Kırklareli
Kirklareli is a city in the Marmara Region of Turkey. It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name. Ancient Greeks and Romans called it Salmydessus and the Byzantine Greeks called it Saranta Ekklisiès (Σαράντα Εκκλησιές, meaningforty churches). In the 14th century this was translated to Turkish and called “Kırk Kilise”. Following the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, sanjaks (an administrative regions under the Ottoman Empire) became cities and on December 20, 1924, Kırk Kilise’s name was changed to Kırklareli, meaning The Place of the Forties. The denomination Kırklareli was already used years before 1924, for example in the contemporary literature concerning the Balkan Wars of 1912–13. The Bulgarian name of the town is Lozengrad which means Vineyard Town.
There are lots of pieces of art, reflecting Ancient Age, Medieval Age, Byzantium and Ottoman culture in a territory city, Kırklareli, and it has an ideal center position for coastal tourism, culture, caravan, camping and water sports tourism, hunt and nature tourism like various branches.
Places To Visit;
Kırklareli Museum has 553 ethnographic, 1189 archeological, 1995 coins, a total of 3737 registered pieces of art.
Hızırbey Complex consists of the Hızırbey Mosque, Hızırbey Bath and Arasta (Bazaar).
Important Complex (Kulliyes) of the city are Hızır Bey Külliye in Kırklareli center and Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Külliye in Lüleburgaz district.
Important churches and monasteries are Small Hagia Sophia Churchat Vize province, Mağara Monastery, Ayanikola Sacred Fountain and Monastery, Rock Monastery in Kaynarca, Byzantium Period Vize Cavern Monastery and Byzantium Period Ayanikola Monastery in Kıyıköy.
There’s the famous Dupnisa Cavewhich is believed to be formed 4 million years ago and used for Dionysian Rituals (Sparagmos) in the ancient times.
Aşağıpınar district is settled by various tribes from Neolithic period till Hellenistic period and is worth seeing.
There are 92 registered tumuli is with in territories of the city. Some of them are; Kırklareli A,B,G tumuli, Alpullu Mound Hill Tumulus, Lüleburgaz Kepirtepe Tumulus, Düz Orman Tumulus and Islam Bey Tumulus.
