Trabzon is said to be founded in the 7^th century BC by Miletion colonists and then Alexis Comnenes founded the Comnenos Empire, which lasted until 1461 when the Ottomans took over the area. The city is now an important port of trade, continuing its role throughout the history. Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent was born here and Yavuz Sultan Selim, another Ottoman sultan, was the regional governor of Trabzon when he was a prince. The city is mostly situated on a table like promontory above the harbor. The citadel is one of the oldest remains, and the first thing you will notice when entering Trabzon, is a well-preserved 13^th century Byzantine Church, now restored as the Ayasofya Museum. The walls of this church are decorated with frescoes which are the finest examples of Byzantine craftsmanship. The Fatih Mosque in the city was once a Byzantine church. Trabzon is very richly adorned with sightseeing areas and precious remains from the Byzantine period. On the western slopes of the Boztepe hill, is "the Boztepe Park" with a beautiful view of the city. In the village of Surmene, to the east of Trabzon, is a fascinating 19^th century mansion, known as the Kastel. There are many opportunities in Trabzon to cover all tastes. For example the Erikbeli and Karadag meadows, south of Akcaabat, are quite good hiking and picnicking areas.

Taking a northeasterly direction towards the inner parts of Trabzon and following a delightful mountain road, you can visit the pretty mountain village of Hamsikoy and taste its delicious meals, before reaching the Zigana Tunnel, which is the largest tunnel in Turkey. Then you may head for the Zigana Ski-Center to feel the real joy of skiing, or for Gurgenagac, Kirazli and Solma which are excellent meadows with magnificent landscapes and pure clean air, for outdoor activities in the palm of nature. The most appealing and breathtaking sightseeing area of Trabzon is the Altindere National Park. 47 kms southeast of Macka, this lovely park provides a fascinating setting for the 14^th century Sumela Monastery of the Virgin Mary, which is perched on the rock face 270 metres above the valley, at an altitude of 1300 metres. Within the ruins of the monastery are the remains of magnificent frescoes. It is a place of exceptional natural beauty. It was initially constructed on the steep surface of rock, as a small church in the 4^th century. In the 11^th century it was expanded into a monastery with 72 cells. Ottoman princes, as regional governors of Trabzon, contributed to the upkeep of the monastery, providing material and moral support. The awe-inspiring and magnificent view of the monastery, with its frescoes and holy water, attract thousands of Turkish and foreign visitors every year.

Of  and Hapseyas bridge

                        The twin valleys of Of ( formerly Ophis ) have a historically been the home of some of the most idiosyncratic , proud and irrepresible communities of the BlackSea mountains . Once they were famous for their lawless brigandage ; since their conversion about 300 years ago , they have also been famous for their flamboyant devotion to Islam .No other part of Turkey boasts so many extravagant mosques and religious schools per square metre, Preachers from Of are sought across the country both for their learning and their vivid , humorous style .

                         Greek was the dominant language of the district until a generation ago .Older people still speak it as their first language , alhtought they don't advertise the fact .Of town is uninteresting .The interior , by contrast of steep mountains and jungle like forest . You'll see plenty of rambling old style houses, perched on impossibly steep slopes where hand operated pulleys are the only easy mode of transport .Many houses are built with a technique called kadama ,with blocks of cut cobblestone fitted into a framework of chestnut . Here and there one comes across the characteristic roofed suspension bridges of the region .

Surmene

The tuesday market blooms with thousand of peasant woman wearing the red kesan .The local maize bread has the consistency of sweet red pumpkins ; it is extremely tasty when fresh .The Kastel, 4 km east, is the most magnificient examole of traditional BlackSea civil architecture to survive to the present .It was built around the year 1800 for the Yakupoglu dynaty of valley lords , and remains in the possession of the same familiy, althought it has been padlocked and left to rot for many years . The Pontian Greek language is still spoken at home by the inhabitants of some villages above Koprubasi , further up . 

Soganli Pass (60 km S of Of .Alt 2330 m.)

The most spectacular of Black Sea mountain passes negotiates a 700 metre wall through 22 hairpin bends .Below them is the wild rainforest of the Of uplands; above is the bleak and trelss plateau of eastern Turkey , a very different world .The road was built during World War1 , and does not seem like it has repaired much since . 

