KASTAMONU TURKEY

The Kastamonu Mansions

The historical Kastamonu Mansions (Kastamonu Evleri), which were built at theend of the 19^th century and in the first half of the 20thcentury, are important examples of civil architecture that reflects Turkishsociety life to this day. The mansions can be visited through the narrowstreets and also sometimes by stairs due to the uneven structure of the city.Due to safety reasons and the geographical structure of the city, the mansionswere built close to each other.

The mostimportant feature of the mansions, especially those situated in the city centrewhere the front facade of each building has its own architectural design andaesthetics. The basic idea in civil architecture is to prevent a blockage fromthe neighbour´s sun, shadow or view, as well as to make the most of the area.The former structure was implemented in the best manner possible in theKastamonu Mansions.

In termsof mansion density, the districts İnebolu and Taşköprü are ranked after thecity centre.

You canvisit the restored mansions, stay overnight in one of the mansions serving as ahotel, and enjoy the local Kastamonu delicacies in the warm atmosphere of themansions.

The Kastamonu Castle

Thiscastle is one of the main symbols of Kastamonu, which is located in the highestpoint of the city. It was built by the Byzantine Komnenos Dynasty onthe west side of the city on top of a central rock mass in the 12th century CE.Only the inner part of the original structure (the inner castle) has beenpreserved into the present day.

Thecastle is the best vantage point on Kastamonu, as it is 120 metersabove the city, and easily accessible. Inside the castle, there are cisterns,dungeons, escape tunnels, and a tomb known as the “Bayraklı Sultan” (TheSultan with the flag).

The Saat Tower 

The SaatTower is situated on the Sarayüstü Hill (SarayüstüTepesi) and is one of the most important symbols of the city. There is also alegend surrounding the Saat Tower, which was built in 1885. It is believed thatthe clock was exiled to Kastamonu. The Legend says that the clock once upon atime used to be called Sarayburnu in Istanbul. But when the sound of its bellscared a pregnant palace lady such that she suffered a miscarriage, the clockwas exiled to Kastamonu. The tower provides a unique view of Kastamonu.

The Government House

The Kastamonu Government House (Kastamonu HükumetKonağı) isone of the most gorgeous and special public buildings in Türkiye. It was builtin 1902 according to the plan of Architect Vedat Tek, one ofthe pioneers of the national architectural movement.  The building whichrepresents one of the symbols of the city is situated in a dominant positionwithin the city’s square.

Nasrullah Kadı Social Complex

Themosque in the city centre constitutes a social complex with its square,fountain, bridge and a Madrasah, which was added later to the complex.  Itis the biggest mosque in Kastamonu. The calligraphies and ornaments inside themosque were made by the famous calligrapher Ahmet Şevket Efendi.

Awidespread legend among the people states that anyone, who drinks once from thefountain visits Kastamonu seven times in life or settles inKastamonu.  

Küre Akşemseddin Mosque

TheMosque was built by Hoca Şemseddin in 1473, who was known as the Minister ofFinance (defterdar) of Mehmed the Conqueror. The mosque´s dome and minaret arelead-covered. The main entrance is ornamented with mother of pearl inlay. The narthex is on the north side of the mosque has 3 domes.  The tiles onthe walls depict the Kaaba which date back to the year 1676. During therestoration, the entire lead-cover was renewed. When the restoration was completedin 2009 the interior rendering was completely scraped off and replaced byKhorasan mortar.

Yılanlı Mosque

Themosque was built in 1272 in a rectangular shaped built of rubble stone. Themosque’s wooden roof is covered with tiles, and the minaret´s pedestal is madeout of cut stone; as for the body, on the other hand, is made out of bricks.The building was rebuilt after burning down in 1937. Mosque and its Complex areone of the hallmarks of Turkish-Islamic civilization foundedon these soils 8 centuries ago. The inscription of the Yılanlı Complex (YılanlıKülliyesi) indicates that it was built during the last period of theAnatolian Seljuq Empire (1273). The structure which contained a mosque, afountain, tombs, and a mansion during Ottoman period, served as a Facultyof Medicine and thus was called “Dar al-Shifa” (House of Healing) duringthe Seljukian and Ottoman eras.  This was the place of professionaleducation in the realm of medicine.

