The history of Safranbolu

The history of Safranbolu City of Safranbolu

Safranbolu From Wikipedia

Safranbolu (from Greek: Σαφράμπολις) is a town and district ofKarabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Ankara and about 100 km south of the Black Sea coast, or more precisely about 9 km north of the city of Karabük. Former Turkish names of the town were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu and in Greek Theodoroupolis, Θεοδωρούπολις (i.e. city of Theodorus or female Theodora) and latter Saframpolis, Σαφράμπολις. It was part of Kastamonu Provinceuntil 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995..

The name of the town derives from 'saffron' and the Greek word 'polis' (city), since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron. Today saffron is still grown at the village of Davutobası which is 22 km east of Safranbolu and probably one of the best quality saffrons in the world.


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

Names Of Safranbolu

Safranbolu’s first name which was known Dadybra in Byzantian period. It was later called Zalifre in 1196 in Seljuk period. Its name was changed to Borglu and Borlu at the beginning ofthe Ottomans and emirates period. Borlu has been become due toTaraklıborlu of the Taraklı Tribe, which settled in the region from the records of the Ottoman title deed and land registration. After the name of Taraklıborlu, the other names which used in the Ottoman period;Zağfiran-ı Borlu in the middle of the 18th century, Zağfiran-ı Benderli for short time in the half of the 19th century, Zağfiranbolu in the last quarter of the 19th century, and it was changed to Zafranboluand Safranbolu after 1940’s.

SAFRANBOLU HOUSES

These houses are wonderful samples of old civilian architecture, symbolizing the Turkish public life between 18th and 19th centuries. The size and the planning of the houses are deeply impressed by extended families, in other words all members of a big family living together in one house.


The effective architecture of their roofs has caused them to be named as "Houses with five facades". Two or three storeys consisting of 6 to 9 rooms, the houses are narrow and long planned. Its rooms are completely special and contain huge window location allowing refreshing light and the ladies were able to see the narrow streets while sitting on wooden made sofas.


All sections of those buildings such as the elegant woodwork and carved wall and ceiling decorations, the banisters indoor beetle come together to form a unique harmony of architectural aesthetics and Turkish art.

Safranbolu Settlement and Geographical Features

Safranbolu, in the western Black Sea region as the crow flies from the sea is a town located 65 km inside. Coordinates 41 ° - 16 'north latitude, 32 ° - 41' east longitude is. located in the province of Karabük Safranbolu city center is only 8 km. Away. Town, Istanbul (Central district of Ovacik and Eflani), Bart (International District) and Kastamonu (Vehicle town) is surrounded by the provinces.


It is possible to reach the town by road from three different directions. Ankara-Istanbul highway Gerede left the sector continued km'likyol 82 Karabük, 8 km from here. then there Safranbolu. County towards the north and east direction Bartin and Kastamonu province has a connection with. Other than that possible by rail transport to the center of Karabük. The air link is not yet available.


Is located in a hilly district in terms of geographical area, the district's lowest point of 300 meters, the highest point 1750 meters, 400 meters from the lowest point of the city center, while the highest point is around 600 meters. County area of ​​1013 km2 is the biggest part of it is forest

Introducing Safranbolu

Safranbolu's old town, known as Çarşı, is a vision of red-tiled roofs and meandering alleys chock-a-block full of candy stores and cobblers. Having first found fame with traders as an isolated source of the precious spice saffron, Safranbolu now attracts people seeking to recapture the heady scent of yesteryear within the muddle of timber-framed mansions now converted into quirky boutique hotels.

Spending the night here is all about soaking up the enchanting Ottoman scene – all creaky wooden floors, exuberantly carved ceilings and traditional cupboard-bathrooms. A day at the old hamam or browsing the market shops and revelling in the cobblestone quaintness is about as strenuous as it gets, but if history begins to feel a bit like old news, then hiking in the wondrous Yenice Forest nearby, remapped and rediscovered, will show you exactly why Unesco stamped this region as a World Heritage site in 1994.

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Life in Safranbolu


Living in Safranbolu

        The canyons which surround Safranbolu make up its natural beauties. Some examples can be viewed in the canyons of Düzce and Tokatlı. Other places you can visit are the stalactites and stalagmites located in the Mencilis Bulak Cave, the Historic Incekaya Aqueduct and the villages of Bulak, Yörük, Düzce and Yazıköy.      Safranbolu is a typical Ottoman city that has survived to the present day. It also displays an interesting interaction between the topography and the historic settlement. By virtue of its key role in the caravan trade over many centuries, Safranbolu enjoyed great prosperity and as a result it set a standard in public and domestic architecture that exercised a great influence on urban development over a large area of the Ottoman Empire. The architectural forms of the buildings and the streets are illustrative of their period. The caravan trade was for centuries the main commercial link between the Orient and Europe. As a result, towns of a characteristic type grew up along its route. With the coming of railways in the 19th century, these towns abruptly lost their raison and most of them were adapted to other economic bases. Safranbolu was not affected in this way and as a result it has preserved its original form and buildings to a remarkable extent. The site of Safranbolu has been occupied by human settlements since prehistory, as evidenced by rock-cut tombs. The Turks conquered the town in the 11th century and in the 13th century it became an important caravan station on the main east-west trade route. Surviving buildings from this early period include the Old Mosque, Old Bath, and Medresse of Süleyman Pasha, all built in 1322. The caravan trade reached its apogee in the 17th century, when the central market was extended to meet the requirements of travellers. Many buildings survive from this period, including the Cinci Inn with its 60 guestrooms (1640-48), Koprülü Mosque (1661) and İzzet Pasha Mosque (1796), as well as many stores, stables and baths. Changes in trading structures and the advent of the railways brought this long period of prosperity to an end in the early 20th century. The town underwent a period of economic deprivation until the building of the Karabük Iron and Steel Factory, which provided a great deal of employment in the region. Safranbolu consists of four distinct districts: the market place area of the inner city, known as Çukur (The Hole), the area of Kıranköy, Bağlar (The Vineyards), and an area of more recent settlement outside the historic area. The original Turkish settlement was immediately in the south of the citadel and developed to the south-east. Çukur is so named because it lies in the lower part of the town; its centre is the market place, which is surrounded by the houses and workshops of craftsmen, such as leather workers, blacksmiths, saddlers and shoemakers, and textile workers. The area is triangular in shape, defined by two rivers. Kıranköy was formerly a non-Muslim district, with a socio-architectural pattern similar to that in contemporary European towns, in fact the craftsmen and tradesmen living above their workshops, cellars used for winemaking and storage, etc. The pattern of settlement in Bağlar is one of single houses set within large gardens. The streets in Çukur and Kıranköy are narrow and curved, following contours. They are surfaced with stone paving, sloping inwards to evacuate surface water. The older houses are half-timbered, the spaces between the timbers being filled with various materials (clay, brick, etc.). There are no windows on the street frontage, so that the stone walls resemble extensions of garden walls; the main rooms are on the first floor. Many of the ceilings are lavishly carved and painted.

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