2006.05.02_Beyazid II Külliye

Photo: Road to Beyazid II Külliye, Across the river from Beyazid II Külliye, Arriving at Beyazid II Külliye, Forecourt arcade, Local Woman.

After the mosques, we ventured to a Roman / Byzantine fortress tower. The security guard was kind enough to show us around. When we were done, he suggested we should take a short walk to visit the Beyazid II Külliye.

We followed his instruction, exited the old city, walked on a road for a kilometer or two, before seeing our destination standing beyond a river where a father and son sat under a tree shadow with two fishing poles in hands. A shepherd dog appeared from under the bridge, looked at us at a distance, and ran away. Two men who sat on a pile of dirt at the back of the tractor waved at us as they drove by. The scene was picturesque and romantic. Farmlands, white clouds, and blue sky at the background. The Beyazid II Külliye majestically stood in front of the horizon.

The Beyazid II Külliye was a unique complex consisted of a mosque, a health university, and a hospital in the Ottoman era. Nowadays, part of the hospital complex is turned into a museum where visitors can learn about Ottoman medicine, their health treatment and long-term health facilities. This complex was once a hospital that treat a wide range of health problems, from eye disease to mental illness. It was one of the first example of mental hospital that treated patients with music, sound of water, and scents.

We stayed for quite a while until late afternoon. We hopped onto a minibus that passed by the kulliye to return to the city otogar for our return ride to Istanbul. In Istanbul, we discovered a local eatery at Aksaray called Nederi Urfa. We had some lentil soup, meat kebabs, pizzas, and some dessert, for only 9 TYL each. Pretty good price.

2006.05.02_Mosques of Edirne

Photos: Ucserefei Camii ceiling, Eski Camii ceiling, Selimiye Camii ceiling, Interiors of Selimiye Camii.

A primary reason of coming to Edirne was to see its architecture. In a few hours we managed to visited three unique mosques and the Bayezid II Külliye Health Museum. We first visited the Ueserefei Camii and Eski Camii, two modest-size mosques with beautiful interior decorations. Mosques are often decorated with abstract patterns and Scripture from the Qu'ran in vivid. It was forbidden to depict realistic portraits of people and animals in a mosque. The carpet floor of the mosques are often made up with many pieces of small carpets put together. Each small carpet is richly decorated with the same pattern, and each is designated for one prayer.

The third mosque we visited was Selimiye Camii, designed by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century. With its 70m minarets, fine interior arrangement, and magnificent tile decorations, the Selimiye is one of the most famous Islamic architecture in Turkey, if not in the entire Muslim world. Sinan himself considered the Selimiye his best work.

Mimar Sinan is often referred to as the most famous architect in the Ottoman Empire. As the chief royal architect for three sultans, his works ranged from mosques to many institutional buildings in the 16th century. Sinan experimented with various configuration of domes, semi-domes and galleries to form a unified dome interior lit with natural light. He also arranged the mosque and other buildings into large complexes known as külliye.

2006.05.02_Edirne

Photos: Minaret of Selimiye Camii, Byzantine architecture (former Roman baths), Timber house with tin cladding, Little fruit vendor, Streetscape

In the morning, we took the tram and then underground to the main otogar, a large transportation hub where one can get on a coach and go to any destination in Turkey, and even to neighbouring countries. We picked one company (worth the time and effort to check out the options) for Edirne. Bus companies in Turkey come in various price and quality levels. In general, the buses are clean and pleasant, somewhat better than the greyhound coaches in North America.

Edirne is a relaxed city located near the Greek and Bulgarian border. Often regard as the gateway of Turkey, Edirne was once a crucial destination in between Europe and Istanbul. In the 14th and 15 centuries, it even served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. Significant buildings and mosques dotted all over the old city. We came mainly to see the magnificent Ottoman architecture.

Laid-back, pleasant, some street live but not crowded. Despite its great Ottoman architecture, Edirne felt like an entirely different world than Istanbul.