Paşayiğit

Paşayiğit is a belde (town) in Keşan district of Edirne Province, Turkey. At 40°57′N 26°38′E / 40.950°N 26.633°E / 40.950; 26.633 it is situated on Turkish state highway which connects Keşan to Edirne . Its distance to Keşan is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) and to Edirne is 100 kilometres (62 mi). The population of Paşayiğit was 1,427 as of 2012. The name of the town refers to a certain Paşayiğit, a Turkmen leader from Saruhan (present Manisa, Turkey) who captured the town on behalf of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century. Although Paşayiğit preserved its Greek character up to 20th century, after the Turkish War of Liberation, according to population exchange agreement, Greek population was replaced by Turkish population from Drama, Greece. In 1999 Paşayiğit was declared a seat of township.