The city of Trabzon (formerly Trebizond) is one of the largest cities in the East Karadeniz region of Turkey. The city of Trabzon served as an independent state or kingdom for several periods in its very long history, ruling a vast area from Sinop in the west to Georgia in the east, including even territory in Crimea. In Turkey, Trabzon is known as a fairly friendly city, always energetic, traditional and also patriotic, which is culturally a bit different from the rest of the country.
History of Trabzon
The city of Trabzon was founded around 756 BC by Greek invaders from Sinope, who came from Miletus. They called their new colony the Trapezoid, ancient Greek for “table”, because of the topography of a central hill, wedged between two rivers with steep cliffs on either side.
Trabzon has been a major trading center throughout history for a very long time, it was a major port on one of the main routes between Europe and Persia and beyond, which involved taking ships across the Black Sea from Romania (and later Constantinople).
After the Roman conquest, the city was built a new port and paved roads to Persia. The road eventually fostered trade and cultural exchange, and was used to attack the Persian Empire during the Roman and Byzantine periods. After a Turkmen attack on the city was repelled by local forces in the 1080s, the city finally broke with the Byzantine Empire and acted as an independent state.
The Mongol sack in Baghdad diverted more trade caravans from Tabriz to Trabzon and the city’s wealth grew from the taxes it could impose on trade between Europe, Persia, and China. The city of Trabzon traded intensely with Genoa and to a lesser extent with Venice during the early revival, with some cultural influences going both ways. During this era, Trabzon was visited by many travelers, including Marco Polo.
In medieval times, the city of Trabzon served as the capital of the Trebizond Empire ruled by the Komnenos family, who also provided several emperors to the Byzantine throne of Constantinople. The longest surviving Byzantine state, Trabzon was captured by the Ottoman Turks around 1461, nearly a decade after the fall of Constantinople.
During the 18th and 19th centuries Europeans who wanted to explore the Caucasus, Iran and the eastern regions of the Ottoman Empire used the city of Trabzon as a point of departure or return. The first world war left deep scars on the city; he lost many of his young Muslim men in the battle of Sarıkamış in 1914, his entire Armenian population in the 1915 genocide, and most of his Greek population during the 1923 population swap.
Closed borders with the Soviet Union meant that the city could only recover culturally and economically in the 1970s. The city of Trabzon is currently a city being rebuilt, but offers many different historical, cultural and natural sights. The city is the largest urban metropolitan area on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, with nearly 1 million inhabitants. The city of Trabzon serves as the cultural capital of Turkey’s Black Sea coast, and its residents take great pride in their city and region.
The city of Trabzon has just returned on the tourist radar, and it is still investing in tourist infrastructure. Like several other Turkish cities such as Istanbul and Izmir, Trabzon city is very strategic because it is culturally located between Anatolia and Eastern Europe.
In the case of Trabzon, this is due to the Pontic Mountains, which used to be a cultural barrier. Coming from the heart of Anatolia, it feels like entering Europe, while coming from the Caucasus, Trabzon emerges as the first city with Middle Eastern influence. Tourists visiting Trabzon mostly come from several countries: Georgia, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, New Zealand and the neighboring Gulf countries.
Climate in Trabzon
The city of Trabzon experiences a mild, very humid, and cloudy marine climate, like much of the Black Sea coastline. However, Trabzon’s sheltered location allows it to stay warmer and drier than most of the surrounding area, especially in winter. This of course causes the city to exhibit some characteristics of a humid subtropical climate.
Summers in Trabzon are warm, humid, and often mostly cloudy. Rain is frequent, but often light and brief, as usual, due to its sheltered location. This is usually a good time to visit, although high humidity can sometimes be a problem, especially at night. But some people actually like this situation.
Winters are mild with long stretches of northerly winds that lower temperatures to slightly above freezing, and rainy, or less often, snowy weather. These periods are bridged by mild to warm sunny days caused by dry southerly winds descending the mountains. This can raise the ambient temperature above 18-19 °C, creating conditions that are almost summer-like.
