THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CITY
Safranbolu is situated within and around valleys created by the water courses cutting across a plateau, sloping gently from the north to the south,
formed out of alternate layers of limestone and marn.
Coming from the north, the Gumus stream has cut a deep and narrow canyon
within the valley through which it flows. The cliffs of the valley are of a
calcareous formation. The hill on which the castle is situated sticks out like
an island, having avoided the erosion caused by the watercourses. The Kurankoy
settlement is situated over the precipice which forms the west boundary of the
valley. Coming from the north-east, the Akcasu stream runs through
a ravine which widens near the Akcasu settlement, and then passes through the
tunnel built beneath the Cinci Ran. At this point the two valleys, those of the
Akcasu and Gumus streams, join to form a considerably wide vale. This is where
the commercial centre (Carsi) and the tannery are located. The Akcasu stream
joins the Gumus stream in the Asagi Tabakhane area (Safranbolu Map, photos
8,9, 11, 13, 14). In the north-west of the winter settlement area (Sehir),
about 2,500 m from Cinci Han (caravanserai), the Baglar district is situated on
a gentle slope, inclining towards the Sehir. The Baglar area can be defined as
a plateau; and continuation of the Inyakasi Hill. Even today, one can come
across pine trees in the gardens which can be traced right back to the ancient
forests.

DEVELOPMENT IN HISTORY
Looking at the sequence of the dates of construction of the historical
buildings in the Sehir, it can be assumed that the first Turkish settlements
were on the hill where the castle is situated and on its southern slopes. The castle must have been the place where the rulers lived while the
southern slopes were inhabited by the people. The south-east of the castle
gained importance in the 17th century. It continued to grow further north and
south and filling the gap between the existing settlement and Akcasu continued
to the east. With the increase in wealth and security the areas with vineyards
and orchards were turned into summer residence areas and hence the Baglar
district developed.

SEHIR (THE WINTER TOWN AND COMMERCIAL CENTRE)
The tendency to discriminate the summer and winter way of life resulted in
two separate settlement areas in Safranbolu (Safranbolu Map). The settlement
areas within the valleys, the Sehir, is the part of the city dwelt in, during
winter.
The carsi, the administrative centre (the government-house and official
buildings), schools, the production centres (the shoe-makers' place the tannery
etc.), the mosques, the public baths are all located within this area. Although
the Sehir is almost deserted in summer, the men still spend part of their days
here. The city centre is in the triangle where the Akcasu and Gumus
streams meet. The houses are situated along the valleys formed by these streams,
as well as within the city centre. Houses which are quite dense in the centre,
occur in less and less frequent intervals as one proceeds along the valleys. The
dimensions of the Sehir does not exceed 1,500 m as the crow flies, from one end
to the other in all directions. With the extraordinary visions made possible by
the topography, these settlements within valleys provide a rich variety which
can sometimes be quite surprising . The resulting solutions are
fascinating from the view point of man's relationship with nature. The distance
between the cliffs allows one to grasp the whole and yet perceive the details.
The houses situated on the slopes of the valleys do not conceal one another, you
can see each one of them from the facing hill. The steep rocks rising behind
form a protective wall against the severe winter winds. Due to the
dense settlement pattern in the centre, there may even be houses without
gardens. In places where the building plots are narrow and irregular, houses are
extended towards the street with projections. The canyon-like valley of the Gumus
stream offers a spectacular view with its watercourse widening and narrowing
alternately among an abundance of green.
The houses perched just over the precipices are breathtaking. Small
bridges join the houses to the road running along one side of the Akcasu stream.
Each slope or hill in the §ehir offers a different view. Gumus and the
castle can be seen from Kirankoy; Gumus, Kirankoy, the Carsi, Hidirlik
and the tannery can be seen from the castle; and Akcasu, the Carsi, and the
castle are seen from Hidirlik; providing a rich variety of views. The
impression a stranger gets regarding the size of the city is often misleading.
As a group of houses already seen reappear after climbing a few hills and going
down some valleys, they can easily be mistaken for new ones whereas in fact it
is only the angle from which they are viewed that has changed. Thus the
settlement may seem much more wide-spread than it actually is. You may get the
same illusion taking the road to Kastamonu from Kirankoy: from Kirankoy you can
only see the houses of Gumus on the hill opposite. After Gumus the road
winds towards Bartin and for a while you are tete-a-tete with nature. When the
road turns towards the Carsi, you can see Hidirlik and the houses on its
slope. When you cross the Akcasu stream and start climbing towards the Musalla
cemetery, the Akcasu quarter, Carsi and the castle reappear.
Catching a glimpse of the city now and again within a natural surrounding,
feeling it very close one moment and quite distant the next are conceptual aims
very similar to those aspired to by all the environmental designers and city
planners of our day. Surprisingly enough we find these realized in Safranbolu
centuries ago.
THE BAGLAR REGION (THE SUMMER QUARTERS)
It is the largest summer settlement area of the city. It is situated in the
north-west of the sehir on a gentle slope facing the south. Infrequent houses
within large gardens constitute the settlement pattern. The topography here is
not as interesting as in the sehir. Yet, the roads winding among the gardens,
almost turned into a green tunnel with the overhanging branches of the trees,
are not without surprises. As in the sehir, you can once again get the
impression of strolling about a much larger settlement, although in reality it
is only 1,500 m across.

Tokatli
This is another summer resort area of a secondary nature, located in the
undulating valley of the Tokatli stream, east of the Baglar district. The houses
here are much smaller.
Kirkille
A rather insignificant summer resort on the road to Bartin, where the houses
are built in a row along a single street.
