Uzunköprü is a town in

Edirne Province Edirne Province ( tr, ) is a Turkish province located in East Thrace. Part of European Turkey, it is one of only three provinces located entirely within continental Europe. Edirne Province is bordered by Tekirdağ Province and Kırklareli Pr ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the

Ergene Ergene ( tr, Ergene Nehri; grc, Εργίνης, ''Eryinis'') is a major left tributary of the Maritsa (Meriç) river, flowing entirely in the East Thrace region of Turkey. The river rises from the southern part of Strandzha mountain, not far fro ...

River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the Balkans and Europe. Uzunköprü is the largest and the second most populous town of Edirne Province. The town is served by Uzunköprü railway station.

Etymology

The Greek ( gr, Μακρά Γέφυρα, translit=Makrá Géphura) and Turkish names of the town can both be translated as ''long bridge''.

History

The history of Uzunköprü goes back to the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

Era (8000–5500). In the field surveys conducted in Maslıdere, situated along the route going to Kırkkavak village to the south, many ware fragments overlaid with ornamental striped and pressed figures have been discovered with designs that have never been encountered in Greece and Bulgaria. Nevertheless, the information about this era is inadequate because the researches haven't been taken further. In addition, the history of the region from these ages to the 15th century BC is still unknown, so the previous claims do not stand. In 15th century BC the land began to be settled by the Thracians and they had become tho sole owner of the place for a long time. However, after the 7th century BC the Thracian domination came to end by the continuous invasions over the years and got into the hands sequentially of Greeks, Persians, Romans and Byzantines. Although the region has a very old past, a city had never been able to be built on the area where today's Uzunkopru exists because it'd been covered with vast swamps and dense forests till the Ottomans. That's why, the closest city to today's settlement built in the region is

Plotinopolis Plotinopolis ( el, Πλωτινούπολις) is an ancient city founded in Thrace by the Roman emperor Trajan and named after his wife, Pompeia Plotina. In the 6th/7th centuries, it was replaced by the nearby city of Didymoteichon. History In ...

, established by the Roman Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

(AD 53–117) on the banks of the

Maritsa River Maritsa or Maritza ( bg, Марица ), also known as Meriç ( tr, Meriç ) and Evros ( ell, Έβρος ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,Didymoteicho Didymoteicho ( el, Διδυμότειχο, Didymóteicho ) is a city located on the eastern edge of the Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town ...

in Greek Thrace, that was named after Trajan's wife Pompeia Plotina and became a bishopric, suffragan of

Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian border ...

. This ancient city is also called Old Uzunkopru. Eventually, the region was captured from the Byzantine Empire after the

Ottoman conquest of Adrianople Adrianople, a major Byzantine city in Thrace, was conquered by the Ottomans sometime in the 1360s, and eventually became the Ottoman capital, until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Background Following the capture of Gallipoli by the Ottoman ...

(which became renamed

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders ...

) in the 1360s, and only afterwards it could be possible for Uzunkopru city to be established. Uzunköprü is the first Turkish city established in

Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...

by the Ottoman Empire. It was founded by Great Sultan

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

in 1427 under the name of ''Ergene City''. The establishment of the city is the result of both the necessity of a settlement place acting as a junction point on the ways connecting the Ottoman capital Edirne to

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

and the Balkans and secondly taking16 years to build the Long Bridge over the Ergene River. Murat II decided to build a stone bridge over the Ergene River when his army couldn't pass the river during a campaign against Gallipoli because of the flood caused by the heavy rain at that time and collapse of the temporary wooden bridges easily. The first 360- arched stone bridge built between 1424 and 1427 wasn't found satisfactory, thereby destructed and rebuilt by Murad II. It is that second bridge existing in the city today. The construction of this second bridge had lasted from 1427 to 1443 and could be finished in 16 years. Due to the long-lasting works, the meeting of the needs of the workers and the soldiers protecting them and the area became indispensably necessary and had to be built a mosque, public kitchen, caravanserai, madrasah, hammam and two water mills as facilities besides. Subsequently, families from firstly Edirne and later the Turkmen tribes who had passed onto Rumelia was brought and settled in the region to maintain and develop those facilities, thus it was laid the foundations of the city. This very first settlement called as ''Cisr-i Ergene'' (Ergene Bridge) had immediately become the trade route of the merchants carrying goods from Edirne to Gallipoli overland for shipping to Europe, Egypt and Syria, and flourished rapidly. In the beginning of 20th century the small town have mixed population of Turks, Bulgarians, Greeks, Orthodox Albanians, Armenians, Jews, Gypsies etc. In 1913 Turks uprooted 300 Bulgarian families,Любомиръ Милетичъ. „Разорението на тракийскитѣ българи презъ 1913 година“, Българска Академия на Науките, София, Държавна Печатница, 1918
/ref> and till 1922 evicted all Greeks, Orthodox Albanians, Armenians etc. Uzunköprü remained under Turkish sovereignty uninterruptedly till the 19th century. However, in the following years it had been occupied four times up to the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire: by Russia twice, from 20 August to 20 November 1829 and 21 January 1878 to 13 March 1879; by Bulgaria, from 2 November 1912 to 19 July 1913 and lastly by Greece, from 25 July 1920 to 18 November 1922. In the last occupation the Greeks renamed Uzunköprü ''Makrifere''. The city regained its present name after reconquered by the Turks on 18 November 1922. Eventually, Uzunköprü was left in Turkey in the Lausanne Treaty signed after the Turkish Independence War with the Allied Powers with which the

