Kırklareli

Kırklareli is a city in the European part of Turkey and the administrative center of both Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District. It lies in the eastern part of the historical region of Thrace, close to the Bulgarian border and within the wider hinterland of the Istranca, or Strandzha, mountain range. The city had a population of 85,493 in 2022. The date of Kırklareli’s foundation is not known. Archaeological evidence from the surrounding area indicates organized settlement from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, placing the locality within one of the earliest inhabited zones of the European continent. Local tradition associates the first settlement with Thracian communities, vineyards and sanctuaries dedicated to the sun god Sabazios. The city was later known in Greek as Saranta Ekklisies, meaning “forty churches,” a name that was rendered into Turkish as Kırk Kilise. Its Bulgarian name, Lozengrad, means “Vineyard Town.” In the early Turkish Republic, the official name was changed from Kırk Kilise to Kırklareli on December 20, 1924. The settlement has repeatedly changed political and cultural surroundings. Persian forces conquered the area during the reign of Darius I in the early fifth century BCE. In the medieval period, Bulgarian forces captured the settlement in 914 during the campaigns of Simeon I, and Byzantine rule was restored around 1003. Ottoman forces took the city and its region in 1363 under Sultan Murad I. The city was subsequently affected by the Greek War of Independence, the Balkan Wars, the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence. Before the major demographic transformations of the early twentieth century, the city and its district contained substantial Muslim, Greek Orthodox and Bulgarian Orthodox populations, together with smaller communities. Ottoman population records show considerable growth between the censuses of 1881–1882 and 1906–1907, alongside changes caused by migration, political violence and the movement of Muslim populations from former Ottoman territories. Kırk Kilise was occupied by Bulgaria during the Balkan Wars and by Greece after the First World War. Turkish forces retook the city on November 10, 1922. The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey then reshaped the population, with Greek inhabitants exchanged for Muslims from Greece, including Turks, Pomaks, Karadjaovalides and Albanians. Kırklareli also became a settlement for Megleno-Romanians from Notia in northern Greece. Many of these Muslim Megleno-Romanian families moved to the Edirne region in 1923, especially to Kırklareli and nearby villages. Their descendants have largely integrated into Turkish society, although some retained bilingual family traditions. The city’s cultural identity is expressed through Ottoman monuments, museums and regional heritage sites. The Hızır Bey Külliye includes the Hızır Bey Mosque, a historic bathhouse and the adjacent Arasta bazaar. The mosque was built in 1383 and restored in the nineteenth century; it remains in use. The paired Hızır Bey baths and the vaulted Arasta reflect the commercial and religious organization of the Ottoman city. Kırklareli Museum presents archaeological, ethnographic and natural-history collections. Within the wider province, Dupnisa Cave is a major visitor attraction and the only cave in Thrace open to tourists, while the Demirköy Foundry preserves the remains of an ironworks associated with the manufacture of cannonballs used during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Kırklareli has a transitional climate combining Mediterranean and humid-subtropical characteristics. Summers are generally hot and humid, while winters are cool, cloudy and damp. Snow is possible during winter, and the Istranca massif influences local rainfall. The municipality has a sister-city relationship with Manisa, Turkey. Today Kırklareli functions primarily as a provincial administrative, educational, cultural and service center rather than as a consumer brand or commercial product brand.

Kırklareli occupies a historically important position in European Turkey’s Thrace region. Archaeological excavations indicate that the area was inhabited during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, although the date and circumstances of the city’s formal foundation remain uncertain. Local tradition attributes the earliest organized settlement to Thracian tribes who occupied a fortified hill and maintained vineyards and religious shrines. The cult of Sabazios, a Thracian deity associated with the sun, is part of the traditional account of the city’s early identity. The settlement entered the sphere of the Persian Empire in 513–512 BCE during the reign of Darius I. In late antiquity and the medieval period, it stood within a contested zone between Byzantine and Bulgarian political power. Bulgarian forces captured it in 914 during the invasion associated with Simeon I, and Byzantine authority was re-established by approximately 1003. Ottoman forces conquered the city and surrounding region in 1363 during the reign of Murad I. Under Byzantine and Ottoman rule the city was associated with the Greek name Saranta Ekklisies, meaning “forty churches.” This name was translated into Turkish as Kırk Kilise, while the Bulgarian name Lozengrad referred to vineyards. The Ottoman city developed around religious, commercial and bathing complexes, including the Hızır Bey Mosque, bath and bazaar complex constructed in 1383. Kırklareli was a multi-confessional and multi-ethnic settlement during the late Ottoman period. An 1881–1882 Ottoman census recorded Muslims, Greek Orthodox Christians, Bulgarian Orthodox Christians and smaller communities, including Jews, within the wider Sanjak of Kirk Klise. By 1906–1907, population growth and migration had altered the balance among these groups. Muslim settlement from former Ottoman territories in the Balkans and the departure of many Bulgarians after the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie uprising were among the forces shaping the demographic landscape. The city was damaged during the Greek War of Independence and was later directly affected by the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. Bulgarian forces occupied Kırk Kilise during the conflict. Following the First World War, Greek forces controlled the city until the Turkish War of Independence brought its return to Turkish rule on November 10, 1922. The Treaty of Lausanne established the western boundaries of the modern Turkish state and provided the framework for Kırklareli Province. The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey led to the departure of the city’s Greek population and the settlement of Muslims from Greece. Among the groups arriving after the exchange were Megleno-Romanians from Notia, a Muslim village in northern Greece. More than one hundred families settled in Kırklareli itself, while additional families moved to surrounding villages. Their community has since become largely assimilated into the Turkish population, although some families maintained bilingual traditions. The modern name Kırklareli became official on December 20, 1924, replacing Kırk Kilise. The name had already appeared in some contemporary writing about the Balkan Wars. In the republican period, Kırklareli became the seat of the province and district that bear its name. Its civic and cultural heritage is represented by the Hızır Bey Külliye, Kırklareli Museum and other regional archaeological and architectural assets. Nearby provincial attractions include Dupnisa Cave and the Demirköy Foundry. Kırklareli remains an active Turkish provincial city with administrative, cultural and service functions.

• 2022

  Population recorded at 85,493

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  The city’s population was reported as 85,493.

• 1924

  Official adoption of the name Kırklareli

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  On December 20, the republican government formally changed the city’s name from Kırk Kilise to Kırklareli.

• 1922

  Return to Turkish control

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  Turkish forces retook the city on November 10 during the Turkish War of Independence.

• Persian conquest

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  The settlement and its surrounding area were conquered by Persian forces during the reign of Darius I.

• Bulgarian capture

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  Bulgarian forces captured the settlement during Simeon I’s campaign in the Adrianople region.

• Return to Byzantine rule

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  The settlement was lost by Bulgaria and returned to Byzantine control.

• Ottoman conquest

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  Ottoman forces took the city and its region during the reign of Sultan Murad I.

• Construction of the Hızır Bey complex

  [1]Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org

  Köse Mihalzade Hızır Bey commissioned the Hızır Bey Mosque, bath and associated bazaar complex.

A provincial administrative and cultural center in European Turkey, distinguished by its Thracian, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman heritage.

1. 1Kırklarelien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kırklareli Municipalitykirklareli.bel.tr