Safranbolu invites you to discover its rich culture. If you are planning a trip to Safranbolu, you should definitely see its historical houses, mosques, sundials, tannery (Tabakhane), museums and fountains. As İlber Ortaylı says, “Whoever does not see Safranbolu should not say that he knows Anatolian geography.”
Safranbolu’s long history has been fed by many different cultures. The history of the city dates back to the early ages. Gümüş and Göztepe tumuli are the old settlements in the city. Göztepe tumulus, which dates back to the Phrygian period and is the only Phrygian tumulus in the region, will soon be opened to tourism. Historically, Hittites, Phrygians, Persians, Hellenistic Kingdoms (Ponds) and Romans ruled in the region. In ancient times, Safranbolu was located in the region mentioned as Paphlagonia in Homer’s Iliad epic. A significant part of the artifacts from the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods have been destroyed. However, it is still possible to find rock tombs from these periods in villages such as Üçbölük and Hacılarobası in Safranbolu.
It is known that Safranbolu came under Turkish rule in 1196. Safranbolu, which was first under the Seljuks and then under the rule of Çobanoğulları and Candaroğulları, came under Ottoman rule in 1392. In 1332, Moroccan traveler Ibn Batuta described Safranbolu as follows: ‘This is a small town built on a hill. There is a moat at the foot of the hill and a castle at the top of the mountain.’
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Safranbolu attracted the attention of important statesmen, but its real development and rise coincided with the 17th and 18th centuries. Public buildings such as the Cinci Han and the Cinci Bath were built during this period. Since Safranbolu was a ‘break of the bulk point’ (i.e. a station where all or part of the caravan cargo was unloaded and/or distributed), it was frequented by caravans. Being located on a caravan route is one of the most important factors in the economic development of the city. In the 18th century, with the accumulation of significant capital, an advanced urban (bourgeois) life emerged in Safranbolu.
Most of the houses and public buildings in the city today are from the 18th and early 19th centuries, representing the finest examples of Ottoman civil architecture and the Turkish-Ottoman way of life and culture.
Safranbolu is architecturally unique as a city protected on a city scale and there is no other example in Turkey. There are approximately 1300 buildings registered as ‘Immovable Cultural Heritage in Need of Protection’ in the city, 1200 of which are traditional houses. This number reaches 1490 when villages are included. Within the borders of Safranbolu, there are 1222 registered houses, 103 fountains, 33 mosques, 23 bridges, 14 rock tombs, 12 baths or bath ruins, 11 shops, 6 tombs, 5 archaeological sites-tumulus, 4 inns and 4 masjids.
The Çarşı section of Safranbolu is the most prominent part of the city in terms of administrative, religious and economic aspects. Today, tourism activities are concentrated in this 1.8 square kilometer area. The Government Mansion building (now the City History Museum), which used to be the administrative center of the city, the Clock Tower located right next to it, the Kaymakamlar House reflecting the traditional culture and architecture of Safranbolu, the Asmazlar Mansion, the important religious buildings of Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, İzzet Mehmet Pasha, Lütfiye-Kaçak mosque, Great Mosque (former Ayastefanos Church), Cinci Inn and Bath, Old Turkish Bath, Yemeni Arastasi, Sundial, Historical Blacksmiths Bazaar, Tabakhane region and masonry leather factory are among the structures to be seen.
The buildings in Bağlar, the summer resort area of the city, and in the villages close to the city are also worth seeing. Among them are the İncekaya Aqueduct, the Yörük Village and the Sipahiler Mansion (the pencil works in this mansion are unique), the Yazıköy Bath, the Great Church (Yazıköy) and the Karakoyunlu King’s Tomb.
The Greek population, who had lived together in Safranbolu for centuries, was sent to Greece with the 1924 exchange. Kıranköy, a Greek settlement area, still bears the traces of the times when Muslims and Orthodox Greeks lived peacefully side by side in the city. Today, Greeks living in various cities of Greece (such as Athens, Skydra) still maintain their historical and heart ties.
With its narrow cobblestone streets, white, purple, yellow colored houses and geraniums hanging from the windows of the houses, Safranbolu is a great place to visit and experience traditional Turkish culture. We recommend that you experience Safranbolu on foot because the narrow cobblestone streets of Safranbolu are an art in themselves. Winding from street to street, sometimes in the glare of the sun, often in the shade, they take you from magical corners to spectacular views. If you have time, stop by the Cinci Bath to socialize, be pampered and purified. Built in 1645, the bath has witnessed the long history of the city. Who knows what other stories Safranbolu holds in its chest?
Safranbolu is best experienced in the fall. Because saffron flowers bloom in mid-October and offer you a visual feast accompanied by history.
Text: Prof. Dr. Nuray Türker, Photos: İsmail Şahinbaş
– Prof. Dr. Nuray Türker, Karabuk University, Safranbolu Tourism Faculty, Head of Recreation Management Department
WORLD HERITAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (APRIL 2023)