Maritsa River Maritsa or Maritza ( bg, Марица ), also known as Meriç ( tr, Meriç ) and Evros ( ell, Έβρος ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of , Uzunköprü city is located at the westernmost border of Turkey and in the middle of Edirne province. It is bordered by Greece and Meric town to the west, Tekirdag to the east, Kırklareli to the northeast, Ipsala and Kesan to the South, Edirne city and Havsa to the North. It has an area of 1224 km² (472 sq mi). Because it was established on Ergene Plain, almost 75% of the city's territory is made up of low-lying areas that has an elevation of 18 m. Small hills and plateaus scattered especially to the north and the south from place to place form the sole heights encountered in the region. The highest point of the city is Suleymaniye Hill with a 221 m (725 ft) height. Uzunköprü's weather is under the influence of severe Thracian Transitional Type of the Mediterranean climate which is a mixture of continental and maritime climates. The winds generally blow from the north with medium speed. While summers are hot and near-rainless, winters pass cold and precipitation often takes the form of snow. Most of the rain falls in the spring. Although the city has a semi-humid climate, its flora is steppe. As 70% of the unbuilt area is composed of arable soils that's allocated to cultivation, 20% of the rest is meadows and pastures, and 10% is forests and shrubland. The amount of the forestland has started to increase in the last years in result of the afforestation works.

The Long Bridge, Uzunköprü

Uzunköprü is the longest historical stone bridge of the world, and gives its name to Uzunköprü town. It was built by head architect Muslihiddin between 1427–1443 to span the Ergene river with the order of Sultan Murad II and brought into use with a ceremony attended by the Sultan himself in 1444. It's been located on a militarily and commercially highly strategic point connecting the capital Edirne to Galipoli and the Western Rumelia. The bridge was built of binding ashlar blocks brought from the quarries in Yagmurca, Eskikoy and Hasırcıarnavut villages, to each other with Horasan cement. The construction process was supervised firstly by Ghazi Mahmud Bey and after his death by Ishak Bey. Although today its length is 1238.55 m (4063 ft) from the first arch to the last, its original length used to be 1392 m (4566 ft) with extended wings that don't exist today. The reason of why it was built this long was that the region used to be covered with vast swamps in that period. In addition, because the Ergene River causes flood in rainy season, the arches over the river were built high and opened seven bleed ports in them to prevent the bridge from collapse. The wings and arches of the bridge which has 13.56 m (44.48 ft) height, are embellished with several lion, elephant, bird, eagle, tulip and geometric relief motifs. Because it has been through a lot of flood and earthquake disasters since the construction, the bridge underwent many restorations during the tenures of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, Osman II, Mahmud II and Abdulhamid II to repair the damages. In the final restoration made between 1964 and 1971 in the Republic period, its width was increased from 5.24 m (17.19 ft) to 6.80 m (22.3 ft) by widening from the both sides and lost its originality. In addition, the initial arch number of 174 reduced to 172 after one of them collapsed in time and two of them were united as one. However, with a new restoration and rehabilitation work thought to be performed, the bridge was planned to return to its original form and get pedestrianized.

