Chief city (pop., 1991: 18,000), Macedonia, Greece.
Located on a steep bluff above the valley of the Loudhiás River, it is a prominent trading and agricultural centre. The assumption that it was Aigai, the first capital of ancient Macedonia, has been challenged by archaeological discoveries at Verghina . Fought over by the Bulgarians, Byzantines, and Serbs, Edessa was taken by the Turks in the 15th century. In 1912 it passed to Greece.