Zigana Pass  (65 km SW of Trabzon .Alt 2025 metres)

The most famous of all Blacksea mountain passes marks the point where Asian trade routes historically crossed the Pontic Mountains to come down to the sea .Here in 3999 BC  the Athenian troops of Xenophon caught their first glimpse of the sea after a disastrous trek across Mesopotamia and Armenia .Their cry of Thalassa ! Thalassa ( the sea , the sea ) has become proverbial .

          Behind its chaotic facade Akcaabat ( formerly called Platana ) preserves a fair number of traditional - style townhouses . The most attractive of theese are grouped in the Ortamahalle district , the middle of the three ridges that form the town . Also here is a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael , dated 1332 AD, which was used as a private residence until a few years ago and now lies abondened in the back of someones's garden . 

          A magnificient panaromic road continues up from Akcaabat , via Duzkoy , to the Hidirnebi yayla where the annual festivities are held on July 15 .

Tonya   (21 km south of Vakfikebir) Trebizond

      Tonya has a reputation as the Wild West of the East, an image buttressed by the epic blood feud which decimated sveral of the town's families and caused a lage part of the population to emigrate in 70's and 80's. " No Tonyali ever dies a natural death é is the local wisdom . The number of tombstones in the town cemetery carrying a pistol sign seems to support that thesis .

      An outsider will find in Tonya a remarkably warm, proud and friendly people who speak the Pontic dialect of Greek among themselves . Of the famous Tonyan skill in making handguns no one will have ever heard about , althought an unusual number of hoe and shovel manufacturers exist in villages of the district .

      The famous of all BlackSea highland festivals is held on the third weekend of July in the Kadirga yayla , about 15 km above Tonya

Culture in Trabzon Yesterday and Today

It must be admitted that the best descriptions of Trabzon, where until the first quarter of this century Muslim and Christian lived side by side, where the ezan, or call to prayer, mingled with the sound of church bells, were those of travellers. We possess no deta led knowledge of the cultural life of the city before the Ottoman period. However, from the Tanzimat (reform) Period onwards, when the process of Westernisation began, Trabzon possessed all the features of the world's major cities. Various educational establishments are mentioned in the Yearbooks of the Governor's Office, among which were the “Mekatip-i Ecnebiye” (or schools for foreigners), “İptidaiye” (primary schools) and “Rüştiye”(middle schools). The most renowned school of the period was “Mektebi Idadi” (otherwise known as the Royal School, or Trabzon High School). The foundations of this building were laid in 1884 and built due to the efforts of Sırrı Pasha, Governor of Trabzon. This was followed by the Trabzon “Muallim Mektebi” (teacher training college). Trabzon High School is now the city's oldest school. Affan Kitapçıoğlu High School, Fatih High School, Kanuni Anadolu High School, Yunus Emre Anadolu High School, Yomra Sciences High School, the Girls Professional High School, the Commercial High School, the Anadolu Commercial High School, the Anadolu Technical High School, the Industrial Professional High School, the Imam Hatip High School, the Anadolu Imam Hatip High School and the Private Ata High School are among the city's most renowned schools.

One of the Village Institutes, which were the most respected of our country's educational establishments and served as a model in world educational history, was opened here at Beşikdüzü in 1940. However,  political  developments  in  later years made this excellent institution a thing of the past.

An important example of Trabzon's educational establishments is Karadeniz (Black Sea) Technical University. A resolution was passed by Parliament for the setting up of this university on 20 May 1955 and it first opened on 2 December 1963 in a primary school building in the Maşatlık district of Trabzon, and later moved to its present site. After engineering, new faculties were added over the years to include the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Water Products and Oceanography at Sürmene, the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Medicine. The university's very first students were young people who had completed their high school education in different parts of the country. These young people, with all the enthusiasm of that period, also became involved in theatrical while they were studying and took this art back to their villages.

At about the same time the Fatih Institute of Education opened in Trabzon. In the course of time the Institute was turned into a faculty and became part of the Black Sea University. This process brought thousands of young people into the teaching profession.

The fırst Turkish newspaper, named “Trabzon”, was printed at a printing works attached to the Governor's Office, founded in 1866. The first copies of the newspaper reached readers in  1869. In the course of time other newspapers, among them Meşveret, tkbal, Envar-i Vicdan, Haber Anası, Tarık, Hekim, Temkin, Istik- bal, Güzel Trabzon, Zafer, Kahkaha, Devekuşu and Zafer were set up. There were also magazines such as Genç Anadolu, Kaygu, Özdilek and Yeni Mektep.

