Uzunköprü
Encyclopedia
Uzunköprü is a small town and a district of Edirne Province
in northwestern Turkey
.
It is on the railway line from Istanbul
towards Sofia
, Belgrade
and western Europe, and a frontier post on the Gree
k border.
Sultan
Murad II
. The ancient stone-built bridge, which has 174 arches, is 1329 m (4,360.2 ft) long and up to 6.8 m (22.3 ft) wide. Some of the arches are pointed and some are round. Uzunköprü is the longest stone bridge in Turkey.
The bridge was made to cross the Ergene
River, which was a natural barrier for advances into the Balkans
for the Ottoman Empire; its old name was Ergene Bridge . It is so long in order to cross a low-lying marshy area. The bridge was restored in 1963.
The Edirne
– Izmir
state road still passes over Uzunkopru.
Edirne Province
Edirne Province is the westernmost province of Turkey, located in Eastern Thrace along the Greek and Bulgarian border. The city's wealth, population and importance increased after it was declared as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire...
in northwestern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
It is on the railway line from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
towards Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and western Europe, and a frontier post on the Gree
Gree
Gree can refer to:* Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai, China*GREE, a popular Japanese social networking/gaming site operated by GREE, Inc.....
k border.
Long Bridge
The "Long Bridge" gave its name to the town. The bridge was built between 1426 and 1443 by head architect Muslihiddin on the orders of OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Murad II
Murad II
Murad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
. The ancient stone-built bridge, which has 174 arches, is 1329 m (4,360.2 ft) long and up to 6.8 m (22.3 ft) wide. Some of the arches are pointed and some are round. Uzunköprü is the longest stone bridge in Turkey.
The bridge was made to cross the Ergene
Ergene
Ergene is a major left tributary of the Maritsa river, flowing entirely in the East Thrace region of Turkey.The river rises from the southern part of Strandzha mountain, not far from the Black Sea and flows for 281 km before entering the Maritsa near the Turkish city of İpsala, with part of its...
River, which was a natural barrier for advances into the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
for the Ottoman Empire; its old name was Ergene Bridge . It is so long in order to cross a low-lying marshy area. The bridge was restored in 1963.
The Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
– Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
state road still passes over Uzunkopru.