Other sights

The Monument of Liberty (Liberty Fountain)

It is the democracy monument erected in memory of the reenactment of the Ottoman Constitution that's one of the milestones of the history of the Turkish democracy. With the re-declaration of the Constitution ( Kanun-i Esasi) on 23 July 1908, the Ottoman Empire's regime was changed from absolute monarchy to parliamentary regime and started an unprecedented era of freedom in the whole Empire. Uzunkopru didn't stay idle to these new political changes and the Liberty Monument was erected at the right side of the bridge's entry in such a political atmosphere to celebrate this great event with the contributions of the District Governor and Ottoman intellectual Mazhar Müfit Kansu and the Mayor Hafiz Ismail Yayalar on 11 December 1908. Measuring in height, the monument was placed on a pedestal. Although in its initial form, there were two fountains as one on the front for people and the other on the left for animals, these fountains were removed and covered up in 1938. The four themes of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

; liberty, equality, fraternity and justice were written on the markers and put atop of the first liberty monument of the Turkish history on the four sides. However, the original markers were lost while the monument was being moved to left of its primary place during the bridge restoration in 1964 and haven't been able to be found so far. The markers existing on the monument today are the replicas of their genuines. The Monument of Liberty was saved from oblivion with a complete restoration and opened to public just 104 years after it was built on 11 December 2012.

The Mosque of Murad II (Muradiye Mosque)

The Mosque of Murad II which is located in the Muradiye neighbourhood, was built by

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

(reigned 1421–1444 and 1446– 1451) along with the Uzunkopru and opened to service in 1444. It's one of the mosques carrying the title of ''Selatin'', a mosque commissioned by the Ottoman dynasty. Although the Muradiye Mosque was originally built as a part of

Külliye A külliye ( ota, كلية) is a complex of buildings associated with Turkish architecture centered on a mosque and managed within a single institution, often based on a waqf (charitable foundation) and composed of a madrasa, a Dar al-Shifa ("c ...

, areligious building complex, with a

hammam A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and ...

(bayh) and an

imaret Imaret, sometimes also known as a ''darüzziyafe'', is one of a few names used to identify the public soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries. These public kitchens were often part of a larger complex ...

(public kitchen) around, today only the mosque has survived. The mosque made of rubble is seated on a rectangular base measuring 22 m (72 ft) in length and in width. Although initially the roof used to be structured as a dome, later this dome was removed during the renovation works in

Osman II Osman II ( ota, عثمان ثانى ''‘Osmān-i sānī''; tr, II. Osman; 3 November 1604 – 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young ( tr, Genç Osman), was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 26 February 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 162 ...

period (1618–1622) and replaced with a span roof coated with lead. It is the biggest span roofed mosque built up by the Ottomans. It has a capacity of 500 people. On the other hand, with a height, it is pretty low for a mosque. That is why, its windows are almost aligned with the fringes of the roof. In front of the mosque, there is a last congregation porch that has the dimensions of . Although in its original state 12 wooden pillars were used to support the porch, in the restorations performed in the ensuing years, those pillars have been removed and a wall built instead. Apart from this, the mosque hosts a small cemetery in the backside, where the prominent people of the city were interred. The

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

adjacent to the wall of the mosque is made of

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

and introduced into the body with Turkish triangles on a rectangular pedestal. The minaret body is round and has a single balcony. The courtyard of the mosque has three gates situated as two in the west and one in the east. On the main entrance gate located in the west, there is a marble inscription plaque written by the famous Ottoman historian Abdurrahman Hibri recording that the mosque was built by Murad II in 1443 and renovated by Osman II in 1621. In the courtyard, there is a shadirvan (fountain) covered with a pyramidal spire just across the main entrance. It has an octagonal prism basin and eight taps. The fountain's former eight wooden poles were replaced in a renovation work in 1993 with reinforced concrete columns. The tradition of serving

sharbat Sharbat ( fa, شربت, ; also transliterated as ''shorbot'', ''šerbet'' or ''sherbet'') is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with ...

to the congregation after religious practices in the Ottoman Empire was started for the first time by pouring sharbat from this fountain's taps.

The Church of St. John the Baptist

Church of Saint John the Baptist, Uzunköprü (1)

The

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Saint John the Baptist Church ( tr, Aziz Ioannis Kilisesi) was built by the Greek community on behalf of

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

(Ioannis Prodromos) in 1875. It is located in the Muradiye neighborhood in Uzunkopru. The church is built of rubble with red bricks scattered among. It was structured as in basilica style with three naves and semi-dome. The apse and the roof are covered with tile. Also the apse and the naves contains barrel vaulted rectangular windows. The walls of the middle nave are embellished with the frescos depicting twelve apostles separately as six on the right and six on the left. It is known that over 17,000 Greek citizens had been baptized in the St. John the Baptist Church from 1875 until they left the city in 1924 as a result of the Population Exchange Protocol between Turkey and Greece signed in the

Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (french: Traité de Lausanne) was a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–23 and signed in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially settled the confl ...

