Kırklareli Information & Kırklareli Links at HealthHaven.com

Kırklareli
Kırklareli
	Kırklareli monument to the "forties"
	Location of Kırklareli within Turkey.
	Coordinates: 41°44′N 27°13′E / 41.733°N 27.217°E
Country	Turkey
Region	Marmara
Province	Kırklareli
	Government
- Mayor	Cavit Çağlayan (Republican People's Party)
Elevation	203 m (666 ft)
	Population (2000)[1]
- Urban	60.000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	39x xx
Area code(s)	0288
Licence plate	39
Website	http://www.kirklareli.bel.tr

Kırklareli (see also its other names) is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. Ongoing archeological excavations in the city support the claim that the area may have been the location of the first organized settlement^{[citation needed]} on the European continent.

[edit] Name

It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name. Greek Byzantines called it "Forty Churches" ("Σαράντα Εκκλησιές", Saranta Ekklisiès) and in the XIV Century, this was translated to Turkish and called "Kırk Kilise" . During the Republican Period, Sanjaks became cities and on December 20, 1924, Kırk Kilise's name was changed to Kırklareli. The Bulgarian name of the town is Lozengrad, which means "vineyard town".

[edit] History

In 1878, Kırk Kilise was home to 6500 Bulgarians, 2000 Greeks and 2500 Turks. The city was damaged during the Greek War of Independence. During the Balkan Wars, Kırk Kilise was occupied by Bulgaria, and then by Greece in the aftermath of World War I. The city was retaken by the Turks on November 10, 1922. According to the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, non-Turks here were exchanged for Turks in Greece. Most of the inhabitants of the city are Turks who formerly lived in Thessaloniki until the First Balkan War of 1912.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Cultural Assets

Hızırbey Complex: This consists of the Hızırbey Mosque, Hızırbey Bath and Arasta (Bazaar)
Hızırbey Mosque: Located at the center of the city, it was built on a square plan by Köse Mihalzade Hızırbey in 1383. Built of cut stone and having one minaret, it was restored by Yusuf Pasha of Aydost in 1824. Still used today, the final praying place and garden walls of the mosque were built afterwards.
Hızırbey Bath: Also located at the center of the city and built adjacent to Bath and Arasta by Köse Mihalzade Hızırbey in 1383. There are two entrances, one each for women and men, and so it is also called "Paired Baths". According to an inscription in the women's bath, Hacı Hüseyin Ağa restored it between 1683 and 1704. Still used today, the outer walls are regular and built from coarse sandstone. It's a Turkish Bath in the traditional Ottoman architecture style.
Arasta (Bedesten): Built adjacent to Hızırbey Bath in a "T" form, it has arch-type walls. The upper cover is a vault 15 m long. There were 12 shops inside formed by three beams. It was restored in 1704.

Kırklareli is also host to the only cave that is open to tourists in Thrace, the Dupnisa Cave (which is believed to have formed 4 million years ago). Dupnisa Cave was used for Dionysian Rituals (Sparagmos) in ancient times. Even the name of Dionysus is believed to have come from Mount Nisa that is above the cave of Dupnisa.^{[citation needed]}