By Gokhan Zobar

EDIRNE, Turkey

European youths expressed their admiration for a Turkish mosque in northwestern Edirne province during their visit Monday.

A total of 60 participants from France, Belgium and Germany are in Turkey to participate in a training program on Turkish religious and cultural values organized by the country's top religious authority, Diyanet.

During their training, fellows got a chance to visit the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, which the renowned ancient Turkish architect Mimar Sinan named as his “masterpiece”.

The participants hailed the design and overall beauty of the mosque.

Feyzullah Aktas, a 16-year-old participant from Germany, expressed his great admiration for the place. “I’m really happy to see such a beautiful place, I’m just amused.”

Emrullah Uzum, mufti of Edirne, told Anadolu agency the participants could not help but admire the place.

“Actually it’s impossible not to be influenced with such a mesmerizing place,” he said.

Listed in UNESCO's World Heritage List, the Selimiye Mosque is a stunning Ottoman complex having four slender minarets and a single doom at the center.

"Dominating the skyline of Edirne, former capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Selimiye Mosque Complex commissioned by Selim II is the ultimate architectural expression by the architect, Sinan," according to UNESCO.