Black sea region, Turkey

The Black Sea, 1881 Giclee Print
Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky
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Dense forest and greenery the steeply rising mountains and foothills of the Black sea region, where the main crops are tea, tobacco and hazelnuts grown on the narrow coastal plain and lower hills.

Protected from Central Anatolia byhigh and desolate peaks, the Black Sea Comnene Empire of Trebizond was the last Byzantine foothold to submit to Turkish domination, eight years af ter the fall of Istanbul.




Zigana Pass, Eastern Black Sea Mountains Photographic Print
Keribar, Izzet
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The hilly terrain has hindered ready access to what are some of Turkey's finest sand beaches and scenic coastline. In the west, within easy reach of Istanbul are Kilyos, Sile, and Agva. To the east of these are Akcakoca, Amasra, a picturesque town with a Byzantine citadel, Sinop, the birthplace of Diogenes, the Greek satirist and philosopher, and Giresun, the native land of the cherry tree, introduced to Europe by the Roman general and epicure Lucullus.

For historical monuments Trabzon is the best endowed of the Black Sea towns, with a number of Byzantine buildings, the most notable being the ehurch of Saint Sophia and the 14th century Monastery of Sumela, which clings to a sheer rock face south of Trabzon.

Beyond Trabzon is Rize, the centre of Turkish tea cultivation. In early summer the mountain slopes here are bright with purple rhododendrons.

Safranbolu, south of Amasra, is a Ottoman market town by-passed by the 20th century, where the elegant spacious timber and adobe houses have been restored and present an unspoilt picture of traditional Turkish architecture in situ.

Cappadocia Goreme Valley Ihlara Gorge

The surrealistic landscape of Cappadocia, a strange area of multi-hued volcanic rock pilliars and tortuous valleys sculpted by millenia of rain and wind, was first a refuge for early Christians fleeing presecution, and in Byzantine times became a vast complex of churches and monasteries, hollowed out of malleable rock, and adorned with frescoes depincing biblical scenes and saints. The Goreme Valley and the Ihlara Gorge are the main sites of these Urgup.

Another extraordinary sight of Cappadocia are the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, hollowed like the churches out of the volcanic rock and delving seven to nine floors into the earth, with a labyrinth of corridors, chambers, storerooms, kitchens, and churches. These are not inhabited, although there are still troglodyte dwellings in the rock cones.

The town of Avanos in the area is famous for its beautiful old houses, pottery and onyx. Most of the hotels are to be found in Nevsehir, the largest town in Cappadocia, Urgup and Avanos.