Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex


World Heritage Identification Number: 1366

World Heritage since: 2011

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇹🇷 Türkiye

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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The Selimiye Mosque and Its Social Complex: A Masterpiece of Ottoman Architecture

The Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex, situated in the historic city of Edirne, Turkey, stands as a testament to the architectural prowess of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. Commissioned by Sultan Selim II and designed by the renowned architect Mimar Sinan, this monumental structure has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The square Mosque with its single great dome and four slender minarets, dominates the skyline of the former Ottoman capital of Edirne. Sinan, the most famous of Ottoman architects in the 16th century, considered the complex, which includes madrasas (Islamic schools), a covered market, clock house, outer courtyard and library, to be his best work. The interior decoration using Iznik tiles from the peak period of their production testifies to an art form that remains unsurpassed in this material. The complex is considered to be the most harmonious expression ever achieved of the Ottoman külliye, a group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution.

Encyclopedia Record: Selimiye Mosque, Edirne

The Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque, located in the city of Edirne, Turkey. It was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan between 1568 and 1575. It was considered by Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture as a whole and Ottoman architecture in particular.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 2.5 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (i) — Masterpiece of human creative genius
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 41.6777777778 , 26.5594444444

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Image of Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex

© Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
142 km — Bulgaria
Ancient City of Nessebar
146 km — Bulgaria
Madara Rider
184 km — Bulgaria
Archaeological Site of Troy
193 km — Türkiye
Archaeological Site of Philippi
204 km — Greece

Country Information: Türkiye

Flag of Türkiye

Official Name: Republic of Turkey

Capital: Ankara

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 85,518,661

Population (2023): 85,325,965

Population (2022): 84,979,913

Land Area: 769,630 sq km

Currency: Turkish lira (TRY)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Selimiye Mosque, Edirne, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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