Edirnekapı is a quarter of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It is part of the district of

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

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. It lies south of the

Blachernae Blachernae () was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. It is the site of a water source and a number of prominent churches were built there, most notably the great Church of St. Mary of ...

section of the Walls and of the neighborhood of

Ayvansaray Ayvansaray is a picturesque neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 15,747 (2022). It is on the Golden Horn, between Balat and Eyüpsultan. It lies inside what was the walled city on C ...

, northwest of

Karagümrük Karagümrük is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Fatih, Istanbul Province, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called E ...

and west of Salmatomruk. The quarter corresponds to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

quarter of Deuteron. The name Edirnekapı ("Gate of

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

") hearkens back to Edirne's Gate (the ancient Gate of Charisius), crossed by the old road, which led to Edirne, the ancient Adrianople in

Thracia Thracia or Thrace () is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkans, Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians. Thrace was ruled by the Odrysian kingdom during the Classical Greece, Classical and Hellenistic period, Hellenis ...

. The district had a significant percentage of Orthodox Christian population, which left it for more central areas after 1955. The quarter 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, the historic Hagia Yorgi

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

Church, and the imperial Mosque of Mihrimah Sultan. Outside the gate lies the

Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery The Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery (), one of the largest burial grounds of Istanbul, Turkey, is located in the neighborhood of Edirnekapı of Eyüp district, in the European part of the city. It consists of an old, historical part and a mode ...

, one of the oldest cemeteries of Istanbul. The famous legist

Ibrahim al-Halabi Burhān ad-Dīn Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥalabī (برهان الدين ٳبراهيم بن محمد بن ٳبراهيم الحلبى) was an Islamic jurist (''faqīh'') who was born around 1460 in Aleppo, and who died in 1549 ...

is buried here.

Hagia Yorgi Church

The

church is in Edirnekapı. The church was demolished during the time of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, at the order of

Constantine V Constantine V (; July 718 – 14 September 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able military leader, Constantine took advantage of Third Fitna, civil war ...

, and then rebuilt before being demolished to make way for Mihrimah Sultan mosque under the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1556. The church was moved to its present-day location and rebuilt, to be restored twice in the 18th century. However, the church collapsed entirely during the next century, to be rebuilt and restored yet again. In 2014, a nearly 4 million-

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

restoration project was launched, and completed in 2017.

Notes

References

* Quarters of Fatih Golden Horn Byzantine church buildings in Istanbul {{Istanbul-geo-stub