The Dar-ül-Hadis Mosque (Dar-ül-Hadis = House of the Hadith) was founded by Murad II in 1435, as a medrese (school) where the Hadith was taught. (Hadith = the corpus of the reports of the teachings, deeds and sayings of the Prophet Mohammed).
The minaret was added later, when the building became a mosque. At its height, the mosque’s vakıf (foundation) controlled two villages as well as 188 shops, 20 rooms (for travellers), 2 bakeries, 3 houses and a çarşı (covered market) in town. The mosque’s garden contains several graves and ‘türbe’ (mausoleum) of Ottoman princes and officials.
In 1809 the mosque was restored by architect Koç Ahmet; this is attested by an inscription in a wall next to the minaret. The mosque needed more restorations later, as the minaret came down in 1913 (Balkan War) and the dome in 1922 (Independance War). The latest restoration of the complex was still going on in 2013.

In the foreground: the ‘şadırvan’ (a type of fountain that is usually built in the yard or entrance in front of mosques or other buildings where ritual prayers can be held, with the main purpose of providing water for drinking or ritual ablutions to several people at the same time, but also as decorative visual or sound element).
It is a typical element of Ottoman architecture. It is also called ‘abdest alma çeşmesi’ (= fountain for ablutions).

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Türkiye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994 ;
Haber Trak Gazetesi ; Websites of ‘edirnemuftulugu.gov.tr’ & neslihankuresir on ‘wowturkey.com’ .