Recep Gürkan

Edirne Mayor Recep Gürkan has requested a commission to be established over the increasing number of Bulgarian signs and posters in the city after a recent decision that no longer requires Bulgarian citizens to obtain a visa to visit Türkiye.

The traditional Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival, considered Türkiye's longest-running sports event, has kicked off for the 661st time in the northwestern province of Edirne.

Couples across the country flocked to local marriage offices to tie the knot in holy matrimony on Feb. 22, a date which numerologists considered lucky for getting married.

Officials in the northwestern province of Edirne have planted saplings of "Edirne rose," a local rose species that got lost over time, that they brought from a Bulgarian village in its own habitat, reviving the species once again.

"Edirne rose has reunited with the lands it once was born in," said Recep Gürkan, the mayor of the province, during a ceremony on Nov. 25.

The traditional Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition, Turkey's oldest sports event, kicks off today for the 660th time in the northwestern province of Edirne.

Wrestling fans and domestic and international visitors flocked to the province to see the major event that traces its roots to the early times of the Ottoman Empire.

The traditional Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition, which is considered Turkey's longest-running sports event, will start this weekend for the 660th time in the northwestern province of Edirne after a year of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The demolition of a statue located on the busiest street in the northwestern province of Edirne has sparked a debate among the residents of the city, which borders Greece and Bulgaria.
Saraçlar Street, which is the busiest street of the city, was closed to traffic in 2008 and a statue called Sevda Çeşmesi (Love Fountain) was erected in the middle of the street a year later.

The northwestern province of Edirne is preparing to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records with the world's largest pan for liver, Edirne Mayor Recep Gürkan said on May 8.

Edirne might be home to the world's second busiest border gate, but the northwestern Turkish city feels it does not see a fair share of the benefits of cross-border trade activities, according to the local mayor. 

"As people who are carrying the burden of living on the border, we would like to see more benefits," said Mayor Recep Gürkan. 

Excavations in the northwestern province of Edirne have unearthed a waterway that the famous Ottoman architect Sinan constructed to ensure access to clean water for the former imperial capital.

Clean water that came to an inn near one of the architect's masterpieces, Selimiye Mosque, was distributed to other mosques and neighborhoods through a water tank in the square.