Selimiye Camii

Magnificent mosque that dominates the city skyline, approach from northwest to appreciate the full effect and miss the shops. It's the masterpiece of Mimar Sinan, built 1569-75, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The eight pillars supporting the dome are unobtrusive, so the dome hangs over a vast interior space, while 999 windows admit a flood of light. Four delicate fluted minarets soar to 70.89 m, surpassed only by Qutb Minar in Delhi. The interior is decorated with calligraphy and geometrical designs in pink and blue. The inverted tulip decoration, an emblem of Edirne, is said to acknowledge the previous landowner who was reluctant to give up his tulip garden for the mosque to be built.

WIKIVOYAGE · EDIRNE · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