marmara

    If you come to Troy expecting a rebuilt ancient city along the lines of Ephesus, you'll be disappointed. The site resembles an overgrown archaeological…

  • Sarayiçi

    Sarayiçi

    Edirne

    It was here, in the 15th century, that Sultan Murat II built the Eski Sarayı (Old Palace). Little remains of this grand structure, which was blown up just…

  • Sancaklar Camii

    Sancaklar Camii

    Thrace & Marmara

    Cutting-edge architects are rarely given commissions to design religious buildings in modern-day Turkey, and as a result most contemporary mosques are…

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