Edirne Palace

The Edirne Palace, also Sarayi Cedid-i Amire or New Imperial Palace, was a sprawling Ottoman palace complex along the Tunca River outside Edirne. Begun under Murad II and completed in 1475 by Mehmed II, it served as a summer residence and administrative seat of sultans both before and after the conquest of Constantinople. The compound held more than 100 structures on a site larger than Istanbul's Topkapi Palace. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 the palace was blown up and burnt; today only foundations, parts of the Justice Hall and the Eagle Tower survive. Reconstruction is ongoing. The site lies a short distance from central Edirne and is freely accessible.