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town in Abkhazia, Georgia

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Sights (14)

Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery

494m

40.998539.729

İskender Pasha Mosque, Trabzon

Built by governor İskender (Alexander) Pasha in 1529. This mosque lies just east of Meydan square.

693m

41.0059339.72896

New Friday Mosque

The former church dedicated to the patron saint of the city. Dates from the late 13th to 14th century. Converted into a mosque before 1523.

1.2km

41.0011111139.7225

Saint Anne Church, Trabzon

According to an inscription on the facade, this small basilican church was restored in the 9th century. It is possibly one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating to the 6th or 7th century. Visitors are welcomed by carvings of a soldier and a winged Nike on the spolia inserted as lintel above the entrance. In 2018 the church-building was opened for tourists. Just south of the church stands the imposing 'office of the chamber of mechanical engineers' (Makina Mühendisleri Odası).

1.2km

41.0061111139.72333333

Kaymaklı Monastery

The Armenian monastery of the All-Saviour is in a suburb to the southeast of Boztepe. It is made up of a number of structures, which may not be accessible to visitors, as the monastery is in a state of disrepair. The interior of the church of the monastery is covered in frescoes.

1.3km

40.994339.74418

Hagia Sophia, Trabzon

A beautiful and picturesque church converted into a mosque and later into a museum that still has stunning frescoes within—just like its namesake in Istanbul. The portico on the south side of the church has a freeze running above an arch that rests on two Corinthian columns, which were probably part of a previous classical temple at the site. The columns in the western portico leading to the narthex, however, are styled with muqarnas, showing eastern Anatolian influences. The use of arches, freezes and muqarnas is atypical for Byzantine churches. The church has a freestanding square bell tower, which is unique among churches of the Black Sea region. It houses a small chapel on its second floor. Invisible from its exterior, the internal walls of the bell tower are covered in frescoes. There is a peaceful open-air tea garden on the grounds. Just north of the church the foundation of a previous chapel can be seen. While the main hall of the church was converted into a mosque in 2013 (its legal status is still under debate), all of the best preserved frescoes are still visible in the narthex. In December 2017 it was announced that the building will be renovated again, making all the frescoes and Opus Sectile floor mosaics visible to tourists.

4.1km

41.0033333339.69611111

Mehmet Akif Ersoy Indoor Swimming Pool

Olympic-size swimming pool. Not for small children.

5.1km

41.0006939.77885

Hayri Gür Arena

With a capacity of 7500, it is one of the largest basketball courts in Europe.

8.1km

40.9865555639.80527778

Şenol Güneş Stadium

Watch a match of the local football team, Trabzonspor, the most successful team in Turkey outside of Istanbul. If you are in the city on a weekend, you can watch the team at the brand new stadium.

9.7km

40.9991111139.64594444

Kuştul Monastery

The Saint George Peristereota Monastery was one of the most impressive monuments of the entire Pontus, rivaling Sumela with its dramatic location on a rocky mountaintop. The monastery was made up of multiple residential and clerical structures, including two freestanding churches. It is now almost completely ruined and exceedingly difficult to reach. To get an idea of how it looked before it was abandoned, watch the 3D reconstruction video by architect Nefidis Vladimiros on YouTube.

17km

40.7963888939.68388889

Maçka

city

20km

40.8166666739.61666667

Vazelon Monastery

Founded in 270 AD as one of the first Christian monasteries in the world. The wealth aggregated at Vazelon through taxation of the lands in the valley below were invested in the construction of some of the other monasteries in the region. Now it lies ruined and abandoned. The road is rocky and dangerous. Check current conditions, as fallen trees or other obstacles may make it impossible to access the monastery. The impressive outer walls of the monastery remain standing in large part, but the roof has collapsed entirely.

29km

40.763439.5327

Sürmene

district in Trabzon Province, Turkey

42km

40.9141666740.1125

Gümüşhane

city in Turkey

53km

40.4597222239.47777778
Nature

we will see

Trabzon

Turkey
Someday we will visit Trabzon or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar. Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!

Trabzon

Trabzon is the largest city in the Eastern Karadeniz region of Turkey. Trabzon functioned as an independent state or empire during several periods in its long history, ruling over a vast area from Sinop in the west to Georgia in the east, even including territory in Crimea. Within Turkey Trabzon is known as a hospitable, energetic, traditional and patriotic city, which is culturally somewhat distinct from the rest of the country.

Folk dancing is still very much in evidence in the Black Sea region. The "Horon" is a famous dance that is indigenous to the city and its surrounding area. It is performed by men, women, the young and elderly alike; in festivities, local weddings and harvest times. While similar to Russian Cossack dances in terms of vividness, the Trabzon folk dance is probably indigenous to the eastern Black Sea region, which has an impressive variety of folk music.

Trabzon has a number of tourist attractions, some of them dating back to the times of the ancient empires that once existed in the region. In the city itself, one can find a hub of shops, stalls and restaurants surrounding the Meydan, a square in the center of the city, which includes a tea garden.

  • The Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Ayasofya Müzesi), a stunning Byzantine church, is probably the town's most important tourist attraction.
  • Trabzon Castle ruins are visible in the town but cannot be visited as they fall in a military zone. The outside wall of the castle now serves as the back wall of a military building.
  • The "Atatürk Köşkü" is a villa built in 1890 by a local Greek merchant. In 1924 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk stayed in the villa during his visit to Trabzon. He stayed there again in 1937. It houses period rooms and serves as a monument to the memory of the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey.
  • Boztepe Park is a small park and tea garden on the hills above Trabzon that has a panoramic view of nearly the entire city. The terrain in Trabzon is ascending in such a way that although the view is far above that of the buildings below, it is still close enough to be able to observe the flow of traffic and the people moving about in the city.
  • Uzun Sokak is one of the most crowded streets of Trabzon.
  • Trabzon Museum is located in the town centre and offers interesting exhibits on the history of the region, including an impressive collection of Byzantine artifacts.
  • Trabzon's Bazaar District offers interesting shopping opportunities on ancient narrow streets, continuing from Kunduracılar Street from the Meydan (town square).
  • Kostaki Mansion is located to the north of Zeytinlik near Uzun Sokak.
  • Kaymaklı Monastery, a formerly Armenian Monastery of the All-Saviour (arm. Ամենափրկիչ Վանք, Amenaprgič Vank),
  • Kızlar Monastery of Panagia Theoskepastos (the God-veiled Virgin),
  • Kuştul Monastery of Gregorios Peristereotas (gr. Ιερά Μονή του Αγίου Γεωργίου Περιστερεώτα, Ierá Moní tou Agíou Georgíou Peristereóta),
  • Vazelon Monastery of Agios Savvas (Maşatlık),
  • Cave churches of Agia Anna (Little Ayvasıl), Sotha (St. John), Agios Theodoros, Agios Konstantinos, Agios Christophoros, Agia Kyriakí, Agios Michail and Panagia Tzita churches.[72]

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Climate

Average temperatures

Jan

11°C5
Precipitation: 73 mm

Feb

11°C4
Precipitation: 60 mm

Mar

12°C6
Precipitation: 59 mm

Apr

16°C9
Precipitation: 59 mm

May

19°C13
Precipitation: 52 mm

Jun

24°C17
Precipitation: 51 mm

Jul

26°C20
Precipitation: 35 mm

Aug

27°C20
Precipitation: 43 mm

Sep

24°C17
Precipitation: 76 mm

Oct

20°C14
Precipitation: 114 mm

Nov

17°C10
Precipitation: 95 mm

Dec

13°C7
Precipitation: 82 mm