In the last  quarter  of  the  l9th  century,  when  the  Second Constitutional Government was in power, the Byzantine Greek and Armenian communities in Trabzon published  newspapers  and periodicals, and this situation continued until the First World War.

A newspaper called Yeni Yol, which is the same age as the Turkish Republic, was publıshed in Trabzon after Giresun, and its appearance coincided with Atatürk's first visit to Trabzon. At about the same time, Ilk Adım ( 1924) and Yeni Ay (1926), magazines published by Hüseyin Avni Bey, a primary school inspec- tor, pedagogue and poet brought new colour to Trabzon's local press.

The Halkevleri, which were local adult educational centres, were set up in 1932 and sixty four issues of a magazine calledinan were published under the aegis of this centre of culture between 1937 and 1949.

From 1932 to 1923, Akın magazine, which occupied an important place in the cultural and artistic life of Trabzon, appeared. In the same year a single issue of a magazine called Trabzon Lisesi appeared as the organ of Trabzon High School, where it was published. In 1946 the school was represented by Boztepe magazine. Then in 1949 Değirmen appeared and although its survival was to be confined to 9 issues, it aroused a great deal of interest, and was published single-handed by Halit Tanyeli,  a  teacher  of literature. On 24 February 1956, a newspaper called Hakimiyet was added to Trabzon's newspapers. It was to serve as a voice for poet and journalist Ömer Turan Eyuboğlu throughout the 33 years of its life.

In the course of time the people of Trabzon became acquainted with such news- papers as Halk, ileri, Doğu, Trabzon, Yenigün, Son Haber, Karadeniz and Kuzey Haber. Trabzon is now represented locally by four newspapers, one of them weekly (Ekspres) and the others (Karadeniz, Karadeniz Olay and Türk Sesi), daily. Bayram and Manşet, published by the Journalists Association, also joined this caravan. When Ömer Güner was chairman of the Trabzon Journalists' Association he arranged special programmes in the knowledge that he had a duty to respect the talents his city had produced and take an interest in their work. Among the many great journalistic talents born in Trabzon were Cemal Rıza Osmanpaşaoğlu, Bekir Sûküti Kulaksızoğlu, Faik Ahmet Barutçu, Ali Kemal Hatipoğlu, Ali Becil, Muzaffer Korlu, Şevket Çulha, Ömer Güner, Ziyad Nemli, Özgür Baran, Atilla Aşut and Hikmet Aksoy.

In his book of poems “Yurdumdan” (From my Country), published in 1960, Ceyhun Atıf Kansu had this to say about Trabzon:

“My lovely has risen and opened her window to the morning

From one of Trabzon's foamy wave-like homes

Shaken her dreams out of the window

Looked at the thin coverlet of blue sea

Right in front of the house.”

In 1961 Kıyı magazine appeared. Eleven issues appeared in 1961, nineteen in 1969, twenty one in 1981 and one hundred and  twenty eight issues have been published between April 1986 and November 1996, these being the standard-bearer of the cultural and artistic life of the city of Trabzon today.

In the course of time a number of other magazines, such as Kemençe, Çıkın, Ezgi, Horon, Yakçn Kültür, Trabzon, Uzun Sokak and Birlik appeared in Trabzon. Another magazine which has printed 20 issues so far is a musıc magazine called Mavi Nota.

Darülbedayi, a theatre group which came to Trabzon from Istanbul to put on plays in the early years of the Republic worked hard to instil a love of the arts into the people of the city. These performances were followed by activities organised by the Halkevi (adult education centre previously referred to). Over the years the Halkevi produced plays such as “Akın” (Foray), “Kahraman” The Hero , “Istiklal”  (Independence),  “Şeriye  Mahkemesi”  (The  Şeriye  Court),  “inkılap” (Revolution), “Himmetin Oğlu” (Son of Endeavour), “Hedef” (The Aim) and “Mete”.

These Halkevi activities were followed by those of the football clubs. The theatrical group attached to the İdmanocağı team, founded on 20 January 1921, staged such plays as “Sultan Osman'ın Mezarında” (In Sultan Osman's Grave), “Şeriye Mahkamesi” (mentioned above), “Gömdüğüm O Cihan” (The World I have Buried) and “insan Sarrafı” (A Good Judge of Men).

