Edirnekapı, Istanbul

The restored Gate of Charisius or Adrianople Gate (Edirnekapı in Turkish), where Sultan Mehmed II entered the city.

Edirnekapı is a neighborhood (Mahalle) of Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of the district of Fatih and belongs to the walled city.

It corresponds roughly to the central part of the sixth Hill of Istanbul, which is the highest point of the walled city.^[1] It lies south of the Blachernae section of the Walls and of the neighborhood of Ayvansaray, north-west of Karagümrük and west of Salmatomruk. The quarter corresponds to the Byzantine quarter of Deuteron. The name Edirnekapı ("Gate of Edirne") hearkens back to Edirne's Gate (the ancient Gate of Charisius),^[2] crossed by the old road, which led to Edirne, the ancient Adrianople in Thracia. The district had a significant percentage of Orthodox population, which left it for more central areas after 1955.^[3]

The neighborhood is crossed by Fevzi Paşa Caddesi, one of the most important roads of the historic part of Istanbul.

Places of interest

Edirnekapı has several historical sites, like the Museum of Chora, an ancient Byzantine church, later converted to mosque, and the imperial Mosque of Mihrimah Sultan. Outside the gate lies the Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries of Istanbul.

Notes

References

• Janin, Raymond (1950). Constantinople Byzantine. Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines. 

Coordinates: 41°01′52″N 28°56′21″E / 41.03111°N 28.93917°E / 41.03111; 28.93917