Karaağaç, Edirne

Karaağaç
Karaağaç

Location of Karaağaç in Turkey

Coordinates: 41°39′20″N 26°31′30″E / 41.65556°N 26.52500°ECoordinates: 41°39′20″N 26°31′30″E / 41.65556°N 26.52500°E
Country  Turkey
Region Marmara Region
Province Edirne
District Edirne
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 22050
Area code(s) +(90)284
Licence plate 22
Website

Karaağaç, (the name meaning elm, elm wood in Turkish) is a suburb of Edirne in northwestern Turkey at the border with Greece. Karaağaç is located 4 km southwest from the center of Edirne, across the river Maritsa and opposite the Greek village Kastanies. In 1890, the large Karaağaç railway station[1] was built in the town, which also served Edirne, becoming the last train stop in Turkey to Europe. The Turkish State Railways (TCDD) constructed in 1971 a new railway station at the opposite side of the river, abandoning the former one, which is now used as the administrative building of Trakya University.

When Greece held the town (1920-1923), Karaağaç was renamed Orestias, in remembrance of the ancient Thracian town with the same name, which probably lay near or at the site of present day Edirne. Orestias or Orestia is thought to have been the same town as Uscudama (other variants: Uskudama, Uskadama, Uskodama) or Odrysa (other variants: Odrysia, Odrysos, Odrysus) which was the first Odrysian capital.[2] Orestias took its name by the Greeks, at least from the time Philip II of Macedon took over the town. The Roman emperor Hadrian expanded the town into a city, gave it a strong fortification and renamed it to Hadrianopolis. However the name Orestias for the city of Hadrian, was still used by many writers at the Byzantine era, along with Adrianoupolis.[3] [4] [5]

References

  1. ↑ Trains of Turkey
  2. ↑ Duridanov, Ivan. The Language of the Thracians
  3. ↑ Anthon, Charles (1842). A Classical Dictionary, containing an account of the principal proper names mentioned in ancient authors, Harper and Brothers, New York. online.
  4. ↑ Smith, William (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, London. online.
  5. ↑ Mannert, Konrad (1812). Geographie der Griechen und Römer, Band 7, Nuremberg. online.