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With Babaeski sitting between Edirne and Lüleburgaz, we decided to make a quick stop to see a couple Ottoman landmarks. It proved to be somewhat unsuccessful.
History of Babaeski
Babaeski was known as Bulgarophygon (Βουλγαρόφυγον) during Byzantine times. It was the site of a major Byzantine defeat at the hands of the Bulgarians in 896. The town is known as Arteskos (Αρτεσκός) in Greek.
The town received its Turkish name while Mehmed the Conqueror passed through town on his way to conquer Constantinople in 1453. According to a local legend, the Sultan met an old man in front of a mosque and asked when the town was established. The man responded “Eskidir, eski,” meaning “It is old, old.” When Mehmed asked the man’s age, he replied “Baba eski,” which means “The father is old.” Since then, the name Babaeski stuck.
Cedid Ali Pasha Mosque
Our van from Lüleburgaz pulled into the bus terminal, which is conveniently located right between the two landmarks. First, we attempted to visit the Cedid Ali Pasha Mosque (Cedid Ali Paşa Camii). It was built in 1555 by Cedid (Semiz) Ali Pasha (d. 1565), a Grand Vizier under Süleyman the Magnificent. The architect was Mimar Sinan (1490-1588), who apparently used the mosque as a model for the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne.
The mosque underwent a major renovation in 1832, and obviously again in 2019 because it was covered with scaffolding and closed to visitors. The minaret was destroyed by the Bulgarians during the Balkan Wars but was later rebuilt.
Babaeski Bridge
The second landmark is in a small park on the other side of the bus terminal. The Babaeski Bridge (Babaeski Köprüsü) was built in 1633 by Sultan Murad IV. It was made of cut stone and is still used as part of an international highway.
The bridge is 72 meters long and 5.85 meters wide. There’s a tower in the center and a balcony just opposite. The bridge is often mistakenly attributed to Mimar Sinan.
The park has a small modern bridge over the same river. It leads to a playground and tea gardens.
