KIRKLARELI

 

The Yildiz (Istranca) Mountains divide the province of Kirklareli. Lush mountainous landscape dotted with quaint houses transports you to an idyllic and trainquil frame of mind. The city of Kirklareli’s oldest mosque, the Hizirbey Mosque, was built in 1383. The mosque complex includes a bazaar. Nearby stands a hamam also built under Hizir Bey’s patronage. The 14th century Kirklar Memorial with its impressive 18 columns stands on Kirklar Hill honoring the site where 40 soldiers lost their lives when Ottomans conquered this area under the command of Murat I. The Archaeological Museum exhibits from local excavations. Kirklareli’s Black Sea Coast is another place to enjoy beaches and good fish restaurants. Igneada, 98 km east of Kirklareli, lies squeezed between its sandy shores and the Yildiz Mountains. Kiyikoy (Midye) is another holiday resort town with good accommodation picturesque dwellings from the Middle Ages; the town and its land walls date from the Byzantine period. The Sokollu Mosque in Luleburgaz, on the Edirne-Istanbul road is an exquisite work of Sinan’s that dates from 1570. The neighboring town of Babaeski also boasts a Sinan building in the Cedi Ali Pasa Mosque. Vize (Byzia), an important Byzantine center, houses of Kucuk Ayasofia Church and a castle, both dating from the Byzantine period. If you are travelling north to Bulgaria, linger for a few hours at the peaceful and green town of Derekoy, the last stop before the border.