A play called “Gazete Düşmanı” (Enemy of Newspapers) was put on by Gençler Birliği, which was founded on 4 July 1923. Another of the city's football clubs was Necmiati, founded on 14 March 1923. Among the plays performed by the theatre group of this club were “Kanun Adamı” (Man of the Law), “Tavsiye Mektupları” (Letters of Recommendation), “Bir Damla Yaş” (A Tear Drop), “Köroğlu”... “Baykuşu” (The Owl), “Hasbahçe”(The Royal  Garden), “Istiklal” (referred to above), “O Kadın”(That Woman) were among the plays performed by the, Idmangücü team. Together with the above, plays put on by the Doğan Gençlik theatrical group of Birlikspor encouraged a love of theatre in the people of Trabzon.

An amateur theatrical group was set up in 1962 under the directorship of Haluk Ongan and its activities continued uninterrupted until 12 September 1980. Examples of their productions are “Duvarlann Ötesi” (Beyond the Walls), “Zafer Madalyası”(Victory Medal), “Fatih” (the Conqueror), “Tuzak” (The Trap), “On iki Adam” (Twelve Men), “Bir Tavsiye Mektubu” (A Letter of Recommen dation), “Linç” (The Lynching) and “Şili'de Av” (Hunting in Chile).

This intensive artistic activity formed the infrastructure for another organisation in 1987. The Trabzon State Theatre was permanently established in Trabzon and soon took root there. It is already in its tenth year of existence and the large number of plays it has staged have raised the tastes of Trabzon theatre-goers to the highest level.

Trabzon yesterday and today has produced a number of men and women of the arts; Hamamizade Ihsan Bey, who wrote a book about anchovies, the satirical poet Halil Nihat Boztepe, the eminent poet and novelist Hasan İzettin Dinamo, our great thinker Sabahattin Eyuboğlu, the poet and painter Bedri Rahmi, all of whom carried the colour of Trabzon's soil with them throughout their lives. İsmet Zeki Eyuboğlu was a respected figure who wrote many books and articles about his research , and critical works as well. Then there is Ömer Kayaoğlu, author of “Trabzonlu Kemençe” (The Rebec of Trabzon), whose original poetry resembles a folksong or chant, Subutay Hikmet, author of “Dünyanın Tadı” (The Taste of the World) and “Zaman Boyutu” (The Time Dimension),  Nabi Üçüncüoğlu, author of “Memleket” Native Soil), Gündoğdu Sanımer, whose creative work continues  after “Karayelin Sürüleri” (Herds of the North Wind), Hüseyin Atabaş, a poet who always carries Trabzon in his heart and Ahmet Özer, who celebrated thirty years as a poet in 1996 with the 10 volumes of his poetry that have been published. Let us not forget Kenan Sanalioğlu, who has established a reputation with his translations and poems, Hasan Hüsnü Durgun, who has produced two volumes of poetry so far, Hüseyin Alemdar, a poet who has also been involved in cinema, Raif Özben, who knows full well whence love flows (Sevginin Aktığı Yer), Öner Ciravoğlu, who has given us “Kalepark” (Castle Park), one of  Trabzon's finest and most upstanding men in the shape of Yaşar Miraç, Hüseyin Haydar, the love-sick swain of “Afidem”, Ali Mustafa, illuminated by his work “Şağdaüş Yangınlar” (Contemporary Fires), Özer Ciravoğlu, who has never ceased to be a poet, Sunay Akın, who has devoted his life to poetry, Çiğdem Sezer, whose sensitivity has brought fresh dimensions to our poetry, Neriman Calap, who has always enjoyed the beauty of being a poet and İhsan Bektaş, who cannot live without poetry. To these we can add the name of Yaşar Bedri Özdemir, who both paints and writes poetry. All of these poets and poetesses have made their own contribution to Trabzon's world of the arts. Apart from the efforts of painters such as Yusuf Katipoğlu, Muzaffer Akyol, Veysel Günay, Süleyman Saim Tekcan and Mustafa Ayaz, whose fame has spread far beyond Trabzon, we have also witnessed works featured in countless exhibitions in the city centre by a number of other artists.

