It is about two hundred kilometers north of Ankara and about a hundred
kilometers south of the Black Seacoast, or more precisely about 9
kilometers north of the city of Karabük. Former Turkish names of the
town were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu and inGreek Saframpolis. It was part
of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and
1995. According to the 2000 census, the population of the district is
47,257, of which 31,697 live in the town of Safranbolu. The district
covers an area of 1,000 km (386 sq mi), and the town lies at an
elevation of 485 m (1,591 ft).
The Old Town preserves many old
buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. These are: 1
private museum, 25 mosques, 5 tombs, 8 historical fountains, 5 Turkish
baths, 3caravanserais, 1 historical clock tower, 1 sundial and hundreds
of houses and mansions. Also there are mounds of ancient settlements,
rock tombs and historical bridges. The Old Town is situated in a deep
ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. The New
Town can be found on the plateau about two kilometers west of the Old
Town.
The name of the town derives from 'saffron' and the Greek word
'polis' (city), since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for
growing saffron. Today saffron is still alive at the village of
Davutobası which is 22 km east of Safranbolu and probably one of the
best quality saffron in the world.
Safranbolu was added to the list
of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman
era houses and architecture
