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Edirne | ||
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| City in Turkey | ||
 House occupied by Bahá'u'lláh in Edirne (Adrianople)
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| Location of Edirne
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Edirne is the town in European Turkey to which Bahá'u'lláh was banished after His four-month stay in Constantinople. The journey to Edirne from the capital took thirteen days, and took place in mid-winter. The first house in which the Holy Family was forced to live was in a terrible condition, and Bahiyyih Khánum fell ill. This house no longer exists, but the Bahá'ís own the land, and it is possible to visit the foundations of the plot. Bahá'í photographs of Edirne often show the house in which the family subsequently lived for approximately five years. Bahá'u'lláh used to visit the mosque in the centre of the town.
It was while He was in Edirne that one of the believers sought to put an end to the machinations of Bahá'u'lláh's half-brother Mirza Yahya. It was arranged that the Blessed Beauty Himself and Mirza Yahya would meet in the central courtyard of another mosque, for a debate. In the event, Mirza Yahya failed to appear. Also during this period was the revelation of the Tablet of Ahmad. Ahmad, who had not been present in Baghdad during Bahá'u'lláh's departure, was now en route to visit Bahá'u'lláh, when he was met by another believer, bringing him the Tablet. He understood from it that Bahá'u'lláh had now announced that He was the Promised One, and that Ahmad's mission was to announce this to the Bábís in Iran. Accordingly, he returned to his home country, to begin his mission. A book, "Learn Well This Tablet", tells the story of Ahmad.
The name Adrianople[edit]
Bahá'í books often refer to Edirne as "Adrianople". This is a rendition of the Greek name Adrianopolis, and is the name used by erudite Europeans for the town. In the same way as Adrianople is an Anglicisation of Adrianopolis, Edirne is a Turkicisation of the same word.
Position and control[edit]
The town is close to the present boundaries of both Greece and Bulgaria. It was allocated to Bulgaria after the First Balkan War, but reverted to Turkey after the Second Balkan War. While Bahá'u'lláh was there, however, it was hundreds of miles inside Turkish territory. Bahá'u'lláh prophesied that the lands around it would fall from Turkish hands, which is, of course, precisely what has happened.
