Hamzabeyli, Lalapaşa

Hamzabeyli is a village in Lalapaşa District of Edirne Province, Turkey.^[1] The village had a population of 177 in 2022.^[2] It is one of the three border crossing points between Turkey and Bulgaria. The Hamzabeyli border crossing is the newest bridge along the border, opening between Bulgaria and Turkey in 2006.^[3]

Hamzabeyli
Village
A view of the Hamzabeyli border crossing point with its counterpart Lesovo (note the exclusive truck traffic)
Hamzabeyli Location in Turkey Show map of Turkey Hamzabeyli Hamzabeyli (Marmara) Show map of Marmara
Coordinates: 41°57′N 26°36′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Edirne
District	Lalapaşa
Population  (2022)	177
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	22950
Area code	0284

A queue on the border check point

Hamzabeyli border crossing point was previously in use in the Ottoman Empire, but closed after the fall of the empire. By the entry of Bulgaria into the European Union, the vehicle traffic between the two countries has increased significantly, therefore making the reopening of a new border crossing point necessary. The Hamzabeyli crossing point is mainly used for commercial traffic (e.g. trucks) but non-commercial (e.g. automobile, motorcycle) traffic is also allowed. The Hamzabeyli border crossing point features:^[4]

• 500,000 vehicle and 1,500,000 passenger capacity, annually.
• 64,000 m² total open area.
• 2,000 m² commercial buildings area.
• 1,800 m² administrative buildings area.
• 4+4 automobile and 4+4 truck platforms (16 in total).
• 2 vehicle weight scales and 2 x-ray vehicle scanners.
• A duty-free shop, a bank, an insurance company and a restaurant.

The Hamzabeyli border crossing has relatively less traffic than its neighbours, namely Kapıkule and Dereköy—despite its truck traffic. This is because it provides access to mid-Bulgaria where there are no major cities and connecting roads to neighbouring countries. Whereas Kapıkule is closer to Sofia and thus to Western Europe; Dereköy is located closer to Burgas and Varna.

References

1. Köy, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
2. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
3. "KAPIKULE VE HAMZABEYLİ SINIR KAPILARININ AÇILIŞ TÖRENİ" (in Turkish).^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "Official information about main features" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.