The Ottomans controlled the area since the mid 1400’s, for
roughly 450 years, until WW1.
We stopped in Safranbolu, slightly inland with a well preserved old Ottoman city.
The name Safranbolu comes from saffron, which has
traditionally been cultivated in the surrounding area.
By the 17th century Safranbolu had become a prosperous city as a trading and stopping point on the important East–West caravan route between Anatolia and the Black Sea, part of the wider Silk Road network.
Safranbolu is a UNESCO World Heritage site because so much
of the old town, including its houses, streets, mosques, baths and markets, has
survived.