And lastly, spring and autumn are both mild, but they differ in rainfall. Autumn is the rainiest time of year, as Western European windstorms, some of which have strengthened over the Black Sea after hitting Europe, have been the most common for some time.
Spring, on the other hand, is relatively dry and often the time with the most sunshine, although one should not expect to see clear skies any time of year when traveling to this region of Turkey.
🏨 Hotels Near Trabzon
| Hotel | Address | City | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usta Park Hotel | 📍 İskenderpaşa, Şht. İbrahim Karaoğlanoğlu Cd. No: 6 / 1, 61000 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 462 326 57 00 | ustaparkhotel.com/ |
| Esa suite | 📍 Gazipaşa, Tekke Cami Sk. No:3, 61030 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | – | esasuitehotel.com/ |
| Karayel Hotel | 📍 İskenderpaşa, 61100 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 462 321 25 28 | – |
| Zorlu Grand Hotel | 📍 Kemerkaya, Kahramanmaraş Cd. No: 9, 61100 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 462 326 84 00 | zorlugrand.com/ |
| SAM VILLA | 📍 Ortahisar, 61030 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 531 082 32 28 | trabzonhome.com/ |
| Cebeci Grand Otel | 📍 Çarşı, Cumhuriyet Cd. no:31 D:1, 61100 Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Merkez | 📞 +90 462 888 10 10 | cebecigrandhotel.eurorentals.info/ |
| Zağnospaşa Konakları | 📍 Gülbaharhatun, Kalcıoğlu Sk. No:27, 61040 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | – | zagnospasakonaklari.com/ |
| Funda Hotel | 📍 Çarşı, Cumhuriyet Cd. No:2, 61200 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 462 323 17 61 | fundahotel.com.tr/ |
| Yol İş Holiday Trabzon Otel | 📍 Çarşı, Uzun Sk. No:84, 61200 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | 📞 +90 462 400 61 44 | yolisholiday.com.tr/ |
| Radisson Blu Hotel, Trabzon | 📍 Boztepe Mah.Numan Gül Cad, Çamlık Cd. No:2, 61030 Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | 📞 +90 462 261 66 66 | radissonhotels.com/tr-tr/oteller/radisson-blu-trabzon |
🎉 Tourist attractions Near Trabzon
| Top attraction | Address | City | Discover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trabzon History Museum | 📍 Ortahisar, 8, Sarayatik Cami Sk., 61030 Trabzon Merkez, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Museum |
| Gulbahar Hatun Mosque | 📍 Gülbaharhatun, Şenol Güneş Cd. No:17, 61040 Trabzon Merkez/Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez/Ortahisar | Mosque |
| Trabzon Botanik Bahçesi | 📍 Çamoba, 61000 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | Botanical garden |
| السوق الطويل | 📍 Kemerkaya Mahallesi, Çinili Çarsi no 38 kat 4 No:63/38 / TRABZON/ORTAHISAR، Uzun Sk., Ortahisar/استان ترابزون،، Turkey | Ortahisar | Tourist attraction |
| Trabzon Castle | 📍 Ortahisar, Burç Sk. No:10, 61030 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Fortress |
| Trabzon Museum (Kostaki Mansion) | 📍 Gazipaşa, Zeytinlik Cd. No:7, 61030 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Museum |
| Bedesten | 📍 Çarşı, Bedesten Cd. No:36, 61200 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Tourist attraction |
| Trabzon City Museum | 📍 Kemerkaya, Kahramanmaraş Cd. No:14, 61200 Ortahisar/Trabzon, Turkey | Ortahisar | Ethnographic museum |
| Zagnos Valley Park | 📍 Gülbaharhatun, Şenol Güneş Cd. No:15, 61040 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Park |
| Kanuni Evi | 📍 Ortahisar, Zağnos Cd. 21 A, 61030 Trabzon Merkez/Trabzon, Turkey | Trabzon Merkez | Tourist attraction |
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