Trabzon, which goes back to millennia, is the center of culture and natural richness in Eastern Black Sea Region. The city, located on the ancient Silk Road, has been the meeting point of religions, languages, and cultures for centuries; and played a significant role in the history due to its port on the legendary Silk Road. Marco Polo has visited the city in 14th century. Trabzon has also been the source of inspiration for world-renowned travelers including Xenophon, Evliya Çelebi, Fallmerayer and Frunze who immortalized the city in their travel books and memoirs.
Today, the city rests as an important trade and cultural center ripe with museums, monasteries, mosques, tombs, caravanserais, baths, covered bazaar, fortification wall, and spectacular examples of civil architecture and a fantastic landscape.
Attractions of Trabzon
Trabzon is one of the most popular cities in Turkiye with thousands of years of history and innumerable cultural riches. The city, located on the ancient Silk Road, is the most important city in Eastern Black Sea Region of Türkiye.
The folkloric structure admired by the world, the importance placed on sports by the whole city, fineness in handicrafts, regional cuisine are other significant values unique to Trabzon.
Trabzon’s history dates back to two thousand years. Mehmet the Conqueror has conquered Trabzon, which has survived the Roman and Byzantine Periods, and Suleiman the Magnificent was raised in this city.
Trabzon shelters countless tones of green and is rich in terms of vegetation. 2500 plant species have been discovered in the city, 440 of which are unique to the area.
Trabzon Castle is built on ancient foundations of the Byzantine Period dating back to 5th C.
Virgin Mary/ Sümela Monastery; Rumor has it that the monastery was established by two priests, Barnabas and Sophronios, who came from Athens during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor the Theodosius the Great (375-395) Sümela Monastery continued functioning as late as 13th century.
Hagia Sophia Museum is a beautiful example of late Byzantine Churches. The area is viewed as one of the most important examples of the last Byzantine architecture and frescoes.
The Arsenal was built in 1887. The building, which was used as an ammunition depot during 1916-1918 Russian occupation, has become a stop for domestic and foreign tourists.
Historical Trabzon Museum and Kostaki Mansion, is, in terms of style, among rare examples of European Architecture in Türkiye. The Kostaki Mansion, where the museum is placed, was built by Greek banker Kostaki in early 1900s. The building was designed by Italian architects; thus most materials were imported from Italy.
Atatürk Mansion, bearing impressions of European and Western Renaissance architecture was built as a summer house in early 1900s with large and flamboyant symbols of Europe. Atatürk, during his stay in this mansion on June 11, 1930, decided to present all his wealth to Turkish nation.
Trabzon City Museum is the newest and most spectacular museum in the city. The museum makes a great contribution to publicity and sustenance of social life and culture in Trabzon. The museum constituting of 3 floors has a closed area of 1500 sqm. The visitors might benefit from audio guide service in the museum which has a chamber of history.
The House of Süleyman, a work of 19th century, was built in the neighborhood where Suleiman the Magnificent was born, and it is now used as an exhibition hall. The House of Suleiman is decorated with motives reflecting the Ottoman culture where wax sculptures of sultans, weapons used in wars as well as old photos of Trabzon are exhibited.
Gülbahar Hatun Mosque consists of a mosque and a tomb built in 1514 in the name of Yavuz Sultan Selim’s mother Gülbahar Hatun,
Uzungöl, located in Çaykara -one of the most important tourism centers of Trabzon and Türkiye- has a dazzling view. Uzungöl is a village, highland and entertainment place. The area presents travel and accommodation opportunities with exceptional beauty with touristic guest houses, small resort type hotels, trout restaurants and scenery. Uzungöl is also the ecotourism center of Trabzon.
Çal Cave, with lighting and travel platforms, isamong the longest caves in the world. The cave, which has a free air flow offers spectacular natural forms, creek, waterfalls. It’s a virtual paradise hidden underground.
Highlands and plateaus are considered among Trabzon’s special travel destinations attracting attention thanks to resting, travel and sports opportunities.
The Food
Trabzon has a rich cuisine consisting of various flavors introduced by different cultures for thousands of years. Anchovy is the trademark of this cuisine; there are 40 different dishes made of anchovy in Trabzon in addition to hundreds of dishes cooked with corn, kale, green beans and hazelnut very well-known all around Türkiye. Trabzon cuisine draws the attention of tourists in the city.
We can name geographically marked products including Sürmene pidesi, Akçaabat köftesi and Hamsiköy rice pudding as well as fried anchovies and pilaf with anchovies, nettle soup, kaygana, kuymak, kale soup and stuffed kale among Trabzon’s most known regional food. Vakfıkebir bread and Tonya butter which are also geographically marked products, are among most preferred products by tourists.
Tea is also synonymous with this region. Tea farming is done mostly in eastern Trabzon. Deep blue-Black Sea lying before heavenly view of Trabzon and delight of tea in copper tea-pots are irreplaceable joys of the people of Trabzon.
Handicrafts
Handicrafts, having developed from two different sources as rural and urban, stand out with functionality in rural areas. Silk, linen, breechcloth, keffiyeh, flax and cotton weaving craftsmanship as well as jewelry and carpentry are performed in advanced level in small businesses in the region. Art of kazaziye among these is formed by winding silk threads to make tram silk in textile. An art of jewelry has become famous in the region by winding gold and silver wires on silk threads. Trabzon style woven bracelets are made by weaving gold or silver thin wires with necessary equipment with a special technique.
The artisans, who have extremely improved copperworking in the city for centuries because it is a port city, still create the most beautiful examples of traditional jewelry with techniques like kazaz and telkâri – and Sürmene knives –mostly made to order- are the main products unique to the region.
Folklore
Sometimes sad, mostly joyful Karadeniz folk songs, which reflect the feelings and thoughts of people in the region are best covered by local people. We either get immersed in thoughts or begin a cheerful horon with authentic accents and melodies of those songs.
Horon is an essential element of all engagement and wedding ceremonies and an absolute must of all festivals and carnivals. If you come across especially one of the festivals arranged at Trabzon highlands, you will witness hundreds of people dancing horon for hours and you cannot help joining with all your heart. It is among irreplaceable values of the region; it signifies the common ground of togetherness and excitement in highland festivals, wedding ceremonies and military service sendoffs.
Kemençe occupies a great place of the lives of locals of Trabzon who enjoy having fun arm in arm. Karadeniz kemençe, has survived until today thanks to tradition-bound locals of the Black Sea region.
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