Places, which are worth seeing

It will take us almost a full day to walk around the city and see all the monuments, and we'll spend most of the next on a trip to Sumela Monastery. To make it easier to move around the city, which has a complicated topography, the route is described step by step, similar to Istanbul. Of course, compared to the last one, a walk around Trabzon is "a piece of cake", especially for experienced walkers. At the beginning, regardless of the sightseeing route, it is worth going to the Hagia Sophia church, the most important monument in Trabzon.

Aya Sofya Muzesi (Hagia Sophia Church) can be visited in hours. 9.00 – 18.00, introduction: 0,7 USD, students: 0,35 USD. It is located approx. 3 km west of the city center. We will get there by bus departing from the stop at Ataturk Alam (a board with the word Falih) or a dolmus with the inscription Aya Sofya (0,3 USD).

The Church of God's Wisdom was established in the mid-thirteenth century. from the foundation of the Emperor of the Comnenian state, Manuel I. Initially, the entire monastery complex was located here, whose other buildings fell into disrepair over time, following which they were dismantled. The construction of the free-standing belfry began in the reign of Alexios IV (1417 – 29) and completed in the middle of the century. After the conquest of Trabzon by Mehmed II, the church was turned into a mosque only in 1670 r. During the Russian occupation, it served successively as the headquarters of the command, hospital and finally a warehouse. During the Turkish rule it was once again a mosque, a w 1964 r. (after a 4-year renovation) it was a museum.

The church was built essentially on a Greek cross plan with a large central apse (outside the pentagon) and two side ones (semicircular on the outside). Porticos adjoin the church on three sides, except that a narthex was placed between the western portico and the main hall. They all open outwards with arcades (three bows) with two marble columns, and their tympana are embellished with reliefs. The hall is covered with a shallow dome supported on a tall drum, which rests on four columns. The most valuable in the church are well-preserved frescoes and colorful ones, marble mixed with mosaic flooring. The paintings depict many scenes from the New and Old Testaments. We will recognize Christ Pantocrator without any problems (dome, barely seen) and Mary in the company of the archangels Michael and Gabriel (apsyda), the apostles (between the windows of the dome) and the baptism of Jesus (on one of the pendentives). Many saints and other scenes can also be identified in the vestibule in front of the western portico.

We will start our walk from Ataturk Alam. The Trabzon Muzesi is the closest to the center (Museum Trabzon), open every day (except Mondays) in hours. 9.00 – 12.00, 13.00 – 18.00, introduction: 0,7 USD, students: 0,35 USD. We'll get there, heading west from the park, along Uzun Sok., and then turning left, w Zeytinlik Cad.. After several dozen meters from the intersection, to the right, we will notice a villa, which houses the museum. Interesting archaeological exhibits are presented here, the ethnographic section is also nice. In some rooms inside the house, the original decor and furnishings have been preserved. After leaving the museum, we go right (Kasin Sok) and we come to a newly built four-lane road – Yavuz Selim Boulevard. Here we turn right again, to come to the end of a suddenly interrupting avenue soon. On the right there is a small Hacikasim Muhittin Camii (1820). We're at a fork: two streets go left, one straight and one to the right, next to the mosque. We go to the second left (Muhiptin Sok.) and straight on all the time (later becomes Mescit Sok.) until we reach the stairs in front of us. After them, turn left and go straight ahead (Yenicuma Mosque Sok.) or an oblique street to the right. Regardless of the variant chosen (earlier, you can go through the breach in the wall on the right side of the street and take the path to the cliff, from where we can admire the old city walls, city ​​and sea) we will find ourselves at Yeni Cuma Camii (New Friday mosque, former church of St.. Eugene). The first church was built on this site in 1. half. XI c., and it was dedicated to the martyr St.. Eugene, who lived in Trabzon in the third century. The temple was rebuilt at the end of the 13th century., and after the fire in 1340 r. the church was actually built anew (on the plan of the cross). After the conquest of Trabzon by Mehmed the Conqueror, it was converted into a mosque on his orders, and takes its name from this, that the sultan held his first Friday prayer there after arriving in the city. There is no trace of the frescoes that once adorned the interior of the temple, and the floor mosaics were covered with boards and a carpet, therefore it is not known, in what condition they are. Prayers are held in the mosque to this day. The entrance is usually from the east, through the door placed in the former apse. Milirab stands still, where the main one was originally, ornamental entrance. Above the intersection of the transept (transverse nave) and the nave rests a dome set on a tall drum.

After leaving the mosque area, we go right through the main gate, along Yenicuma Camii Sok., and in front of the large hospital building we turn right (Cami Sok.). At the next intersection, where the hospital grounds also end, we turn sharply right, in the street only for pedestrians, namely Akarsu Sok. We go straight, passing buildings on the left, and on the right there is a meadow and this way we slowly descend to the bottom of the ravine (later stairs). The road leads to a pedestrian bridge, after which we will find ourselves on the street, where on the opposite side we can see stairs going up. They will lead us to a street slightly higher and here we enter the stairs up again (first on the left, going north), narrow this time. Between the yards, walking on doormats in front of household doors, in a word: broke through the dense buildings, we will finally descend to Kale Alti Sok. The last stairs are on the opposite side, they have few grades, so let us not be discouraged. Eventually we will come across Sh Refik Cesur Cad. (also called Ickale Sok.), next to a small street fountain. We go right and straight down. We are already in the area of ​​the castle and the old town, which was surrounded by walls and in which there was a citadel. Hi, where we are now, his name is Kulehisar, that is, the Inner Castle, and here was a fortress. Next, we will enter Ortahisar without being noticed, that is, the Middle Castle.