Sinekkale

Sinekkale, literally the Castle of Flies, is actually a complex of ancient farmstead buildings, located in Cilicia. These buildings date back to the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. They belonged to the so-called villa rustica. This Latin phrase describes a villa located in rural areas. A villa rustica was the heart of a large agricultural estate (latifundium). It served both as a residence of the landowner, his family, and retainers and also as a farm management centre. It was surrounded by barns, sheds, and residential buildings for workers and slaves. Such was also the case in Sinekkale where an olive-oil press was identified among other workshops, on the estate's extensive grounds.

Sinekkale
Sinekkale

Adramyttion

Despite the widespread belief that the ancient city of Adramyttion was situated in modern Edremit, as its name is a corruption of the ancient one. However, the case is a bit more complicated. The ruins of Adramyttion are located in the beach district of the town of Burhaniye, known simply as Ören i.e. ruins, 24 km to the south of Edremit.

Adramyttion
Adramyttion

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque in Edirne

While walking around Edirne, visitors find numerous historical buildings from the Ottoman period. The most famous of them is undoubtedly the Selimiye Mosque, which makes the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, there are also mosques completely forgotten and neglected. An excellent example of such a structure is Atik Alipaşa mosque, located in the Kaleiçi district.

Atik Ali Pasha Mosque in Edirne (in 2012)
Atik Ali Pasha Mosque in Edirne (in 2012)

Saray Baths in Edirne

After the conquest of Adrianople by the Ottoman army led by Sultan Murat I in 1365, the city became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. It lost its exceptional status only after the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. The Saray Baths (tr. Saray Hamamı) is one of the few remaining structures of the Old Edirne Palace, erected in the 14th century.

Saray Baths in Edirne
Saray Baths in Edirne

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