Edirne (US: /eɪˈdɪərnə, ɛˈ-/,^[2][3] Turkish: [eˈdiɾne]), historically known as Adrianople (/ˌeɪdriəˈnoʊpəl/; Latin: Hadrianopolis; founded by the Roman emperor Hadrian on the site of a previous Thracian settlement named Uskudama),^[4] is a city in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne in the region of East Thrace, close to Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the third capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1369 to 1453,^[5] before Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) became the empire's fourth and final capital between 1453 and 1922. The city's estimated population in 2014 was 165,979.

Names and etymology

The city was founded as Hadrianopolis (Ἁδριανούπολις in Greek), named after the Roman emperor Hadrian. This name is still used in the modern Greek language (Αδριανούπολη, Adrianoúpoli). The Ottoman name Edirne derives from the Greek name. The name Adrianople was used in English until the Turkish adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1928 made Edirne the internationally recognized name. Bulgarian: Одрин, romanized: Odrin (pronounced [ˈɔdrin]), Albanian: Edrenë, Slovene: Odrin and Serbian: Једрене, romanized: Jedrene, are adapted forms of the name Hadrianopolis or of its Turkish version.

History

Selimiye Mosque is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Statue of the Sinan the Architect (front)

Selimiye Mosque exterior. Sinan the Architect called the Şezade Mosque in Istanbul his apprentice work, the Süleymaniye his journeyman’s work, and the Selimiye his masterpiece. He was 85 when he finished it.

Interior view of the Selimiye Mosque central dome

The through highway that connects Europe to Istanbul, Anatolia and the Middle East passes through Edirne.

Historic buildings and events have elevated tourism's role in the economy.

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

Interior view of the Grand Synagogue of Edirne