Safranbolu and its surroundings are located within the borders of the region called Paphlagonia in ancient times. Today, it is located in the central part of the Western Black Sea Region, between the southern parts of the Küre Mountains and the Köroğlu Mountains, at the confluence of the Soğanlı and Araç streams.
The settlements in this geographically very complex region begin in the Early Bronze age. After the fall of the Hittites in 1200 BC, Karabük came under the sovereignty of the Phrygians, Cimmerians, Lydians and Persians respectively. Later, when the Paphlagonia region came under the rule of the Romans, Hadrianopolis in Eskipazar district of Karabük became an important settlement of the region.
Safranbolu and its surroundings is a region rich in cultural heritage and has thousands of cultural assets such as numerous archaeological sites, urban protected areas, natural protected areas, registered monuments and Safranbolu district, which was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994.
Rock Tombs
The most prominent examples among these artifacts are the rock tombs carved into the rocks, which were created in an elaborate and flamboyant manner and were widely used. An example of these is the one-room rock tomb with three arcosolions dated to the 2nd century AD in the South Necropolis of Hadrianopolis. This tomb has three clinae and is thought to have been used as a family cemetery.
Another example is the Gerdek Boğazı Rock Tomb dating to the Hellenistic period in the Soğanlı Valley. While this grave draws the historical boundary of the monumental Paphlagonia rock graves with the Hellenistic period, the fact that it is the last monumental grave in the west is extremely important for the Karabük region.
There are rock tombs in Hacılarobası Village and various rock tombs in Üçbölük Village.
Studies on Karabük province and its districts, which have an important place in the region with their historical richness and beauty, continue. It is thought that the artifacts to be unearthed as well as the ones to be unearthed have unique beauties. The artifacts to be unearthed as a result of the studies will add value to Safranbolu and its surroundings.
Text: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Çelikbaş, Specialist Mehmet Akdaş, Photos: İsmail Şahinbaş
– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Çelikbaş, Karabuk University, Department of Archaeology, Head of Department
WORLD HERITAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (APRIL 2023)