The Location of Safranbolu and Its Neighbouring Provinces, Sub-provincesand Villages
Safranbolu is a sub-provincial centre in the north-western Black Sea region, located at the cross-section of the 41°16′ northern latitude and 32°41′ eastern longitude. According to the present administrative system the neighbouring provinces are: Zonguldak, Kastamonu, Cankiri, Bolu; and the sub-provinces are: Karabuk, Eflani, Ulus, Bartin, Arac, Eskipazar, Bulak, Tokatli, Gayiza (Incekaya), Danakoy, Ciftlik, Kirpe (Duzce), Yazi, Konari, Yuruk, Akveren, Ogulveren, Davutobasi, cercen, Hacilarobasi, Bostanbuku, Karit, Baskoy, Kilavuzlar and Kapullu are some of the villages in the same region. Among these Bulak, Tokatli, Gayiza, Danakoy, Yazi, Konari, Yuruk, Karit, Bostanbuku and Kilavuzlar are of special significance to Safranbolu (Safranbolu Map). Yuruk village has long been an important centre close to Safranbolu, with its large houses and the labour it supplies to Istanbul, primarily in bakery.

Sources of Building Materials

Stone
The stone used in building construction is obtained from the limestone rocks in the area. This hard, blue stone is utilized also for the manufacture of good quality lime. Another local material, “kufunk”, a porous, lightweight stone is used as infill in the wood-frame construction and also for building chimneys; being easily sawed into shape.

Adobe
Although every type of soil could be used in making adobe, those made out of the soil brought specifically from Koprucek were preferred.

Tiles
Roof tiles were hand-shaped in the villages of cercen, Bostanbuku and camlica, and burnt in kilns.

Wood .
Looking at the houses in Safranbolu we can see that very good quality wood has been generously used. Even today, more than half of the surrounding area is covered with forests. We can definitely say that this ratio was much higher in the old days. Today, 38 percent of the trees within the Karabuk Forestry Management Area are firs, 30 percent beeches, 20 percent pines and 9 percent oaks.

Wood used in construction is mainly fir and pine; walnut and poplar have also been used sparingly. Orders for the required wood for buildings were made to mountain villages such as Gayiza, Tokatlikoy, Danakoy, Karaevli, Susundur, Aricak and Baskoy. They shaped the lumber which they had already felled with axes, and then fastening them to sides of mules brought it down mountain trails. Oxen pulled down the thicker trees. Wood was cut either with hand saws or at saw-mills. In the first half of the 20th century there were three saw-mills in Danakoy.

Mortars Lime: Good quality lime is produced from the blue limestones in the area which are burned in the forest land near Gayiza.

Mud mortar: It is produced from every type of soil in the same way as adobe clay is prepared.

Historical Buildings of Significance
No records have yet been encountered regarding any buildings from the Byzantine times in Safranbolu. Probably, the Hagios Stephanos church (Ulucami) in Kirankoy was built by Theodora. The Eski Cami mosque may have been transformed from a Byzantine church. The remains of buildings belonging to the Turks start from the Candarogullari period. These have undergone various repairs and transformations through time. Only the most significant buildings are listed below.

Religious Buildings
There are around 30 mosques. The oldest one is the Suleyman Pasa Camii (Eski Cami) mosque from the Candarogullari period (14th century). The other most important ones are Koprulu Mehmet Pasa mosque (1662), Izzet Mehmet Pasa mosque (1779).

Educational Buildings
The Suleyman Pasa Madrasa (14th century) of which only the foundations exist today, is the only educational building worth noting.

Social Buildings
Cinci Hoca Hani (Cinci Hodja Caravanserai 17th century), Eski Hamam (Old Baths 14th century), Yeni Hamam (New Baths, 17th century). In addition to these buildings, approximately 180 fountains and 15 bridges can be listed. Looking at these structures, we can assume that Safranbolu began to gain signifiance in the 14th century. It attracted the attention of some prominent statesmen starting from the 17th century through the 18th century; and since then, with the increase in its own economic power, continued to add many more buildings, mostly small mosques and fountains, to the existing stock.

It is within the Mevlevi Convent at Konya. The first convent was built by Bedreddin from Tabriz in 1274. It has been expanded and restored to gain the form we have at present. The Turbe (mausoleum) rests of four pillars and is 25 m. high. The body of the Turbe is observed to be in the form of a 16 foil cylindir and 16 foil conical cap. The body and cap are covered with turquoise tiles. For this reason the dome is referred to as the “Green Dome”. The Turbe contains 65 groves of various relatives and flowers of Mevlana together with himself. The pencilworks of the Turbe are also of great valve.

The idea of constructing such a structure was originated from the will of Sultan-ul Ulema Bahaeddin Veledin, father of Mevlana, when he wanted to be burried there after his death in 1230 and the structure turn out to take its shape as a single tomb was built upon his grave. After the death of Mevlana,a tomb was built there by Pervane Muiniddin and his wife Gurcu Hatun. The tomb has taken its current dervish convent structre as further religious and social architectural additions were carried out.

Succeeding to the death of Mevlana that is from 1273 improvements as to the dervish convent building continued and it was converted into a museum after the Proclamation of the Republic. In the museum there are properties belonging to Mevlana and other dervishes as well as valuable samples of hand-painted erchiefs, handwritings, ornaments, wooden works of art and instruments of the Mevlevi music, carpets and pileless carpets. The most appealing section of the tomb is the Kubbe-i Hadra (Green Vault) above the graves of Hz. Mevlana and his son Sultan Veledin.

