Last updated on December 29, 2023.

If you have some extra time or are staying overnight in Edirne, I suggest walking to the ruins of Edirne Palace. It’s within walking distance of the historic city center and there are some interesting things to see along the way. 

 

Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex

The first site you’ll come to on the way to the palace is the Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex. Edirne is famous for its oil wrestling competition, which has taken place there annually around the end of June since 1346.

Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex in Edirne, Turkey
Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex
Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex in Edirne, Turkey
Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex

Wrestlers cover their entire bodies in olive oil and fight on the grass until one is pinned. The overall winner is called the başpehlivan. Statues of legendary wrestlers adorn the exterior of the stadium.

Monument to wrestlers at the Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex in Edirne, Turkey
Monument to wrestlers
Monument to wrestlers at the Kırkpınar Wrestling Complex in Edirne, Turkey
Monument to wrestlers

 

Justice Pavilion

Next to the stadium is the Justice Pavilion (Adalet Kasrı). It was built in 1561 by Mimar Sinan and is the only remaining structure of the old Ottoman palace completely intact. This is where the statutory law of the Ottoman Empire was proclaimed.

Adalet Kasrı in Edirne, Turkey
Justice Pavilion

In front of the tower are two stones. The first stone was used to assess petitions of subjects of the empire. The second stone was used to display the heads of those the Sultan had sentenced to death. Click here for a virtual tour.

 

Edirne Palace

A bit further ahead are the ruins of Edirne Palace (Edirne Sarayı), also called the New Imperial Palace (Saray-ı Cedid-i Amire). Construction started in 1450 under Murad II, when Edirne was the capital of the empire, and finished by Mehmed the Conqueror (Mehmed II) in 1475, after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

Edirne Palace was continuously used until 1718 and later fell into disrepair. The Russians used it as a military camp when they occupied the city in 1829, and it was mostly destroyed after a nearby ammunition depot was blown up during the Russo-Turkish War in 1878.

Archaeological works on the palace started in 2004 and some of it has been partially rebuilt. It’s predicted that the entire complex will be rebuilt for use as an international conference center. There were originally 72 buildings, 14 mansions, 18 hamams, 8 mosques, 17 gates, and 13 cellars.

Sarayiçi in Edirne, Turkey
Panoramic Pavilion (Cihannüma Kasrı)
Palace gate at Sarayiçi in Edirne, Turkey
Gate of Felicity (Bab’üs Sa’ade)

Two of the buildings that have been restored are the Imperial Kitchen (Matbah-ı Amire) and the Sand Pavilion Hamam (Kum Kasrı Hamamı). An interpretive panel shows a map of the site and pictures of the kitchen before restoration.

Palace kitchen at Sarayiçi in Edirne, Turkey
Imperial Kitchen
Palace kitchen before restoration at Sarayiçi in Edirne, Turkey
Imperial Kitchen before restoration
Hamam at Sarayiçi in Edirne, Turkey
Sand Pavilion Hamam

 

Balkan Wars Memorial

Nearby is the Edirne Balkan Wars Memorial (Edirne Balkan Savaşı Şehitliği), a monument to soldiers of the Balkan Wars during the Siege of Edirne. It’s actually a mass grave containing several thousand soldiers.

 

In the Area

If you decide to head to the Bayezid II Complex from Edirne Palace you’ll have about a 15 minute walk. The views of central Edirne along the way will be spectacular.

View of Edirne and Selimiye Camii in Edirne, Turkey
View of Edirne and the Selimiye Mosque

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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