The town of Safranbolu in Karabük, celebrating the 29th anniversary of its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, has welcomed millions of tourists over the years.
Safranbolu, recognized as one of the 'Top 20 Best Preserved Cities,' continues to take its visitors on a historical journey through its streets since it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 17, 1994.
The town gained prominence with the documentary 'Time in Safranbolu,' directed by the late Turkish documentary filmmaker Suha Arın in 1976. The film won the 'Best Short Film' award at the 14th Antalya Film Festival the following year. Over time, Safranbolu has successfully preserved its cultural heritage, earning its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 17, 1994.
In Safranbolu, often referred to as the 'fingerprint of the Ottoman Empire' due to its reflection of Ottoman architecture, urban life, and culture, there are many registered historical structures such as inns, baths, mansions, fountains, mosques, and bridges dating back to that period. Being the only place on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the city scale in Turkey, the district boasts numerous registered cultural assets.
1466 registered immovable cultural assets in a 70-hectare area
Safranbolu District Governor Şaban Arda Yazıcı explained to AA correspondent that UNESCO protects certain historical values worldwide, considering them beneficial to preserve and deeming them as the common heritage of humanity. He mentioned that in Safranbolu, where the 29th anniversary of its inclusion in the list is celebrated, valuable efforts have been made to protect these historical values.
Yazıcı emphasized the excellent collaborative efforts facilitated by the state and coordinated by various institutions, stating that in the historic bazaar of Safranbolu, there are 1466 registered immovable cultural assets in a 70-hectare area.
Yazıcı conveyed that in the historic bazaar, there are 131 historical fountains, 48 historical mosques, 31 bridges, 47 archaeological sites, and 5 urban conservation areas. He stated, "Safranbolu is like an open-air museum city, with a registered immovable cultural asset per square meter among the highest in the world compared to its counterparts. Safranbolu, in this sense, is a city that is the apple of the eye for both the world and our country, where visitors can observe traces of civilizations from the 17th century to the present day and the imprints of other civilizations that lived in the past on every square meter during a short visit of a few days.
"This year, we hosted approximately 1 million visitors from 108 countries."
Yazıcı shared that this year, they hosted visitors from 108 countries in the district. He expressed, "Seeing visitors stroll through the streets steeped in history and stay in historical houses, enjoying the dozens of gastronomies and delicious dishes of Safranbolu... We also observe great joy and happiness from visitors coming from Muslim countries who perform their prayers in our historical mosques."
Yazıcı reported a 250% increase in the number of foreign tourists staying overnight compared to the previous year. When considering domestic visitors, he noted a 20% increase in the total number of visitors compared to the previous year.
Highlighting that Safranbolu has 91 accommodation facilities with a total capacity of 3,000 beds, Yazıcı mentioned that they observed an increase in tourism revenues, starting from 80% compared to the previous year and reaching up to 150%, even more in some areas.
Yazıcı expressed pride in hosting approximately 1 million domestic and foreign visitors by the end of the 11th month, stating, "With the recent addition of countries such as Taiwan, Thailand, China, Germany, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and India, along with the increasing numbers from Russia, we are witnessing an increase in the number of visitors to Safranbolu every month and every year.
Yazıcı pointed out that nearly 250,000 of the visitors were overnight guests and added that with the investments made in facilities in the district, they hope to reach the goal of hosting around 1.5 million tourists in the coming years.