Historic Turkish town Safranbolu ready for New Year night

KARABÜK - Anadolu Agency

Karabük’s historic town of Safranbolu is home to traditional mansions besides the Ottoman term inns, baths, mosques, fountains and bridges. DHA photo

The Black Sea province of Karabük’s Safranbolu district, which is home to traditional mansions besides the Ottoman term inns, baths, mosques, fountains and bridges, is chosen by those who want to welcome the New Year by traveling back in time.

According to information provided by the Karabük Culture and Tourism Directorate, the occupancy rate has reached 90 percent in the district, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and home to many three-storey, six to eight-roomed hotels and hostels.

Safranbolu, which is one of the world’s 20 best preserved cities, is also very popular among tourists on New Year’s eve thanks to its traditional Turkish houses built in the beginning of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, bazaars with historic tissue, museums houses, view terraces, streets with cobblestone pavements, entertainment venues and hospitality.

Open-air museum

Karabük Mayor İzzettin Küçük said that the original structures made Safranbolu an open-air museum, and visitors were travelling back in time through that historical heritage. He said that they would welcome the New Year with lights in various colors on the sky and kilograms of Turkish delight, which has been specially prepared for the New Year, would be offered to visitors.

“People from all around the world, who want to enter the New Year in a place of special fabric, visit our district. This is why as well as foreign tourists; we host our guests from all cities including İstanbul, Eskişehir and Ankara every New Year’s eve,” the mayor said.

Noting that among the touristic places, Safranbolu would offer the best New Year program, Küçük said, “People prefer to enter the New Year in historical venue. It is a very special thing for them. As local administrators, we have taken all measures to meet the needs of our guests. Dishes unique to our region are on the menu for that night. All safety measures have been taken by the police officers in shopping malls, bus terminals, mass transportation stations and night clubs.”