The Turkish Black Sea Region forms the northern border of the Asian part of the Turkey and goes in the European part in the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast above. In the south of this region, the Pontic Mountains form the border with Anatolia. It borders in the east GeorgiaThe region is fertile and known for its excellent tea (especially in the region around Rize) and honey. The eastern part is also emerging Ünye through extensive hazelnut plantations, and is therefore often referred to as the hazelnut coast.
Regions
A distinction is often made between the western and eastern Black Sea coast, whereby Samsun represents the middle. While the western part has beautiful bays and beaches, in the east you will find the highlights in the hinterland.
places
Seen from the west, the rural Black Sea coast begins with beautiful bays, which are especially popular with the stressed out population Istanbul to be haunted at the weekend. Here are above all Şile and Akçakoca to call. Around Zonguldak around you can find one of the few areas with a good infrastructure, based on coal mining, which has not been good for the landscape either. With Amasra and Sinop you will find the most beautiful beaches, cities and bays here. This is also reflected here in the hinterland. From Samsun, the largest port city on the Black Sea, the coastal transit route begins. From here beaches are rare. Numerous hazelnut and tea plantations extend from here. But the rural hinterland still invites you to hike, ski and discover. Currently at Giresun and Rize you can do this very well. In Trabzon you can discover the Sumela monastery and Uzungöl is perhaps the most photographed village on the Turkish Black Sea coast because of its fantastic location.
Other goals
The places are in the hinterland (from W to E) Safranbolu (Ottoman wooden buildings), Kastamonu, Çorum, Amasya (ancient rock tombs of the Pontic kings, buildings from the Seljuk period) and Tokat
Furthermore, the ruins of Alaca Hüyük and Hattuşa usually still counted as part of the Black Sea region as these are located in the province of Çorum. Geographically, however, these are already in Central Anatolia.
background
Jason in search of the golden fleece landed in various places in this region and experienced adventure after adventure. At least the encounter with the Amazon culture in the vicinity of Ünye seems to have been possible. Furthermore, the entrance to Hades can still be seen today Ereğli can be visited. The first secured records originate from that epoch and come from the Hittites, who were never able to conquer this region and who were often in dire straits from the Cascians who lived here. These nomadic peoples who lived here in the Bronze Age are often said to have a Celtic origin in terms of cultural history. As evidence, it is often mentioned that there are still many red-haired people to be found here today, the bagpipes are part of a cultural asset and the horon dance performed here is very reminiscent of an enormously expressive river dance performance. In fact, the country and the people are a little different from the rest of Turkey, which does not detract from the national feeling. Because above all the country is different. The subtropical humid climate guarantees dense green forests and fertile harvests. Due to this fact and the trade routes over the Black Sea and on the coast, the area has always been highly contested. In the 6th century B.C. many settlers went from the south of Turkey Miletus into the distance and founded or took over many settlements also on the Black Sea. Among others were Sinop, Samsun and Trabzon. Sometime in the 5th century BC But also here the influence of the Persians prevailed. Then when Alexander the Great smashed the empire of the Persians, a remnant gathered and founded in Amasya the Pontic Kingdom. It wasn't until 100 BC Lucullus came and won large parts of it for the Roman Empire. 47 BC Caesar provided with "Veni, Vidi, Vici!" in Zile for the rest. The centuries that followed were stable. Rome became Eastern Stream and then Byzantium. When the Byzantine Empire increasingly disintegrated towards the end of the first millennium, this was not without consequences for this region as well. The political situation became increasingly opaque. Local kingdoms as in Trabzon or Niksar arose and went down. Only the Ottomans were able to stabilize the situation again in the 15th century. A period of boom followed for many cities in the region. In Safranbolu, Amasya, Tokat or Trabzon this can still be seen today. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire, there were many armed conflicts with Russia, especially in the east, and entire areas of the then young Turkey were lost. But here, too, Ataturk showed himself to be a great speaker and mobilizer. B. Trabzon belonged to Turkey again.
language
Of course, Turkish is spoken here. The first foreign language to be used in western areas is English or German. Currently at Zonguldak German is a good means of communication due to the numerous guest worker connections in the German coal mining regions. However, the more you move east, these two languages will be replaced by Russian.
A few Lasen, Georgian Muslims, still live between Rize and the Georgian border and in the hinterland. These people speak Lasish, a dialect that differs greatly from Standard Georgian. Muslim Pontus Greeks, Hemşin Armenians, Georgians, Circassians and Ukrainian immigrants also live in the Black Sea region.
getting there
The journey by plane is actually just about direct Samsun or Trabzon possible. Anyone who comes from the west by plane is natural for them Istanbul the most suitable starting point. Outside the region is the Batumi airport, from where you can also easily reach Istanbul, with transfer connections also numerous European cities. Batumi Airport is also operated as a Turkish domestic airport (Airport Hopa, Iata code XHQ, check-in and check-out at the Hopa bus station).
Supraregional bus connections are available to all major cities. Of these, there is a well-maintained network of dolmuş connections (shared taxi).
mobility
- The well-maintained network of Dolmuş connections (shared taxi) enables easy travel.