The labour of writers such as Cumhur Odabaşçoğlu and Ömer Akbulut, the devotion to his art of masters of the Turkish language like Rasim Şimşek, the names of Ahmet Can Bali and Aliye Aşırbalı, which are part of the city's history, the unstinting efforts of Ahmet Selim Teymur to cultivate a love for classical Turkish music and his contributions to Kıyı magazine and the love of historian Mahmut Goloğlu for Trabzon are further dimensions of these efforts.

We come across a number of flourishing arts organisations in Trabzon today, the most striking example of which is a photographic club called Foto Forum, which has organised a number of events and exhibitions since its inception. The Caricaturists' Association has created a fondness for this branch of art outside the big cities and the Black Sea Writers' Association has extended a warm welcome to all and organises various events. The "Trabzon" yearbooks published in Istanbul and Ankara add a touch of joy to the love fostered for this city. We can also add to these different organisations the Trabzon High School Old Students' Association and a number of music groups. Vocalists who sing the folk songs of the region in other parts of the country cannot live without the lifeblood of Trabzon inside them. The music of Volkan Konak is another embellishment to the soil of Trabzon.

The Province's Public Library is a focal point for culture, this time the culture of books, and it boasts of history of 70 years. The various cultural centres in the city, which are under the supervision of the Municipality, also provide a venue for events. We must also mention the crafts of the Trabzon region, the most important of which are beaten copper and jewellery. Trabzon possesses bazaars where exquisite examples of both these crafts illuminate the area around them with their gentle sheen. Trabzon is the home of the quilt-maker's craft in Turkey as well.

Nature possessed an entirely different beauty in the Trabzon of yesterday; Ganita, with its crystal-clear sea, was a source of renewal for our love of Trabzon, its gardens were full of orange, pomegranate and fig trees. The classical music played in Meydan Park, accompanied by the voice of Hafız Burhan, created another world. Now we see that so much of Trabzon's valuable heritage has become a thing of the past. The famous Sümer Cinema survives only in photographs; Suluhan and the Şems Hotel, like many cinemas and precious parts of Trabzon's heritage have been destroyed, leaving behind them nothing but yearning...

The rhythm of the round dance, which completes this wealth,  has never been absent. Even though today's cultural focus may not be the same as the ebullience of yesteryear, both press and publications are in a constant process of renewal. Kıyı, which is Trabzon's only regular art magazine, causes the name of Trabzon to reverberate in the world of art and culture. Trabzonspor, which has been on the city's agenda for the past 30 years, is a driving force which gently guides the people of the region in their daily lives.

And what about tomorrow? Joint international programmes could be implemented and local resources mobilised to organise festivals and book fairs which support the cause of peace. The authentic cultural fabric of the city could be preserved by making use of world resources, and, most importantly, an open-air museum could be established. An end could be put to the arguments abouitbuildings which have been the source of three civilisations. Trabzon's historic fabric and tourism resources could be recorded. The matter of a press encyclopedia could be put on the agenda as well. The work to be done in this sphere could lend impetus to Trabzon's thousands of years of history, carrying the love that people have for their city forward as a heritage for the generations of the future.

Major Historic Buildings in the City of Trabzon and Districts of the Province

Trabzon is a beautiful city on Turkey's Black Sea coast. The traders, travellers and scholars who have visited it throughout the centuries have always described Trabzon in the following distinctive terms; “The cities along the Black Sea coasts resemble a string of pearls, and Trabzon is like a brilliant diamond among them.” The eastern Black Sea coast once resembled an isolated coastal strip surrounded by mountains to the south. However, Trabzon, which lies in the middle of this area, has always been an important centre because of its natural resources, its harbour and its direct link with the Silk Road over the Zigana Pass. Land surveys and excavations carried out in recent years have revealed that Trabzon and its environs were the site of Bronze Age settlements. In the millenia that followed, a palimpsest of cultures and civilisations were founded in Trabzon. On the fertile soil of Trabzon's green hillsides crops grew in abundance, and the city developed a strong economy and historic tradition, becoming a centre of science, culture and art.

Research into Trabzon's historic buildings has been concentrated mainly on the Byzantine-Komnenos period and churches and monasteries erected in the Ottoman period. Work of this nature started by J.P Fallmerayer at the end of the last century dealt with churches, monasteries and other structures in the centre of the city. Later research extended to l9th century buildings in the villages. Western researchers have always been interested in Trabzon's natural beauty, history and historic buildings, much of which was prompted by feelings of a romantic nature.