Inside of the structure built by Architect Bedreddin during Seljuk Period in 1396 is coated with green tiles.The inner walls of the tomb was embellished with plaster relief and designs. The sarcophagus of Hz. Mevlana is one of the superior samples of wooden crafts of the period.Yet this high sarcophagus is above that of his father Sultan-ul Ulema Bahaeddin Veledin’s. On the north side of the tomb, there are Semahane( where Mevlevi dervishes perform the sema) and a small mosque constructed by Kanuni Sultan Suleyman in 16th century.

Seb-i Aruz Pool, on the other hand, is before the kitchen of the dervish convent. Within the frame of the annual commemoration ceremonies organized in the name of Mevlana, whirling dances of the Mevlevi dervishes (sema) around the pool are performed in certain days called as Seb-i Aruz (Feast Day). Since the death of Hz. Mevlana was considered as a reunion with God, these days have been renamed as feast days.

Ancient Hierapolis appears to have been founded by King Eumenes II of Pergamon and its name is derived from Hiera, the wife of King Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamon. The city became subject to Rome in 133 B.C. In 17 B.C. during the reign of Tiberius it suffered a heavy earthquake that substantially destroyed the city, requiring it to be rebuilt. Preliminary excavations at Hierapolis were undertaken by a German team towards the end of the last century. Since 1957, excavation and restoration work has been going on under the direction of an Italian group of archaeologists.

The ancient city was strung out on either side of a long colonnaded street called the Plateia. Measuring 13 meters in width, this street ran north and south from the southern gateway to the Arch of Domitian in the north. It is paved with huge blocks of limestone. The first structure one encounters on reaching the plateau is the city baths, which are in a very good state of preservation. The baths are Roman and from the 2nd century A.D. In the eastern part of the baths is a palaestra measuring 36.13 by 52.25 meters. Immediately to the north and south of the palaestra are two big rooms that were reserved for the emperor and ceremonial use.

A large hall stretches the length of the western side of the palaestra and this was the gymnasium used by athletes. This salon led into the frigidarium from which one proceeded to the barrel-vaulted rooms of the caldarium. A small room adjacent to the large hall now serves as a museum in which works discovered in the Hierapolis excavations are on display. Since Hierapolis was principally a luxury resort town it was richly adorned with magnificent sculptures showing the influence of the Aphrodisias (q.v.) school and is well worth a visit.

The well preserved theater of Hierapolis commands magnificent view of the plain below. The original theater was located above the northern gate, but when the city was rebuilt during the reign of the Flavian emperors (60 A.D.) the theater was relocated here, and the seats from the old structure were used in the work. During the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.) the theater’s skene was modified and richly decorated with reliefs. In 532 it was discovered that the sekene had been weakened by age and the almost daily seismic activity that takes place here and had to be reinforced.

Since the theater has been restored, it is now possible to see the friezes of mythological scenes depicting Apollo and Artemis in their original positions. Thirty rows of the seats of this theater resting against the slope have survived. Originally there were 20 rows in the lower part and 25 in the upper separated by a diazoma. The cavea was divided by eight aisles. Passing through the city walls above the theater we proceed to the Martyrion of St Philip. This is an octagonal building erected on a square measuring 20 by 20 meters. It was built in the early 5th century.

Even in its present state of ruin it is an impressive structure. Retracing our footsteps to the theater we may now examine the ruins below the theater. Near the road is the Temple of Apollo, the principal deity of the city. While the foundations of this temple go back to late Hellenistic times, the present remains of the upper structure are from the 3rd century A.D. Next to it is a cave (called the Plutonion) from which poisonous gases emerge. (According to Strabo, an ox thrust into this cave would keel over and die.

He himself experimented with doves.) The temple measures 20 by 15 meters and sat on a platform that was 2.5 meters high. Before the temple is a monumental fountain. Built during the late 3rd century A.D., the walls of this rectangular fountain are very well preserved. There was also a pool located before the fountain and the structure was richly adorned with statues and columns. The water for this fountain was brought here by aqueducts, remains of which may be seen in the vicinity of Guzelpinar and between Pamukkale and Karahayit.

East of the present museum is a Christian basilica consisting of a nave and two aisles. It dates from the 6th century A.D. Walking along the route of the Plateia (which now passes through the modern swimming pool and motel) reminds us that this main street dividing the ancient city was once decorated with colonnades, porticos, and important buildings located on either side. The street runs directly toward the city walls passing through a gateway built in Byzantine times atop an earlier fountain.

On the way is a basilical structure with two aisles and a nave whose eastern end terminates in an apse. The city walls were built in 396 A.D. and were reinforced by twenty-eight towers. Passing through Byzantine gate we come to a rather well preserved section of the Plateia. This part was built during the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.) and terminates with the Arch of Domitian. This monumental gateway was actually erected by Julius Frontinus, who was proconsul of the Roman province of Asia (middle western Anatolia) in 82 and 83 A.D., and dedicated to the emperor.

The gate has two round towers and three portals. Excavations are now in progress to reveal the remains of shops and houses that once lined both sides of this street. Northeast of the street between the Byzantine and Domitian gates was the agora of ancient Hierapolis. The traces of the city’s original theater may be seen above. As we follow the road in the direction of the necropolis we pass by the imposing walls of a building originally erected as baths around the end of the 2nd century A.D.

It was converted to a church in the 5th century. The huge necropolis of Hierapolis spreads out on either side of the road for a distance of two kilometers. It contains tumuli, sarcophagi, and house-shaped tombs that range in date from the late Hellenistic period to early Christian times. It is one of the most extensive and best preserved ancient cemeteries in Anatolia and a stroll through it leaves a deep and mystical impression upon the visitor, particularly on a moonlit night. The road proceeds on to the hot springs of Karahayit located 4 kilometers away.