When you have toured Giresun's coastline and come back, you think you have seen the province. Şebinkarahisar changes that impression entirely. The Black Sea humidity ends, the climate dries, and the green gives way to steppe tones. This district at 1,350 metres is at the end of a 2.5-3 hour drive from the coast.
Do not try to go and return in a day. The 5-6 hours spent on the road end the day. Spending the night in the district and returning the next morning is far more efficient.
Şebinkarahisar Castle
The symbol of the district. On top of a sheer rock mass, visible even from a distance. The climb is steep and tiring; comfortable shoes are needed. From the top the district and the surrounding valleys are seen in full.
Tamzara Neighbourhood
Inside a bowl-shaped valley, a neighbourhood declared an urban conservation site. The 18th-century mansions have been restored. The Tamzara cloth weaving that takes its name from here goes back centuries and continues today as a souvenir. Its air is said to be good for asthma.
Mosques
The Fatih Mosque, according to the sources, was built after Mehmed the Conqueror's 1473 victory at Otlukbeli. It was originally wooden and burned twice; the present stone structure was built in 1888. The domes that collapsed in the 1939 earthquake were repaired in 1950. The column capitals are thought to have been brought from nearby churches.
The Kurşunlu Mosque was completed in 1586, in a classical Ottoman plan with three domes. Together with a bathhouse and a fountain it forms the Kurşunlu Complex.
The Behramşah Mosque was built by the Mengujeks in the Seljuk period. By its construction date it is considered Giresun's oldest mosque. It is passed on the road to the monastery.
The Atatürk House
The house where Atatürk stayed during his visit to Şebinkarahisar on 12 September 1924. The two-storey wooden structure was restored to its original form in 1932 and turned into a museum. In the district centre, among the trees.
Meryem Ana Monastery
A monastery cut into the rock, reached through a narrow tunnel. It is passed on the road on the way to or back from Şebinkarahisar. Access in the final section is narrow and winding.
A half-day touring order
- Morning: The castle (go up while it is cool)
- Before noon: The Fatih Mosque and the Kurşunlu Mosque (within walking distance)
- Midday: A meal in the district centre
- Afternoon: The Tamzara neighbourhood
- Late afternoon: The Atatürk House
- On the way back: The Meryem Ana Monastery and the Behramşah Mosque
Practical notes
- The climate is different from the coast: hotter and drier in summer, much colder in winter.
- If the Atatürk House is closed, it may be possible to have it opened; ask.
- The road is winding; take precautions for passengers prone to car sickness.
- In winter access is harder because of snow.
On the map
On the map the Şebinkarahisar cluster sits inland; plan it as an overnight, not a day trip.
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