Excavations begin at the Edirne Mevlevihane: Artifacts to be brought to light

Following the instruction of Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer to begin the reconstruction of the Mevlevihane—which was built after the Konya Mevlevihane, served the Balkans, but did not survive to the present day—survey, restitution, and restoration projects were prepared based on archive records.

With the registration by the Edirne Regional Board for the Protection of Cultural Property, excavation work has begun in the garden of the Muradiye Mosque by teams from the Edirne Museum Directorate and the Edirne Special Provincial Administration.

A restoration project will be prepared in light of the data obtained from the excavation.

ABOUT THE EDİRNE MEVLEVİHANE

According to historical sources, the wooden Mevlevihane, built by Murad II in the 15th century to the north of the mosque within the Muradiye Mosque Complex, consisted of dervish lodge buildings, a harem section, a semahane (whirling hall), dervish rooms, and a library.

In the soup kitchen (imarethane), where the food needs of Mevlevi dervishes, students, and guests were met, bread was served daily to houses up to the point where the shadow of the mosque minaret fell, and pilaf and zerde (a saffron-infused rice pudding) were served on Thursdays.

The Edirne Mevlevihane served as a primary school for a time in 1925, after which it was demolished by General Kazım Dirik, the Inspector General of Thrace.

The graves of the first sheikh of the Mevlevihane, Celalettin Çelebi; the second sheikh, Cemaleddin Çelebi; and lodge sheikhs Mehmet Arif Dede, Osman Dede, the poet Neşati Dede, Seyyid Mahmut Dede, Mehmet Emin Dede, Ali Eşref Dede, and the final sheikh, Süleyman Dede, are located in the mosque's cemetery.

News Source: AA