Hürrem sultan’s palace to be preserved

The palace where the wife of Süleyman the Magnificent, Hürrem Sultan, lived in Edirne has been under restoration since 2009, and is set to be opened to the public soon Edirne Palace, located next to the River Tunca in the western province of Edirne, is currently under restoration and will soon be opened to the public, along with its surrounding area. The palace was home to Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Süleyman the Magnificent during the glory years of the Ottoman Empire.

When the Ottoman Empire took control of Edirne in 1361, they ordered for a palace to be constructed around the Selimiye Mosque. When this first palace did not meet the expectations of the sultan, the Edirne Palace was then constructed.

There is little information available on the first palace, and the only detail historians know is that the first palace was ruined during the construction of Selimiye Mosque’s social complex and included in the land of Selimiye.

The construction of the Edirne Palace started at the time of Murat II and ended during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. Although Istanbul was the capital, the palace was seen as important symbol of the Ottoman Empire.

Excavation works that have been continuing for six years in the area of the palace have so far unearthed the Ottoman era sewerage system, kitchen tools of the palace and the perfume bottles used by Hürrem Sultan. Now the plan is to take this area under protection and turn it into an ancient site.

The head of the excavations and Bahçeşehir University associate professor, Mustafa Özer, said the works were being carried out in collaboration with the Culture Ministry and the university.

“Within the scope of the works...