views from turkey: July 2006

Bridge Over Fırtına

An arch bridge over Fırtına Deresi, Rize-Turkey. It has been built in 19th Century by Ottoman Empire. Also you can eat berries when you step on the bridge to other side while you are watching the scene.

Hazelnut Orchard

Views of hazelnut orchard (left) and fresh nuts on a brach of the tree (right) in Espiye Distrcit of Giresun Province. Hazelnut agriculture is the main production in Black Sea Region of Turkey. 70% of world total hazelnuts is produced in this region.

Black Pine Forest in Elmacik

A view of black pines (Pinus nigra) forest in the northeastern end of Elmacik Village in Alucra District of Giresun Province, Turkey. The trees are at least double times older than me, exactly :) Because I saw them when I was a child in sixties. I think they are older than 150 years in my mind. If you are expert in guessing the age of a tree just from a photo please judge yourself weither I am right or not. Anyway while I was driving up to the Kurtbeli hills I interested in to take a photo of these trees as a sample of their mates in this old forest.

Hanzara Obası

"Hanzara Obası" (Highland encampement of Hanzara) is a very small village, located in Torul District of Gümüşhane Province near the provincial border to Giresun Province. The encampement is used as summer residency place by the people coming from Espiye town of Giresun. There are nice green fields with many wild flowers and two small streams borning in this village. One of them is called "Tekçam Deresi", means "Single pine stream" in Turkish.

Karayaka Sheep

Karayaka (means "black neck" in Turkish) is a local sheep breed raired in the Black Sea Region of Region. It has coarse wool, low milk and meat yields but very fine and delicious quality meat. This breed is a thin tailed sheep bree.

Plateau of Ayder, Rize

Plateau of Ayder (Ayder Yaylası in Turkish), is a very famous touristic site in Rize Province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Once upon a time it was a nomadic village that was used as the pastures for livestock of the people who lived in sea side of Rize province. Todays it is visited by thousands of tourists from abroad and inside of Turkey. There are many boutique hotels to stay, and many restaurants serving local dishes such as muhlama, rainbow trouts grills, cabbages specials and many others. You can have small trips along Fırtına Valley, and rest and sleep in the green forests consists of hundreds of wild plant trees and beatiful endemic flowers. You can taste the foggy and sunny climate alltogether just in one day.

Çımaklı and Cibril Village

Çımaklı (right) and Cibril (left) are the villages of Espiye District of Giresun Province, Turkey. These small villages takes 30 minutes for 10 km from Espiye town center. You can see large hazelnut fields on the skirts of high hills of Giresun Mountains. It usually rains but sunny in summer times. You can inspire all fantastic ambiente of Black Sea Region there. The inhabitants are really friendly and serve and share their foods with you generously for nothing. These villages are my birth place and I visit them for one week every year regularly. If you plan visit here one day in the future please let me know to host you there for sharing all beauties of the nature and people.

Mikron Bridge

Mikron Köprüsü ("köprü" means bridge in Turkish) is an arch bridge over Firtina Deresi in Rize Province of Turkey. This stone bridge was built by Ottoman Empire at the mid of 19th Centuries. It was connecting some small villages to the main road along Firtina Stream to Pazar town at the seaside of Black Sea.

Fırtına Deresi in Rize

Fırtına Deresi flows to Black Sea through Çamlıhemşin town. This stream has many branches borning from Kaçkar Mountains in Rize Province or Turkey, located in the Black Sea Region. "Fırtına" means "strom" or "tempest" in Turkish language, and "dere" means "downstream". Like its name Fırtına Deresi has a high volume and sometimes overflows and destroys all things around it. But it is a wonder of Black Sea region in Turkey. You can travel on a road in good condition along Fırtına Valley from Pazar to Ayder even to paramount of Kaçkar Mountains.

Akilbaba Tepesi

Akilbaba Tepesi (formerly Zuhur Tepe). "Akılbaba Tepesi" means "Father Wisdom Crest" and "Zuhur Tepe", former name means "Appearance Crest" in Turkish language. Who knows why and when these names were assigned to it? But it is well known that it is highest crests (2528 m) of Giresun Mountains chain in Giresun Province, located in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The crest is usually foggy and snowy while its paramount is unsnowy and clean in summer months for 3 months only. The crest offers a unique nice scene to the nomadic people coming from seasides to "oba"s ("highland encampment" in turkish) to graze their animals in summer times. The Akilbaba Tepesi is located just near the border of Espiye District of Giresun and Torul District of Gümüşhane province, and belongs to land of Espiye District. On the right photo you see a small flock of Karayaka sheep grazing on the Çekümbeli pastures against Akilbaba. Çekümbeli is the name of a mountain passage between two plateaus, Kurtbeli and Ayıbeli. There is a field cafe-restaurant in the Çekümbeli serving delicious grills made from Karayaka meat. And ofcourse dont forget to drink a cup of local hot black tea from Black Sea in this cafe. I am sure that it will be good after two hours of a travel in the fogg through the forests. If you have the travelmates you can play football on grasses in Çekümbeli for a short time.

Waterfalls in Dereli, Giresun

"Ayna! Ayna! Söyle bana! Var mı benden daha güzeli?" It is a Turkish proverb. It may be translated as "Mirror! My mirror! Tell me please: Who is the more beatiful than me?". If you travel on the road that connects Dereli and Sebinkarahisar districts and towns of Giresun Province in Turkey you probably hear this motto from the nature. No more words! Along this road, I am sure that you will be very silent and watch the beatiues consists of hundreds of waterfalls, small streams, forests and thousands of wild flowers in every meter of the the road. While you gently drive on the road with friendship of the music by Vivaldi you think you are lucky to live and inspire the atmosphere offered by Giresun Mountains. Come and discover this virgine nature.

Holiday Among Caucasian Firs

Caucasian fir forest. People feels different when see the Caucasian firs (Abies nordmanniana in Kurtbeli (means wolves passage in Turkish) in Alucra District of Giresun Province, located in Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is 175 km far away from Giresun City center, and the altidude is nearly 2000-2200 m in this area. You can see all beatiues of the wild flowers under the pines and firs. And also enjoy on the green pastures with decorated hundreds of spring waters borning from the earth and very clean small streams. You don't spend much effort to see the eagles and many other bird species. You think you live in a real heaven there. If you like to listen yourself it is a must to see. I was there in July 7th, 2006 for one day. It was foggy but sometimes it offered its beauities under sunshine too. I loved there much. Please rent a 4x4 and discover the flora and fauna which is still waiting to be discovered by you.

Alucra Town

Alucra are the names of an administrative district of Giresun Province in Turkey and the town of this district. It is located in the south of Giresun province adjacent to Gumushane, Erzincan and Sivas provinces in the south. It is 155 km away from the Giresun city center, and connects to Giresun via D385 motorway. It has typical characteristics of the passage from Central Anatolia to Black Sea Region. There are many wonderful high plateaus, pine forests, streams and villages in Alucra District. It is worthful to see.

views from turkey

Wednesday, July 12, 2006