The İsmail Bey Social Complex

Locatedin the İsmail Bey Neighbourhood of the city centre, the complex is located onthe Şehinşah Rock, which has two rock tombs from the 7th century BCE.
The Complex contains a group of buildings, including a mosque, a tomb, amadrasa, a Han, a hamam and a library, which exhibit the best examples of theart of the Beylik Period. The camel’s inn and madrasa in the complex, which wasa base of trade and knowledge at the time, now serve as a centre for regionalcuisine and handicraft.

Kastamonu is home to a number of mosques, complexes, tombsand madrasas that remained from the periods of the Seljuqs, the Beylikof Jandar, and the Ottomans. In Kastamonu, also known as the “Cityof Awliyas”, the Atabeygazi Mosque was built in 1273, andthe Küre Akşemseddin Mosque was built in 1473. These mosquesare definitely are among the places to visit.

Archaeology Museum

The Archaeological Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi) is one of thecountry’s leading museums with regard to the number of historical works.

Themuseum is divided into three main sections. The first section, titled StoneArtifacts Section, exhibits statues, funerary stelae and sarcophagi. One of themost intriguing works in this section is the Statue of Satyr (SatyrHeykeli), which is exhibited together with the items in the sarcophagussince it was discovered during the excavation of a tumulus.

Thesecond section is dedicated to “M. K. Atatürk and the Hat Revolution”.When Atatürk visited Kastamonu, he held his second speech on the Hat Revolutionin the building of the CHP, the then People´s Party, which is now a museum.This section exhibits Atatürk´s belongings, and documents concerning therevolution.

The thirdsection exhibits stone, metal, terra-cotta, and glass artifacts from and aroundKastamonu in a chronological order from prehistory to the Byzantine period.Each of the objects in this section are remarkably interesting. The mostimportant ones among them are the metal objects found during the excavationsin Devrekani Kınık.

Especiallythe Bull´s-Head Rhyton, which is a type of vase used duringreligious rituals, as well as the bowl inscribed with HittiteHieroglyphs are the most important ones. The hieroglyphic inscriptionon the bowl shows the name Taprammi. The most important feature ofthe bowl is the depiction of two pairing unknown animals. Suchan image is not found on any other Hittite Era works found inour country - a feature which makes the museum important. Another work in thisgroup found during excavations is the statuette of a warrior with acrested helmet. There are not a lot of similar works in othermuseums in Türkiye nor across the world.

Anotherrare archaeological exemplar is the seashell manufactured ofHittite-period glass, which was found during the same excavations. Also, the statuette of the warrior with a crested helmet from a later era isvery important.

Ethnography Museum

Since1997, after the completion of restoration, the Ethnography Museum is situatedin a very distinguished venue - the Liva Paşa Mansion (Liva PaşaKonağı), which was built in 1887.

Themansion is a four-story building which includes a basement. Three of these fourstories are of active use. The first story has a picture gallery, exhibitingpictures from the recent past of Kastamonu, and also a museum library. Thesecond story is the area which exhibits the thousands of years of folk cultureand crafts. Rope making, weaving, lithography, woodworking, shoemakingand Yemeni-shoemaking sections showcase the rooted and sophisticatedculture in Kastamonu.

One ofthe most valuable works exhibited in this section is the door of the KasabaKöyü Mahmutbey Mosque (Mahmutbey Cami). This door is utterly amasterpiece of art and one of Kastamonu’s most precious works.

The upperstory of the Museum is the section are the mannequins which depict scenes oflife in the Kastamonu mansion, and the functions of other rooms. This sectionis important, as it is a showcase of the urban culture in Kastamonu.Also, it is an expression that it was inhabited by the urban nobles.

