Safranbolu district of Karabük breaks record last year with 1.27 million visitors

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Safranbolu district of Karabük, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and known as the “capital of protection,” broke a record last year by hosting a total of 1.27 million visitors.

The district is dubbed as the “footprint of the Ottoman” due to its reflection of the Ottoman architecture, urban life and culture, and is like an open-air museum with its inns, bathhouses, mansions, fountains, mosques and bridges from the Ottoman era. It attracts great interest from both local and foreign tourists.

The number of tourists to Safranbolu increased by 14 percent last year compared to 2017, marking an all-time record for the district at 1.27 million.

China was the top provider of foreign tourists to Safranbolu last year, with 52,320 Chinese citizens visiting the historical district, followed by Taiwan, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand.

To quote Local Governor Fatih Ürkmezer, “We see full occupancy by local and foreign tourists especially during holiday seasons. Spring and summer are the top tourism season in Safranbolu, but the fall, along with the beautiful forests and canyons, is the harvest time of saffron, which gives Safranbolu its name. Photo enthusiasts want to see this harvest. For this many domestic and foreign tourists from Turkey and around the world come here.”
Considering the potential of foreign tourists in Safranbolu, the Far East countries are in the lead, Ürkmezer said.

Safranbolu is a unique Anatolian city that brings history to life through its mosques, market, neighborhoods, streets and historic houses.

During its apogee in the 17th century, Safranbolu’s architecture influenced urban development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire.

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