“Old Father” Town Population: 29,000
Festival: Kakava – early May
Babaeski is one of those places that comes as a complete surprise despite the fact that it boasts a mosque designed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan and one of the most exquisite stone bridges to be found anywhere in the country. What’s more, both these sights are right beside the bus station, so it could hardly be handier to explore.
Around town
The Cedit Ali Paşa Mosque was built in 1572, and while it may not live up to the high standards set by Sinan’s masterpiece, the Selimiye in Edirne, it’s still an attractive building, its single minaret and dome reconstructed at a later date as shown in photographs displayed in the porch. The most recent renovation, only completed in 2008, has left the interior impressively glistening and new.
Right beside it is the Mimar Sinan Köprüsü (bridge), reminiscent of the one spanning the Meriç River in Edirne. Seventy-two meters long and with six graceful arches, it was designed in 1633 by an architect called Çoban (“Shepherd”) Kasım Ağa. Traffic still pounds across it, which makes it hard to appreciate the two central kiosks where it should be possible to stand and gaze at the stream below but if you clamber down the banks behind the riverside tea gardens you’ll be able to get close enough to the arches to appreciate the decorative flourishes on the keystones — which will leave you with nothing but contempt for the crude metal footbridge modern town planners have provided as a nearby alternative.
This is a part of Turkey with a large settled Roma population who seem to have arrived in the 15th century. In the fields around Babaeski, you will probably see Roma women herding their sheep or weaving huge straw baskets. Their produce goes on sale in local street markets, especially the one in Uzunköprü, another town further south which is renowned for a particularly lengthy bridge.
Every May the Roma host the colourful Kakava festival, a Balkan gypsy gathering to celebrate the coming of summer. It is virtually identical to Hıdrellez, also in early May, which is celebrated by the Alevi population around Antakya and by the Roma residents of İstanbul. Kakava is a lively occasion featuring music and daredevils vaulting over bonfires.
Sleeping
Most people will probably want to stay either in nearby Edirne or in İstanbul for a better choice of accommodation.
Transport info
You can catch a bus to Babaeski from Kırklareli or Edirne.
Driving between Babaeski and Kırklareli you’ll pass a pleasantly rural Kent Ormanı (City Forest) that makes a great place for a picnic.
