Lüleburgaz

Lüleburgaz lies on the great road between Constantinople and Adrianople, across the plains of eastern Thrace. A settlement on the route since Byzantine times, it acquired a magnificent roadside complex through the patronage of Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha. Its mosque, school, bathhouse and caravanserai served townspeople and travellers alike.

Designed by the imperial architect Sinan and his workshop, the complex was completed around 1569–1570. A covered street of fifty-nine shops formed its central spine, with buildings for worship, learning, trade and lodging arranged around it. Sokollu's endowment also provided water and encouraged people from the surrounding country to settle at Lüleburgaz. The result was more than a resting place on the imperial highway: it helped shape the town around it.