A True Open-Air museum
No doubt that many other places
in theworld are defined as ‘open air museums’.
But Safranbolu really deserves
this title.Throw yourself on the streets of Safranbolu; you will understand
what we meaThe town,
adorned with traditional houses reflecting classical Ottoman architecture is
famous for its cultural heritage, as well as for its quiet way of life and
soothing natural environment. Safranbolu,a district of the Province of Karabük,
is one of the nine cultural assets in Turkey inscribed on the UNESCO World
Cultural Heritage List; and as such, an important tourist destination. It owes
its name to saffron, a rare plant growing in the region.The Safranbolu houses
which were originally built in a particular architectural style were recently
restored within the frameworkof a special project aimed at preserving the
authentic texture of the relatively well-preserved old city. The youngest of
these houses is almost 200 years old. Hence, you feel like strolling through an18thcentury
Ottoman city as soon as you step into the district. Most of the famed
Safranbolu houses are mansions usually situated on large courtyards, with
separate entries for men and women. Each room is equipped with a let-in bathtub
built in the wall. The walls andceilings are decorated with the best examples
of wooden craft. The windows of the houses are narrow but sufficiently high to
allow the maximum amount of daylight to penetrate inside. Rugs hand-woven from madder-dyed
yarn keeping their original colours and properties adorn their floors.Some of
the Safranbolu mansions were put in order and made ready for public visits and
some others were converted into museums.
One of these
houses is the District Governor’s House. An original Turkish house The
“District Governor’s House” is eminently representative of the Safran-bolu
houses which reflect the characteristics of the culture and way of life of the 18thand 19thcenturies
Turkish society.
Its exact date of construc-tion is unknown. It is believed to
have been built at the beginning of the 18thcentury. The owner of this beautiful house was Hacı Mehmet Efendi, commander
of the Garrison of Safranbolu. His rank as LieutenantColo-nel corresponding to
the Ottoman administrative rank of QaimMaqam (District Governor), Hacı Mehmet
Efendi’s house came to be referred to under this name.The house preserved all
its architectural characteristics up until today.
It was opened as a Training Centre on
16 December 1981. Located ithe Safranbolu Arcadeat Hıdırlık Slope Street, the
building is a typical Turk-ish house in terms of its mass, lay-outand original
façade. Ifyou go to Safranbolu, this is one of the most important venues to be
visited. Kileciler MansionLocated at the junction of Kışlayanı and Akpınar
streets, the Kileciler Mansion is known to have been commissioned by Hacı
Mehmet Efendi in 1884. The structure was designed so as to fit the slope angles
of both streets, as literally a“corner house”.Seated on stone foundations, the
building’s upper floor walls are made of timber frames filled with adobe. Fine
handiwork decora-tions on the walls stand out. The main entrance of the mansion
is on the Kışlayanı Street and the ladies’ entrance is located on the Akpınar
Street. Samples of the period’s table cloths, garments, cushions, tables,
couches, sewing machines can be seen inside the house.
City History Museum:
Safranbolu
City History Museum was built between 1904 and 1906 with the
financial support of the people on “Castle Hill”. Completely made of cut stone,
the building has a total of 800 square meters covered space and a cellar
section.The museum
consists of three floors; ground floor, entrance and first floor.
The museum presents the different periods of Safranbolu’s history, life and
culture in a chronological order. You can also walk through an old Safranbolu
Bazaar in the museum.On the ground floor there are the items related to the
history of the building and
of the city; maps, cultural publications, satellite images, an exhibition
hall and conference hall. In the Ethnography Hall, you find the Republican
Period garments and old furnishings typical of Safranbolu.
