One of the most outstanding architectural masterpieces of Islamic culture is the Selimiye Mosque. This temple complex includes a school, a library, a hospital, baths, madrasas, clock room, a few shops. The building was built in 1568-1574, the famous architect Sinan, who believed the mosque to be his best work. When built this architectural masterpiece of the architect was about 90 years.

Mimar (which means "Builder") Sinan is one of the most famous architects in the Muslim world, whose name is associated unprecedented flowering of architecture of the Ottoman Empire. He designed more than three hundred buildings, architectural ensembles and religious structures erected on the territory of Turkey, Syria, Bosnia, Crimea. Sinan was born in the village of Asia Minor, and in his youth came under recruitment. Future architect was sent to Istanbul and became a traitor (personal guards of the Sultan, recruited not from Muslims). In one of campaigns of Suleiman the Magnificent in Moldova, Sinan supervised the construction of the bridge over the river Prut. The bridge was built in thirteen days and loved Sultan. After that Sinan was the chief Imperial architect and stayed in this position for about fifty years. As a military engineer he built underground pantries and bridges, as an architect – palaces, mosques, public baths and caravanserais. The most interesting works were erected to them in the second half of life.

The Selimiye mosque was built by order of Selim, son of Sultan süleyman and his wife roxelana. Unlike their parents, Selim was not attractive in appearance - fat, low growth, with a red swollen face. He possessed talents of a statesman or warrior. Selim was lazy, very dissolved and indifferent to everything except his own pleasures. Love for alcohol was the strongest passion of his. All Affairs of state he got to Grand the vizier Sokollu. It should be noted that this is the least prominent of the Ottoman sultans himself wrote poems in imitation of the Persian authors. The Sultan died in the bath, when he alone drinking a bottle of wine, slipped and fell, hitting his head on the marble slabs.

During the construction of the Selimiye mosque, Sinan created a unique octagonal support system of arches, which consists of eight reliable columns. Octahedron had made them not very massive, and, pushing back to the wall, to clear the Central space of the mosque. Small semi-dome, which alternate with piers, almost invisible from the outside. The facade is very clearly seen eight buttresses, which give a circular view of the whole construction. Upon first inspection you may not notice the rectangular layout of the mosque, which masked the original architectural solutions.

In the heart of the mosque is a magnificent fountain, with interesting carved roof, a rare religious buildings of those times. Four minarets with a height of about eighty feet, installed at the corners of the mosque. They are almost twice that of the Central dome and are second in the world by height after the minarets of Mecca. Inside the minarets are beautiful and isolated from each other by a spiral staircase, which can climb to the balconies (three to each of the minaret).

The lights in the building of the mosque comes after 24 Windows placed in the arches. Interior decoration of the building is skillfully decorated with a purple marble, wood carvings and calligraphy. In the prayer hall on six marble columns are five domes. In addition, it is decorated with stained glass and carved marble. In the decorative design of the courtyard used soft aderrasi red Sandstone. Around the mihrab and in the Sultan gallery to the left of it are the beautiful snicka tiles.

The Selimiye mosque, built of hewn stone, is on a small hill. Surrounded by four high, staring at the sky minarets, it dominates all the city's facilities, and is perfectly visible from everywhere. The entrance to the mosque and allowed for non-Muslims. The Selimiye mosque is among the main attractions not only of Edirne, but also throughout Turkey. Not so long ago the building was honored to get the List of UNESCO world heritage site.