The Mountain Plateu Culture and Plateu House of the Trabzon Provice

This mountainous region of the country has a temperate climate all the year round with frequent rainfall. The plateaux lie in the foothills of these high mountains. In between the forests, where a large variety of trees and flowers are to be found, are the plateaux with their nomad encampments. The most renowned of these plateaux are Erikbeli, Derinoba, Karadağ and Sultan Murat.

The villages in the area were first established in the valleys of streams flowing seawards from the mountains. The villagers raise agricultural crops which vary according to location, the main ones being tea, hazelnuts and maize. They also earn a living with livestock breeding. The winter months are spent resting in the villages, doing seasonal jobs and handicrafts. When spring comes cultivated fields are dug over and sowing takes place in May. Families who have arable fields migrate to their houses there and stay for up to a month, taking their livestock with them. Then there is a general migration to the mountain plateaux between the beginning of June and the end of September.Upon their return from the plateaux these families return to the land in the “mezra”, where they stay for one or two months. Once snow starts to fall and the weather becomes really cold, everybody returns to their village.

This land is located in a “mezra”, or hamlet some distance from the village. The mountain plateaux are completely deserted in winter. In spring, when the snow begins to melt, the menfolk go up to the plateaux to see whether any damage to the house has been caused by wind and snow and do any necessary repairs. They also take advantage of this visit to mend the fences surrounding their pastures. Meanwhile in the villages preparations for the migration to the plateaux begins. Any items required are purchased, the cowbells repaired if necessary and the cows' headdresses made and dyed. The day for migration is decided by all the villagers because they will all take their livestock to graze the fresh grass of the pastures. Generally speaking, if the crops have been sown and the weather is suitable the great migration to the plateaux takes place in the first week of June.

It is the eldest of the family or the mother's eldest son who first leaves the house with a prayer on his lips. The mules and donkeys are loaded and the adults carry bundles and baskets on their shoulders.All these little processions meet and assemble on the road leading out of the village, and together they set out for the mountains.

I'll be off to the pastures

Setting off along the roads

You can come and find me

By asking where my house is

This migration is accompanied by music.When the column pauses to rest, songs are sung and round dances danced to the accompaniment of the rebec, drum and zurna. The population of villages whose plateau is distant rest in large tents or in their houses at the “mezra” along the way. There is more entertainment in the evenings. Many villages in the Şalpazar district of the Trabzon province still migrate en masse to the plateaux, with big celebrations along the way.

The plateaux are verdant, with innumerable varieties of flowers; the air is filled with butterflies and the chattering of mountain streams.They are surrounded by forests of oak, pine and other species. The birdsong in the forests and on the pastures, the melodious ringing of the cowbells mingling with the bleating of goats and sheep are deeply moving. The indescribable beauty of the plateaux changes with every passing hour of the day and the local people express this beauty in hundreds of folk songs.

The word “yayla” (plateau or mountain pasture) is one which includes everything - the forests, pastures and encampment. Life on the plateaux means that certain things have to be done. The women undertake the domestic tasks, feed the livestock and look after and milk the cows. The men cut firewood for the winter and do other jobs relating to the forests.The children are given jobs according to their ages, but most of them graze the livestock. Certain crops are sown on the plateaux, for example barley, rye, potatoes and other vegetables such as cabbage and onion. From the milk produced by the cows cheese, butter and skim milk cheese are made. Some families even take their beehives and chickens up to the plateaux. Some of the products are sold, some consumed and some put aside for the winter.Together with economic activities of this kind, hay and firewood are prepared for the winter.

The mountainous nature of the area and frequent rainfall make life on the plateaux difficult. In the Salname (Year Book) issued by the Governor's Office in 1905, the following comments are made.

“The plateaux to which the population of the coastal regions migrate in summer stretch away, one behind the other.Wherever you cast your eyes the nature of the terrain is so rough that you immediately realise just how agile and mobile the people who live here have to be... Sometimes dense mist makes the beauty of nature displayed before your eyes a moment ago completely invisible...”

However, in spite of the conditions prevailing in their geography the mountain plateaux have always been loved for their cool air, icy streams and green grass.

The mountain plateau houses of Trabzon are small, with a few rooms inside.In fact, they are a scaled-down copy of the houses in the villages and are made of wood and stone. Earth is used for the roof on plateaux further inland which have less forest and wood is used in the remaining areas. The scarcity of timber in recent years has led to the use of bricks, tiles and sheet metal.

