Edirne, Turkey - October 29, 2017: Tourists visiting the Selimiye Mosque at Edirne, Turkey.  the masterpiece of famous architect Mimar Sinan and one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture.

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Thrace & Marmara

Grand narratives have unfolded in this corner of Turkey for millenniums, leaving an extraordinary archaeological site (Troy), a city of Ottoman buildings (Edirne), historically significant battlefields (Gallipoli) and a culturally fascinating and physically beautiful island outpost (Gökçeada) for visitors to explore. It was here that Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont on his conquering march to Persia, and where the Achaeans (Greeks) and Trojans fought the war immortalised by Homer in the Iliad. Mehmet II launched his campaign to conquer Constantinople from the Ottoman capital of Edirne, and nearly 500 years later Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Peninsula, triggering a bloody stand-off with Turkish troops that would drag on for nine long months and help to define the modern nations of Turkey, Australia and New Zealand. History continues to echo, but there is an increasingly contemporary verve in the student bars of Çanakkale and the vineyards of Thrace.


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