61 · City guide
Trabzon
City of Sümela, yaylas and Black Sea cuisine
Trabzon is a port city founded in antiquity as Trapezus; it was the capital of the Empire of Trebizond from 1204 to 1461 and was taken by Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Mehmed the Conqueror) in 1461. It is also known as the birthplace of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (Suleiman the Magnificent). In the walled historic center of Ortahisar, you can explore on foot the Ortahisar Fatih Mosque, the Gülbahar Hatun Complex, the Bedesten and Uzun Sokak; west of the city, on a ridge overlooking the sea, the 13th-century Hagia Sophia stands out for its frescoes and reliefs. From Boztepe you can view the harbor and the city together. Sümela Monastery, built on a sheer slope of the Altındere Valley in Maçka, is the province's symbol. Uzungöl in Çaykara, Akçaabat's köfte and Ortamahalle mansions, the stone mansions of Sürmene and yaylas such as Hıdırnebi and Kadırga make for a route of several days within the province.
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Where shall we explore?
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Castle
Akçakale Castle
Akçaabat, Trabzon
A medieval castle on a terrace overlooking the sea, thought to have been built in the time of Alexios II to protect the west of Trabzon.
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Altındere Valley National Park
Maçka, Trabzon
A national park that includes Sümela Monastery, known for its Oriental spruce forests and streamside walks.
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Atatürk Mansion (Atatürk Köşkü)
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A Renaissance-influenced mansion in a pine grove on the Soğuksu ridge; in 1937 Atatürk made his decision here to donate his property to the nation.
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Aya Varvara Church
Maçka, Trabzon
A small church and monastery remains surrounded by a protective wall, right near Sümela Monastery.
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Hagia Sophia Mosque (Ayasofya Camii)
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A 13th-century church from the Empire of Trebizond period, famous for its frescoes and stone decoration; used today as a mosque.
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Lake Aygır (Aygır Gölü)
Çaykara, Trabzon
A glacial lake at an altitude of about 2740 meters at the foot of the Haldizen Mountains.
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Nature park
Beşikdağı Nature Park
Beşikdüzü, Trabzon
A recreation area overlooking the coast, reached by cable car from the Beşikdüzü shore and declared a nature park in 2016.
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Boztepe Viewing Terrace
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A hill known in antiquity as Minthrion, overlooking almost the entire city and the Black Sea; known for its viewing platform and tea gardens.
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Çakıroğlu İsmail Ağa Mansion
Of, Trabzon
An ağa's mansion on a hill overlooking the sea, built of pink cut stone in the early 19th century and cited as the Black Sea's largest stone mansion.
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Çal Cave
Düzköy, Trabzon
A cave opened to tourism in 2003, with a stream running through it, dividing into two branches and explored on wooden walkways.
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Çalcamili Nature Park
Düzköy, Trabzon
A forested area right near Çal Cave, declared a nature park in 2011.
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Castle
Canayer Castle
Araklı, Trabzon
Roman-period castle remains in the Buzluca (formerly Canayer) neighborhood west of Araklı, associated with the ancient settlement of Hyssus/Sürmene.
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Çarşı Mosque
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A 19th-century building in the middle of the historic bazaar, commissioned by Governor Hazinedarzade Osman Paşa and cited as the largest mosque in the city.
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Cevdet Sunay Museum
Çaykara, Trabzon
The village house where Cevdet Sunay, Türkiye's 5th President, was born, restored and turned into a house museum in 2001.
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Erikbeli Highland (Erikbeli Yaylası)
Tonya, Trabzon
A highland 19 km from Tonya, spread over wide meadows of about 18 square kilometers and alive with livestock grazing in summer.
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Gülbahar Hatun Mosque and Tomb
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A mosque with zaviyes built in 1514 in the name of Gülbahar Hatun, mother of Yavuz Sultan Selim, and the octagonal tomb just to its east.
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Hamsiköy
Maçka, Trabzon
A mountain village at the northern foot of Zigana Dağı, a stopping place on the old Silk Road; famous for its rice pudding and dairy products.
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Hapsiyaş Bridge (Kiremitli Köprü)
Of, Trabzon
A wooden bridge built in 1935 over the Solaklı Deresi, resting on stone piers and notable for its tile-covered roof.
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Hıdırnebi Highland (Hıdırnebi Yaylası)
Akçaabat, Trabzon
A highland at 1600 meters in the extension of the Metinkale Valley in Akçaabat, known for its July festivities and sea-of-fog views.
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İskenderpaşa Mosque
Ortahisar, Trabzon
An Ottoman mosque commissioned in the 16th century by İskender Paşa, governor of Trabzon, known for its minaret of alternating courses.
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Yayla (highland pasture)
Kadınlar Highland (Kadınlar Yaylası)
Hayrat, Trabzon
A traditional highland of about 10 square kilometers, 30 km from Hayrat, living from livestock grazing from April to October.
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Kadıralak Nature Park
Tonya, Trabzon
A nature park declared in 2017 in Tonya, adjoining the highland of the same name, at an altitude of 1480 meters.
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Kadırga Highland (Yayla)
Maçka, Trabzon
A high highland on the Trabzon–Gümüşhane border hosting the traditional Kadırga Festival every July, known for its historic open-air mosque.