The plateau houses are, like the houses in the villages, two-storeyed. Half of the ground floor is used to accommodate livestock and the walls are of stone.The whole of the first floor is living accommodation. There are differences in the architecture of these houses in the east and west of the province.

In the houses on the Akçaabat, Vakıfbekir and Tonya plateaux there are two doors, one on either side, leading into the kitchen.Here the floor is of earth with a stove in the middle. Next to the stove is a raised platform with a divan on it where the aged can lie. The kitchen is a place where meals are cooked, jobs are done and where people sit. In one corner of the kitchen is a cupboard and shelf where pots and pans and a water tank are kept. Access to the stable below is via a trapdoor. Between the kitchen and larder is a raised wooden platform. The young couple of the family sleep in the larder, where milk and cheese are also kept.

In the plateau houses in the east of the province there is a space referred to as “otana”, a small entrance hall which gives access to the kitchen, and from there entrance to the larder or room is direct. Part of the kitchen floor is earth and part of wood.Sometimes there are as many as two rooms opening into the kitchen,

where the stove and water tank are. These rooms are used for the storage of milk and cheese.

Each house has a certain area of fenced pasture allotted to it. There is a small garden in a part of the pasture nearest the house where vegetables such as onions and cabbages are grown. Households which own sheep also have a sheepfold near the house. Cows and sheep are grazed in areas further from the house. There are also a few buildings such as a mosque, caf, bakery and shop up on the plateaux to serve the basic needs of the people who are spending the summer there. A market is held on Fridays in the bigger encampments and people come from neighbouring encamp-ments to do their weekly shopping.

Among the jobs that are done together on the mountain pastures is haymaking. When work in the fields comes to an end in the villages all the adults and young couples start to mow the hay on the mountain pastures, for this must be done while the weather is still fine.More and more people come to the encampments while this is taking place. The young people who have spent the day mowing hay spend most of the night enjoying themselves.

The great traditional gatherings up on the plateaux, known as “dernek”, still take place.They first started centuries ago and have become quite legendary. I should like to dwell briefly on these festivities, which now tend to consist of entertainment.

1- Kadırga-Otçular Week This takes place on the sloping pastures at Kadırga, on the boundaries of the Akçaabat, Tonya, Maçka and Torul districts. Next to the little shops and stalls surrounding the area where the festivities take place is a biggish area set aside for worship in the open air. The little shops of Kadırga are open from May onwards.

The festivities at Kadırga take place on the third Friday of July. Large groups of people set out from the surrounding villages and encampments to join  in  the entertainment and celebrations. They arriv dressed in traditional costumes, singing and dancing to the accompaniment of the rebec, drum and zurna. The men lead, followed by the women.The procession and dancing are directed by men either on foot or on horseback. They enter the Kadırga plateau in groups to perform a round dance together, then break up into smaller groups; thus the entire plateau is full of dancing rings of people. This is followed by a feast. The shopping is done in the evening and they then return to their villages or encampments, singing and chatting.

2- The Hıdırnebi-Karadağ festivities These take place in the Hıdırnebi Mountains of the Akçaabat district on 20 July each year (according to the old calender this would be the seventh day of the Month of the Sicle). The festivities are attended by groups of people from the Akçaabat, Tonya and Vakıfbekir encampments. Hıdır or Hızırnebi must be the site of a saint's tomb. The festivities are much the same as those at Kadırga, with a feast, singing and dancing.

3- The Sis Dağı (lit “foggy mountain”) festivities Held at the end of July or beginning of August and organised by the villages around Şalpazarı in the Vakıfbekir district  of  the province, these festivities take place in the encampment on  Sis Dağı. Many visitors  from  the  Beşikdüzü,  Şalpazarı,  Eynesil, rele and Tonya encampments also attend.

Oh, Sis Dağı, Sis Dağı

You could not melt your snows

Let this year, too, pass like that

Oh, worry of my heart

4- The Yayla Ortası festivities

This event is held on 20 July on the Sultanmurat Plateau of  the çaykara district and is attended by people from Of and Sürmene as well.

Apart from the events mentioned  above, gatherings such as the Honefter, Karaptal and İzmis (Sivri Tepesi) festivities are also held.

A ceremony to commemorate those who died in the First World War is held on the Sultanmurat Plateau at çaykara on 23 June every year, and this is also attended by members of the public.