Çorlu (pronounced CHOR-loo) is a rapidly growing industrial city in Eastern Thrace, Turkey with more than 200,000 inhabitants. Administratively, Çorlu is a town (ilçe) under the Tekirdağ province (il), despite having a larger population than Tekirdağ.
Çorlu's history dates back to 1000 BC, when it was called Tzirallum, although you will have little clue in town about this long past.
Çorlu has very little in terms of sights to pursue as once-elegant old town landscape of mostly wooden houses were knocked down in favour of soulless concrete blocks due to urbanization pressures.
- Süleymaniye Mosque. While not an architectural pearl, this quite small-ish mosque with a single dome atop dating back to 1521 and built by and named after Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnicifent is one of the very few medieval buildings left intact in the city. Free.
Süleymaniye Mosque. While not an architectural pearl, this quite small-ish mosque with a single dome atop dating back to 1521 and built by and named after Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnicifent is one of the very few medieval buildings left intact in the city. Free.
Wander around the villages north of the D100, as you enter Çorlu, by bicycle. There are many quiet, shady spots under trees to have picnics, especially behind the Emlak Bank housing estate. There are no separate bicycle lanes and the vehicle drivers yield absolutely no priority to the bicycle riders.
Çorlu is one of the major centres of textiles mass production in the country. Avantaj. (open 10:00-20:30) is an outlet stores complex 10 km north of the city on the highway to Çerkezköy, where many individual shops of textile companies (as well as others) surround a central yard, putting together a downtown ambience. Some stores offer tax-free shopping opportunities there, making it popular among shoppers from nearby Bulgaria and Greece. Some textile factories also have accompanying sale shops, scattered along the highways in the outskirts of the city.
At the eastern end of the city, on the highway to Istanbul, stand two indoors shopping malls named Orion. and Trend Arena, typical of many that sprouted up in most Turkish cities within the last decade. Many minibuses head there from city centre.
Çorlu is one of the major centres of textiles mass production in the country. Avantaj. (open 10:00-20:30) is an outlet stores complex 10 km north of the city on the highway to Çerkezköy, where many individual shops of textile companies (as well as others) surround a central yard, putting together a downtown ambience. Some stores offer tax-free shopping opportunities there, making it popular among shoppers from nearby [[Bulgaria]] and [[Greece]]. Some textile factories also have accompanying sale shops, scattered along the highways in the outskirts of the city.
At the eastern end of the city, on the highway to Istanbul, stand two indoors shopping malls named Orion. and Trend Arena, typical of many that sprouted up in most Turkish cities within the last decade. Many minibuses head there from city centre.
- Tea in the municipality tea garden, in the centre of town. It has a sleepy atmosphere, a reserved family enclosure where no one will disturb you, and is the cheapest cuppa in town. You can also chat to the friendly locals, who come from all over Turkey.
- Bars: There are small sized bars at the city center:
- On Kumyol cad. (south of Omurtak cad.): most bars here are western style
- On Abidin Efendi sok. (north of Omurtak cad.): these are mostly "beer-house"s—not western style—where they play Turkish music, are almost always frequented by men, and have limited beverage selection. There are surely various bars/beer-houses outside of the center with lower prices and special offers. It is best to visit those with a local. Almost all bars close by 01:00 or 02:00.
The town of Velimeşe, 12 km north of Çorlu, is known for its local boza — a traditional winter drink of the Balkans which is a thick wheat ale with a negligible alcohol content that is both mildly sweet and slightly sour at the same time.
- Öney Boza, Çarşı Cd. 13, Velimeşe (near the central square, +90 282 674-45-54. 09:00-21:00. In operation since 1940, this small and neat family-run shop practically has nothing else but boza on the offer. 2.50 TL for a large glass of boza, 7.50 TL a litre bottle. Cash only.
Öney Boza, Çarşı Cd. 13, Velimeşe (near the central square, +90 282 674-45-54. 09:00-21:00. In operation since 1940, this small and neat family-run shop practically has nothing else but boza on the offer. 2.50 TL for a large glass of boza, 7.50 TL a litre bottle. Cash only.
Northwestern part of the town (off the road to Çerkezköy from city centre) includes a district called Kore Mahallesi which is exclusively inhabited by Roma people. It is often avoided by the locals and travellers are strongly advised not to venture further into this district.
Çorlu is a good place to get private medical care. There is a very reasonable, highly professional private hospital on Ataturk Boulevard, on the left as you come from Istanbul. A range of cheap check-ups is available (for around €5 each), and there is a good-value 3-star hotel next door. Given Corlu's compact size and relative lack of traffic, this is a good place to recuperate after hard travelling around the region, and get minor ailments fixed before moving on.
Tap water is never drinkable, so it is best to buy bottled or demijohn water.
The air of Çorlu (especially in winters) is among the most polluted in the country.
[[Edirne]] — by bus or train
[[Tekirdağ]] — by minibus