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SINOP TRAVEL GUIDE
Unexpectedly hot
weather for a city in the far north. No trace of the harsh, rough winds that
whip the prison, built of formidable stones pounded by the sea for most of the
year, the elegant Seljuk Alaaddin Mosque, the Pervane Medrese where children
were once taught the Pythagorean theorem, the Pasha Bastion, eye-witness to a
tragic history, the Balatlar Church whose pale yellow walls are imbued with ‘Ave
Maria’s, and the Temple of Serapis, adorned –with a mastery only women are
capable of– by the Amazons during respite from their relentless wars with the
male sex. The air is oppressively hot. The starry night illuminates the dark
waters of the Black Sea. The North Star is bigger, more brilliant and closer
here than in other skies. For we are in the north, at Turkey’s northernmost
point. In the land of the beautiful Amazon women, who fought savagely with men
to create a more just and perfect world. Famous city of the equally famous
Diogenes. We are in Sinop.
Sinop was founded with the construction of a fortress near Boztepe Burnu, a
headland attached from the east to another headland, İnce Burun, which is
Anatolia’s northernmost point. The navigators who settled here used the area
around the fortress as a small harbor. In time the outer harbor filled up with
sand and became unusable. When the Seljuks, who were expert navigators, realized
that the outer harbor was no longer viable, they closed off the canal that
connected it with the inner harbor. And the inner harbor, now Sinop’s one and
only, became one of the Black Sea’s most important with its shelter from the
sharp north winds and its ever calm waters, appropriately dubbed the ‘White
Sea'.
SINOPE NAMED FOR AN ANGEL
Various stories are told, most of them laced with myth, about the origin of the
name of Sinop, which was used as a harbor and military base by the Romans, the
Byzantines, the Seljuks, the Candarid principality and the Ottomans. Widespread
legend has it, for example, that Sinope was the name of the beautiful daughter
of the River god Aesop of Greek mythology. Zeus fell in love with Sinope and, at
her wish, settled her in the Black Sea’s loveliest spot, the place where Sinop,
in its time-shortened form, is located today. Various Hittite tablets indicate
that the place was called Sinova in the Hittite language. The Assyrian
warrior-traders who came to trade here way back in those times called the city
after their own moon god, Sin. In the language of the original mariner-settlers
the name was apparently Sinavur. And the Amazons, who lived in both Sinop and
Samsun, are said to have had a queen by the name of Sinope, whose name they gave
to the city.
AN ELEGANT PRISON
In the morning we begin our stroll through Sinop in the footsteps of Diogenes
and the Amazons. Our first stop is the Sinop Museum. Exhibited here are
pre-historic and classical artifacts, collections of carpets and manuscripts,
and Byzantine icons.
Leaving the museum we proceed to the Balatlar Church. Built in the Byzantine
period, this church is famous for its colorful frescoes, most of which are on
the interior. Not far from the church, the Alaaddin Mosque was commissioned by
the famous Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad.
Pleasantly nonplussed by skipping timelessly from the Byzantine to the Seljuk
period, our eyes alight suddenly on a large stone building on our right, painted
a wistful yellow color. This is the notorious Sinop Prison whose fame surely
emanates from these lines by the 20th century Turkish writer Sabahattin Ali:
“Outside the wild waves / Come to lick the walls / These sounds will distract
you / Pay no heed, my heart, pay no heed.” But its reputation was further
enhanced by other ‘guests’ such as Refik Halit Karay, Burhan Felek, Kerim Korcan,
Zekeriya Sertel and a host of other prominent Turkish literary and political
figures. The prison, actually built as a fortress, was originally constructed by
a native Sumerian tribe. It was subsequently enlarged by the ancient Greeks, the
Romans, the Byzantines, the Seljuks and the Ottomans. The Sinop citadel gazes
down on the sea and is protected by walls too delicate for a penal institution.
In the 1970’s it ceased to be a prison and was turned over to the Ministry of
Culture.
LIKE A NORWEGIAN FJORD
After touring a couple more places in the city center we leave Sinop and head
for the Ak Liman (White Harbor), observing the natural beaches along the
roadside as we go. Here we are going to pass the famous Hamsilos Bay, also known
as ‘Hamsilos Fjord’ since it presents a rare fjord landscape like that of the
Norwegian inlets punctuated by steep precipices.
Next we come to Erfelek, one of Sinop’s charming townships. We stop to listen to
the Tatlıca Waterfall, which consists of exactly 28 separate cascades large and
small. We stroll as well around Akgöl on the border with Ayancık township and
the İnaltı Cave, which is adjacent to it. At 1070 meters above sea level, the
cave attracts the interest of visitors.
And of course we wouldn’t think of returning without seeing the famous İnce
Burun or ‘Narrow Headland’ that we’ve studied about in geography class ever
since primary school and which is always asked on the university entrance exam.
This is Turkey’s northernmost point, and the Salar village rock-cut graves here
are a must-see. But it is time to return. We reach Sinop, the city center,
before sundown.
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