Tekirdag » Entertainment » Attractions

Tekirdag is a beautiful city with a 1.5 km shore to the Black Sea. It forms the capital of the Tekirdag province in Turkey. The city has many beautiful sites to offer amidst its cultural splendour.

Rustum Pasha Mosque

Rustum Pasha was the son-in-law of the Sultan Suleiman, the Magnificent. This mosque was built in the Ertugrul neighbourhood, by the orders of Rustum Pasha himself. The courtyard features a marble fountain that is covered by a pentagon roof coated with lead. The Rustum Pasha Mosque is a work of Sinen, who is probably the biggest architect of the Ottoman Empire.

Address: Ertuğrul Mh, 59100 Tekirdağ/Tekirdağ Province, Turkey

Melen Sarapcilik Winery

The Melen Winery has been upholding its heritage from the last three generations. The winery hosts tours through its vineyards and cellars. Here guests can visit the ruins of a Greek orthodox monastery located in the vineyards. They can have breakfast in the vineyards and watch the harvest if it is a harvest day. Watching the processing of grapes in the winery and wine tasting is an experience that stays with you.

Address: Sahil Yolu No 6, Hoskoy-Sarkoy, Tekirdag
Tel: +90 282 5386005

The Old Mosque

This is another mosque located in Ertugrul. The Old Mosque was built in 1830. Ahmet Aga of Tekirdag was the minister of agriculture at this time. The Old Mosque was constructed under his order. Curtain motifs decorate the octagonal fountain in front of the mosque. The hexagonal shaped altar-niche features an oyster motif.

Address: Ertuğrul Mh., 59100 Tekirdağ/Tekirdağ Province, Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Statue

He is the First President and the founder of Republic of Turkey. The name Ataturk meaning ‘Father of the Turks’ was granted to him. The Turkish parliament forbade anyone else from being given the same distinction. There are no doubt memorials built all over Turkey to honour the legacy of Kemal Ataturk. However, the town centre of Tekirdag boasts of the only life size statue of Ataturk.

Address: Tekirdag town centre

Ertugrul Neighbourhood Bazaar

This is an ancient building and has been renovated several times in history throughout its existence of more than a hundred years. The renovation over the years has taken away its original structure. It is also called bedesten. It now houses herbalist shops.

Barıs ve Ozgurluk Parki

This is a parkland area sitting near the otogar and the marina. Statues of Namık Kemal and Francis II Rakoczi feature in the park. It is also home to a wooden statue of Kelemen Mikes, carved in Hungarian fashion. Plane trees planted by the Hungarian president and other notable objects of the time it opened, feature in the park.

Address: Hürriyet Mh., 59030 Tekirdağ/Tekirdağ Province, Turkey

Traditional Houses in Tekirdag

Some of the 18^th and 19^th century houses in Tekirdag have been spared the hand of urbanisation. Some of these are wooden houses, while others are built out of stone or bricks in Mediterranean style. Most of these houses are nearing or are in total ruin. To get a view of Tekirdag looked a hundred years ago, these houses have to be viewed in clusters. The hill between otogar and the downtown, overlooking the sea is a good place to see these traditional houses. The streets themselves that overlook the sea between Archaeology and Ethnography Museum and Rakoczi Museum are also a good site to view these ancient houses.

Rakoczi Fountain

The fountain features Turkish and Ottoman inscriptions. The fountain was built by Rakoczi and sits between two old trees, which have been probably planted by Francis II Rakoczi himself. The fountain sits in the industrial area of the city today, where once it formed the centre of the vineyards that circled the city.