Safranbolu

Safranbolu (Greek: Σαφράμπολις, Saframpolis) is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about 9 km north of the city of Karabük, 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Ankara and about 100 km south of the Black Sea coast. The town's historic names in Greek were Theodoroupolis (Θεοδωρούπολις, i.e. city of Theodorus or female Theodora) and later Saframpolis (Σαφράμπολις). Its former names in Turkish were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu. It was part of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995.

Safranbolu
District
A street at the historical market of shoemakers in Safranbolu
Location of Safranbolu within Turkey.
Safranbolu Location of Safranbolu
Coordinates: 41°15′N 32°41′E
Country	Turkey
Region	Black Sea
Province	Karabük
Government
• Mayor	Necdet Aksoy (AKP)
Area [1]
• District	999.99 km^2 (386.10 sq mi)
Elevation	485 m (1,591 ft)
Population  (2012)[2]
• Urban	43,060
• District	55,170
• District density	55/km^2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	78xxx
Area code(s)	370
Licence plate	78
Climate	Cfa
Website	www.safranbolu.bel.tr
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv, v
Reference	614
Inscription	1994 (18th session)
Area	193 ha

According to the 2000 census, the population of the district was 47,257, of which 31,697 lived in the town of Safranbolu.[3] The district covers an area of 1,000 km² (386 sq mi),[4] and the town lies at an elevation of 485 m (1,591 ft).

According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of Safranbolu had a total population of 52.523, consisting of 49.197 Muslims and 3.326 Greeks.[5]

The Old Town preserves many historic buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. These are: 1 private museum, 25 mosques, 5 tombs, 8 historical fountains, 5 Turkish baths, 3 caravanserais, 1 historical clock tower, 1 sundial and hundreds of houses and mansions. Also, there are mounds of ancient settlements, rock tombs and historical bridges. The Old Town is situated in a deep ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. The New Town can be found on the plateau about two kilometers west of the Old Town.

The name of the town derives from "saffron" and the Greek word polis (πόλις) meaning "city",[6][7] since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron.[6][7] Today, saffron is still grown at the village of Davutobası to the east of Safranbolu, with a road distance of 22 kilometres.[6][7]

Safranbolu was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture.[8]

Gallery

• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  Roman arches on the brook between the buildings and streets in the historical centre
• 
  Street in the historical centre
• 
  Brook under the buildings and streets in the historical centre
• 
  Safranbolu Pansiyon
• 
  Traditional houses
• 
  Traditional houses
• 
  Traditional houses
• 
  Traditional houses
• 
  Safranbolu and the İzzet Mehmet Pasha Mosque

A panoramic view from the historical town

Sister cities

• Elabuga, Russia.[9]
• Ohrid, North Macedonia

Notable natives

• Karabaşzade Hüseyin Efendi (Cinci Hoca) - Mentor of Ottoman Sultan İbrahim in the 17th century
• Safranbolulu Izzet Mehmet Pasha, 18th century Ottoman Grand Vizier, in office 1794–1798
• Türker İnanoğlu (b. 1936), film producer
• Ali Gümüş (1940–2015), President of the Wrestling Commission of the International Sports Press Association (Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive, AIPS), journalist and author

Notes

1. "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
2. "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
3. Turkish Statistical Institute. "Census 2000, Key statistics for urban areas of Turkey" (in Turkish). Archived from the original (XLS) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
4. Statoids. "Statistical information on districts of Turkey". Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
5. Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 138-139
6. "Safranbolu". World Heritage Site. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
7. "Saffron Harvest in the Land of the Golden Plant". Cornucopia. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
8. "City of Safranbolu". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
9. Elabuga and Safranbolu become sister cities Archived May 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

See also

• Amasya
• List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey

References

• Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Safranbolu, Turkey". Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2008-11-22.

External links

• Safranbolu travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Governor's official web site
• UNESCO World Heritage - Safranbolu
• Safranbolu: A Town of Traditional Houses