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Kalepark (Güzelhisar Castle)
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A park laid out on a rocky hill overlooking the harbor, on the site of Leonkastron, the medieval castle built by Genoese merchants.
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Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Ottoman Culture House
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A historic house in Ortahisar, where Kanuni was born, displaying wax figures of Ottoman sultans and items on Trabzon's history.
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Kaşıkçı Bridge
Arsin, Trabzon
A single-arched historic bridge of cut and rubble stone over the Yanbolu Deresi in the interior of Arsin.
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Church
Rock Church (Çamlık)
Vakfıkebir, Trabzon
A historic rock-cut church in the Çamlık (formerly Petromida) neighborhood of Vakfıkebir, reported to contain depictions of Christ and the apostles.
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Kızlar Monastery (Panagia Theoskepastos)
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A convent at the foot of Boztepe founded in the time of Alexios III, opened to visitors in 2021 after a long restoration.
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Küçük Ayvasıl Church
Ortahisar, Trabzon
The three-naved Church of Saint Anne, considered one of Trabzon's oldest churches thanks to its repair inscription dated 884.
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Ortahisar Fatih Great Mosque
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A historic mosque within the castle, converted from the Church of Panagia Chrysokephalos, where the Komnenos emperors were crowned.
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Yayla (highland pasture)
Pazarcık Highland (Pazarcık Yaylası)
Araklı, Trabzon
A highland settlement 43 km south of Araklı, surrounded by pine forests, at the junction of the Bayburt and Gümüşhane roads.
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Santa Maria Catholic Church
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A three-naved Catholic church and guesthouse complex built in 1869–1874, still open for worship today.
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Lake Sera Nature Park
Akçaabat, Trabzon
A landslide-dammed lake formed in 1950 when rocks breaking off the valley slope blocked the stream, and the nature park around it.
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Sultan Murat Highland (Sultan Murat Yaylası)
Çaykara, Trabzon
A highland at 2000 meters where Murad IV is said to have camped, containing World War I trenches and a martyrs' cemetery.
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Sümela Monastery
Maçka, Trabzon
The Black Sea's most famous monastery, set against a steep cliff in the Altındere Valley, with its rock church and frescoes.
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Nature park
Sürmene Çamburnu Nature Park
Sürmene, Trabzon
A coastal nature park declared in 2011 on the pine-covered cape east of Sürmene to which it gives its name.
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Tabakhane Bridge
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A two-tiered, six-arched historic stone bridge crossing the Tabakhane Deresi valley east of Ortahisar.
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Taşlı Highland (Taşlı Yaylası)
Köprübaşı, Trabzon
A high highland south of Köprübaşı, on the Trabzon–Bayburt provincial border, on the old Sürmene–Bayburt caravan route.
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Trabzon Bedesten
Ortahisar, Trabzon
An Ottoman bedesten in the part of the historic bazaar sloping down to the coast, restored and now home to shops selling local products.
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Trabzon Castle
Ortahisar, Trabzon
Historic city walls on the rock mass between the Tabakhane and Zağnos valleys, consisting of the Yukarı, Orta and Aşağı Hisar.
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Trabzon Muhibbi Literature Museum Library
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A museum-library in a historic mansion overlooking the Zağnos Valley, displaying the works and belongings of writers from the region.
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Trabzon Museum (Kostaki Mansion)
Ortahisar, Trabzon
The provincial museum, displaying archaeological and ethnographic artifacts in an early 20th-century banker's mansion with hand-painted walls.
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Trabzonspor Şamil Ekinci Museum
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A club museum displaying Trabzonspor's championship trophies and the famous 'half cup'.
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Uzungöl
Çaykara, Trabzon
A famous mountain lake within a nature park, formed when the Haldizen Deresi was blocked by a landslide, surrounded by steep forested slopes.
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Uzungöl Dursun Ali İnan Museum
Çaykara, Trabzon
A private museum in Uzungöl telling the story of the region's culture through a local wooden house, ethnographic items and tree-root sculptures.
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Vazelon Monastery
Maçka, Trabzon
Monastery remains on a rock at 1200 meters in Maçka, dedicated to John the Baptist, bearing traces of frescoes on its facade.
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Yeni Cuma Mosque
Ortahisar, Trabzon
The former Church of Hagios Eugenios, dedicated to the city's patron saint Eugenios; converted into a mosque after the conquest.
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Lighthouse
Yoroz (Işıklı) Lighthouse
Çarşıbaşı, Trabzon
A historic lighthouse built in 1886 on Yoroz Burnu in Çarşıbaşı, protected together with the buildings around it.
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Zağnos Bridge
Ortahisar, Trabzon
A single-span historic stone bridge connecting Ortahisar to the Atapark side, repaired by Zağanos Paşa in the 15th century.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- High yayla roads may close due to snow in winter; check muze.gov.tr for current hours of museums and archaeological sites
- Climate
- Mild, rainy Black Sea climate; rain is possible in every season, so carry a raincoat
- Best time
- May–October; July–August for yayla festivals and yayla roads
- Getting there
- Trabzon Airport is close to the city center; road connections via the Samsun–Sarp coastal road and, toward Gümüşhane, the Zigana Tunnel
- Getting around
- The historic center around Meydan is walkable; Sümela, Uzungöl and the yaylas require a dolmuş, a tour or a private vehicle