Safranbolu

City of Safranbolu

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iv, v
Reference	614
Inscription	1994 (18th Session)

Safranbolu
District
A street in historical Shoe-makers market of Safranbolu
Location of Safranbolu within Turkey.
Country	Turkey
Region	Black Sea
Province	Karabük
Government
• Mayor	Necdet Aksoy (AKP)
Area
• District	999.99 km2 (386.10 sq mi)
Elevation	485 m (1,591 ft)
Population  (Template:Turkey district populations)Template:Turkey district populations
• Urban	Template:Turkey district populations
• District	Template:Turkey district populations
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	78xxx
Area code	370
Licence plate	78
Climate	Cfa
Website	www.safranbolu.bel.tr

Safranbolu (from Greek: Σαφράμπολις) is a town and district of Karabük 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 Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995.

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

The Old Town preserves many old 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' (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.

Gallery

• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  General view
• 
  Roman constructions on brook under the buildings and streets at historical center
• 
  Street in historical center
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  Brook under the buildings and streets at historical center
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  Safranbolu Pansiyon
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  Traditional houses
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  Traditional houses
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  Traditional houses
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  Traditional houses
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  General view and The Mosque

A panorama from historical city

Sister cities

• Elabuga, Russia.

Notable natives

• Türker İnanoğlu, film producer.
• İzzet Mehmed Pasha, 18th century Ottoman Grand Vizier.
• Karabaşzade Hüseyin Efendi (Cinci Hoca) - Mentor of Sultan İbrahim
• Ali Gümüş, President of Association Internationale De La Presse Sportive (International Sports Press Association, or AIPS) Wrestling Commission, Journalist and author.

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