Information
materiel on Safranbolu history from the Ottoman period to the Republic Period
such as visuals is on display at the ‘Safranbolu Pictures Hall’. Roman, Ottoman
and Republican coins as well as
old manuscripts
are also exhibited in this hall. On the ground floor, the his-tory of
Safranbolu commercial life and handicrafts is presentedthrough a series of
photographs.The museum includes also sub-sections such as a Pharmacy Museum a
Turkish Delight (Locum) Museum and, life-size working space models of
various Safranbolu trades and handicrafts, such as Spice-seller, Scarfmanufacturer,
Shoemaker, Saddler, Ironsmith, Tinsmith, Coppersmith and an Artisan’s
Coffee House.
Historic Cinci Inn and BathOne of
the hundreds of large and small caravanserais established on the Silk Road
extending from China to Anatolia is the Cinci Han in Safran-bolu, which had
been built in 1645 by Karabaşzade Hüseyin Efendi, a no 25 Kaymakamlar
Evi binası, Saat Kulesi, kente adını veren safran bitkisi soğanı ile safran
baharatı (sol sayfada, üstte). Cinci Hamamı kubbeleri (sol altta). Tarihi yemenici
dükkanı ve yemeni örnekleri (üstte), Kent Tarihi binası ile Cinci Han (altta). District
Governor’s House, the Clock Tower, and the bulb of the saffron plant which gives its
name to the city and saffron spice (left page, top). Cinci Bath domes (left page,
bottom). Historic scarves shop and scarf samples (top), the City History building and
the Cinci Han (below). of timber
frames filled with adobe. Fine handiwork decora-tions on the walls stand out.
The main entrance of the mansion is on the Kışlayanı Street and the ladies’
entrance is located on the Akpınar Street. Samples of the period’s table
cloths, garments, cushions, tables, couches, sewing machines can be seen inside
the house.
City History Museum:
Safranbolu
City History Museum was built between 1904 and 1906 with the
financial support of the people on “Castle Hill”. Completely made of cut
stone, the building has a total of 800 square meters covered space
and a cellar
section.The museum consists of three floors; ground floor, entrance and first floor.
The museum presents the different periods of Safranbolu’s history, life
and culture in a chronological order. You can also walk through an old Safranbolu Bazaar in the museum.On the
ground floor there are the items related to the history of the building and of
the city; maps, cultural publications, satellite images, an
exhibition
hall and conference hall. In the Ethnography Hall, you find the Republican
Period garments and old furnishings typical of Safranbolu.
Information
materiel on Safranbolu history from the Ottoman period to the
Republic Period such as visuals is on display at the ‘Safranbolu Pictures
Hall’. Roman, Ottoman and Republican coins as well as
old manuscripts
are also exhibited in this hall. On the ground floor, the history of
Safranbolu commercial life and handicrafts is presentedthrough a series of
photographs.The museum includes also sub-sections such as a Pharmacy Museum,a Turkish
Delight (Locum) Museum and, life-size working space m
odels of
various Safranbolu trades and handicrafts, such as Spice-seller, Scarfmanufacturer,
Shoemaker, Saddler, Ironsmith, Tinsmith, Coppersmith and an
Artisan’s Coffee House.
Historic Cinci Inn and Bath:
One of the
hundreds of large and small caravanserais established on the Silk Road
extending from China to Anatolia is the Cinci Han in Safranbolu,
which had been built in 1645 by Karabaşzade Hüseyin Efend
i, a no-table
of Safranbolu called Cinci Hoca (the Spiritualist Hodja).Although its
architect is not known for certain, the inn is believed to be built by Master
Architect Kazım Agha. It was used as a caravanserai for
centu-ries
up until the twentieth century where the Historical Silk Road began to
lose of its significance. Henceforth it was utilized as a warehouse by the
merchants of Safranbolu. Nowadays, the restored and refurbished structure
serves as a hotel accommodating tourists from everywhere. The Cinci
Hammam which is part of it is still operational.
Safranbolu Clock Tower:
The square shaped 10 meters high Clock
Tower which had been built in 1797 by the Grand Vizier İzzet Mehmet Pasha,
during the time ofSultan Selim III, is overlooking the entire city and can be
seen from almost every corner of Safranbolu
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