. While the Greek citizens were leaving the city, they took all the items belonging to the church including the great bell, which is being used in the Church of

Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope m ...

now. From 1924 to 2011, the church has been left idle without any use. The St. John Church has gained back its old grandeur with the restoration work lasting from 2011 to 2013 by the Uzunköprü Municipality, and opened its doors again after a long time with a big ceremony attended by

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...

Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the '' ...

on 16 December 2013. Today, the church serves as the Art and Culture Center of Uzunköprü.

Gazi Turhan Bey Mosque and Tomb

A mosque and tomb were built on behalf of

Gazi A ''ghazi'' ( ar, غازي, , plural ''ġuzāt'') is an individual who participated in ''ghazw'' (, '' ''), meaning military expeditions or raiding. The latter term was applied in early Islamic literature to expeditions led by the Islamic prophe ...

Turhan Bey Turhan Bey (born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi, 30 March 192230 September 2012). was an Austrian-born actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.. Aft ...

, who was one of the most famous commanders of Sultan Murat II and Mehmet II (Mehmet the Conqueror) era. He was the son-in-law of Sultan Murat II and brother-in-law of Sultan Mehmet II. His father

Pasha Yiğit Bey Pasha Yiğit Bey or Saruhanli Pasha Yiğit Bey ( sh, Pašait-beg, also ''Pasaythus'' or ''Basaitus'' d. 1413) was an Ottoman civil and military officer at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century. Life He was born in Manisa and wa ...

and his son Ömer Bey were prominent commanders of their time, too. Although his birth and death dates are uncertain, it's generally accepted that he died in mid-1456 and was buried into the tomb built for him in Kırkkavak village. The village of Kırkavak, which is 8 km away from Uzunkopru, was bestowed as a foundation on him in exchange for his distinguished services in 1454. He built up a ''Külliye'' in this village. Evliya Çelebi mentioned about this village in his famous ''Seyahatname'' (Book of Travels) as a village with a beautiful mosque, inn (han) and Turkish bath (hammam) in 1658. Today, only the mosque and tomb of this ''Külliye'' still exist. The mosque and the tomb carry the same characteristic structural features with the other contemporary counterparts in Edirne. They both were built on square-plan and made of rubble and brick. In addition the mosque and the tomb which are pretty humble in terms of inner decoration, have single domes covered with lead atop. The mosque was built with one minaret with a balcony and a wooden porch inside as a conclusion of the tradition and the necessity. They both were restored and opened to visit in 2008.

City Museum

Uzunköprü City Museum ( tr, Uzunköprü Belediyesi Kent Müzesi) was opened to service on 16 December 2013 with conversion of the ex- Tekel (Turkish State Liquor and Tobacco Company) building to a museum following its restoration. The museum building, which is a historical structure on its own, was constructed as a private mansion in the beginning of the 20th century, and from 1939 it had started to be used as Tekel storage, outlet and lodge. After the abolition of the Tekel in Uzunköprü in the 1990s, the building was left disused and had almost come to the brink of collapse. It was recovered by making a museum out of it and transformed into a center sheltering the relics the city possesses. The double-storied museum has six rooms, and each room was turned into chambers, where the artifacts are displayed by classification according to their species. While the historical items are being displayed generally in the three rooms downstairs, the rooms modified as Bride's and Living Rooms and the Coffee Corner upstairs take the visitors to the scenes, where the past is revived. The Museum is open to visit for free every weekday except Mondays and holidays.

The Telli Fountain

The Telli Fountain ( tr, Telli Çeşme) is a four-sided four-taps stone

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

located in the Telli Square in the center of the city. Taking the ornaments and the design of the fountain in consideration, it is believed that it was built in the

Tulip period The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era (Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, tr, Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peacef ...

in beginning of the 18th century. The motifs carved on the stone fountain are curved branches and cypress. There are also relief motifs of Istanbul tulip, which is extinct today. The inscription and the decorations on the fountain were erased during the Greek occupation of Uzunköprü. Only their traces are visible today. The fountain was moved to its current place in 1960.

References

External links

Uzunköprü website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzunkopru Cities in Turkey Greece–Turkey border crossings Districts of Edirne Province Populated places in Edirne Province