The İnebolu Houses

Thediversity of housing in the region of Kastamonu is primarily expressed throughthe authentic houses of the seaside district İnebolu. The houses of İneboluhave definite features like their roofs, which are covered with indigenousmarlstone; their red ochre painted facades, and their eye-catching white andblue embellishments.

The Old Town Hall

One ofthe first municipal governments of the Ottoman Empire was theMunicipality of Kastamonu and was established in 1868. The construction of theformer town hall building started in 1921 and was finished through the supportof the guilds and tradesmen in 1924. Today, the restored building is used by aprivate company as hotel and restaurant, operating under the name “OsmanlıSarayı”. 

Gökçeağaç Inn

It issuggested that this inn, located in the town centre of Hanönü was originallybuilt as a church by Justinian, which than was used as acaravanserai by the Turks. 

Taşköprü 

Taşköprü is 45 km from Kastamonu. The name isderived from the bridge across the Gökırmak River (Gökırmak Nehri),which was built in 1336. The bridge has 7 arches and is 68 m long. It isbelieved that the bridge was built in the pre-Byzantine period.

InTaşköprü you can saunter among the traditional wooden houses, visit the Pompeipolis Ancient City and Museum and taste the Kuyu Kebab, which is unique in taseas compared to other districts of Kastamonu. 

The Rock Tomb-Houses of Evkaya

Thesetomb-houses are located on the surface of bedrock just south of the citycentre. There are totally 8 rock-cut tombs in the area, including threemonumental tombs. Each burial chamber, in two of the monumental tombs, containstwo deathbeds. In particular the Evkaya tomb-house, after which the area isnamed, is very intriguing due to its front side with columns, and its pedimentwith the image of “Potnea Theron” – “The Mistress of Animals”. Thetombs were built under the influence of the Phrygian culture at the beginningof the 7th Century BCE and were conceived as an open-air cult site rather thanrock-tombs. 

İnebolu

Built on steepslopes, İnebolu is a lovely seaside town with its historicalochre painted red and burgundy houses and its vivid narrow and steep streets.

İnebolu is the only district that received a medalbecause of its great service during the War of Independence. Weinvite you to embrace the vicious waves of the Black Sea; to tastethe delicious Döner Kebab and Etli Pide, which are immediately sold out duringthe lunchtime. To visit the İnebolu Türk Ocağı building - the buildingswhere Atatürk held his speech on the Hat Revolution- to seethe İnebolu City Museum (İnebolu Şehir Müzesi).

Alongthe İnebolu-Ankara road line is the so-called İstiklalYolu (National Road), which was of great importance in gaining victoryduring the War of Independence. The İstiklal Yolu is Türkiye´sthird-longest trekking route. The 95 km-trekking-route through aspectacular nature is signed according to the international signing system.

The Mahmut Bey Mosque

The Mahmut Bey Mosque (Mahmut Bey Cami) is located 18 km awayfrom the city centre, on the road to the Daday District, in the Kasaba Village.It is also known as the “Çivisiz Cami”. The word “Çivisiz” meanswithout any nail because the mosque was built without using any metal elements.The mosque was built by Emir Mahmut Bey in 1366, during the reign of theCandaroğulları Sultanate. The Mahmut Bey Mosque was built by using a specialtechnique (called Bindirme) to unify wood pieces and has entered the TentativeList of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The mosque with the plainexterior appearance has a gorgeous woodwork from the inside. The woodensurfaces and their root colour paintings have been preserved in the way theywere made in 1366.

Pompeiopolis (Zımbıllı Hill Tumulus) 

Pompeiopoliswas a Roman city in ancient Paphlagonia founded by the Romangeneral Pompey the Great in 64/63 BCE; and is located at the centre of theBlack Sea Region. Due to the climatic conditions, and because it was exploitedas a quarry, there is not much left of its remains above the surface.
Important data about the ancient city have emerged in the excavations carriedout so far. The excavations across the area partially revealed the lines of thefortification walls from the late antiquity, public baths, marketplaces, villasand other remains of buildings.