- For motorized self-drivers, the following applies: Although the areas are very rural, the connecting roads are in an acceptable condition. Since the Pontic Mountains rise to heights of about 3000 meters, one should be prepared for one or the other steep pass to be mastered.
- Cyclists should ride with caution, as cyclists can only be found in cities (but not infrequently the three of them on the bike without lights on the wrong side) and therefore drivers do not expect them on interurban roads. In addition, the transit road on the coast has between Samsun and the Georgian border highway character. However, the traffic density can by no means be compared with its German counterpart. Here the parallel route behind the Pontic Mountains should be chosen.
- There is no ferry connection between Istanbul and Trabzon more, which calls at all important ports on the Black Sea coast on its voyage.
Tourist Attractions
There are numerous. Not only that nature meant it well with this region, man has also left numerous sights. Overall, the following goals are to be mentioned as absolute top highlights:
- Amasra - Probably the most beautiful Turkish city on the Black Sea was known as Sesamos in the 6th century BC. founded
- Safranbolu - The epitome of the exemplary preservation of the old cityscape and UNESCO World Heritage.
- Sinop - The Black Sea pearl with many swimming opportunities
- Amasya - In no other city has the entire Turkish history been put together in such a picturesque picture
- Trabzon - In the hinterland, the Sumela monastery can be found in a steep rock face
- Uzungöl - Perhaps the most photographed village on the Turkish Black Sea coast in a dreamy green setting
- Samsun - Industrial city with a historical background. The war of liberation of the Turks after the First World War started here. A monument still commemorates the arrival of Ataturk and his allies.
- Ordu - Visit the mountain Boztepe at 550 meters by cable car and admire the picturesque view of walnut plantations "green" and the sea "blue".
activities
- Swimming. The west is best suited here.
- Winter sports. There are numerous options in winter. The area around the Zigana Pass at Trabzon is currently being massively expanded.
- Discover. The UNESCO world heritage Safranbolu & Hattuşa and numerous small, large historical monuments invite you to discover.
kitchen
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The Black Sea coast can of course also offer a large number of regionally and nationally known specialties. In the first place would be fish dishes like Hamsi (see Trabzon) or anything that has anything to do with hazelnuts is always worth a try. But there are also many local grill specialties such as Akçaabat-Köfte (see Trabzon) or Tokat-Kebap ensure delicious and varied cuisine in the region.
nightlife
Nightlife is rather poor in the village regions. Just like the tourist place Şile, Akçakoca, Amasra, Sinop or Ünye and the big places like Samsun or Trabzon can offer a night life.
security
- The crime rate is comparatively low. But one should be on the lookout for pickpockets, especially in the markets in the big cities.
- In summer there are always "tick alarms" here. Therefore: If possible, do not crawl into the undergrowth. Take the socks over your pants and the good Autan against ticks.
- In many corners people are not used to receiving foreign tourists. Therefore, the residents here are very friendly, but usually speak neither German nor English. But thanks to the friendliness of the locals, you can usually go very far with your hands and feet. Nevertheless, you should do without mini-skirts and shorts in order not to squander this friendliness with the sometimes very conservative rural population.
- Caution is advised with self-propelled vehicles. Many drivers do not show any consideration here on confusing, winding roads up the mountains. You should therefore expect unexpected oncoming traffic at every bend.
climate
The climate on the coast is warm and humid in summer and cool in winter. This ensures a green landscape and fertile harvests. If, on the one hand, this guarantees the dreamy ambience in Amasra, it will take away the sunshine guarantee even in summer. Even in July, every third day is a rainy day. But even if it rains now and then, the next sunny day is sure to come and it can make up for everything.
If the temperature does not usually fall below 6 °, the temperature in the high altitudes of the Pontic Mountains goes below freezing point in winter. Combined with precipitation, this means a lot of snow.
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean highest air temperature in ° C | 13 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 20 | 17 | 13 | O | 19.6 |
| Mean lowest air temperature in ° C | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 6 | O | 12.1 |
| Average water temperature in ° C | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 13 | O | 16.2 |
| Rainy days in the month | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | Σ | 175 |
trips
A popular travel option is of course to drive along the coast. With this variant you should take care not to miss the highlights in the hinterland.
There are still enough destinations for excursions outside the Black Sea coast:
- To the west is of course the Bosphorus and Istanbul within easy reach or across the coastline of the Marmara region to Bulgaria to travel further,
- In the middle are Ankara and Cappadocia worthwhile goals
- In the east there is the possibility in Eastern Anatolia to go on a voyage of discovery or to the Black Sea coast Georgia to follow
literature
- Black Sea by Neal Ascherson published by Suhrkamp Verlag 1998.
- The voyage of the Argonauts by Apollonios of Rhodes published by Reclam Verlag 2002.
- Amazons: women, fighters and city founders by Jochen Fornasier published by Zabern Verlag in 2007.
- The empire of Mithradates Eupator of Pontus in the crisis of the late Hellenism by Kai Oltshausen published by Duehrkohp & Radicke Verlag in 1999.
- allānū - hazelnuts as a delicacy in the kārum-era trade from Anatolia to northern Mesopotamia (approx. 1930 - 1730 BC) by Thomas Sturm, published in: Altorientalische Forschungen 35, 2008, pp. 296 - 311.
