All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in February 2021.
All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in February 2021.
You may wish to see an introductory page to this section with a map or page one first.
The fortress of Kastamonu at night
Under Osmanli government, Kastamuni has always been the capital of a province or sanjak, and the residence of a pasha (mushir), till under the economical
reforms of the late Sultan, it was made the seat of a
mutesellim, or governor, under the mushir of Angora.
William Francis Ainsworth - Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Chaldea, and Armenia - 1842
Even after annexation to the Ottoman Empire, Kastamonu remained one of the most important towns of the region: in 1900 its vilayet (province)
included Paphlagonia and parts of Pontus. It was divided into four sanjaks (second level administrative divisions): Kastamonu, Safranbolu, Cankiri and Sinop.
Today Kastamonu has lost the relevance it had in the past; its population has grown, but not at the same rate as other areas of the country.
(right) Ottoman houses; (left) a typical "jealousy" window which allows to see without being seen
Because of its moderate demographic growth Kastamonu has not experienced the replacement of its traditional buildings by modern apartment blocks.
Ottoman houses
Safranbolu is renowned for having retained many Ottoman traditional houses. The same applies to Kastamonu: in addition, because the town has not become a popular tourist attraction, its buildings have not been modified to turn them into hotels.
Cifte Hammam
The finest Ottoman hammam in Kastamonu was built in 1514. It is called Cifte (double) Hammam owing to its twin domes, a typical aspect of Ottoman architecture in Bursa.
Kursunlu Han (caravanserai)
The principal trade of Kastamuni is in wool; that produced in the neighbourhood is said to be nearly as good as that of Angora. The men also work largely in copper, and the women in cotton brought from Adanah, and of which sails for shipping are made, and sent to Constantinople: they also print cottons, and tan leather, but in the latter article Tash Kupri excels them. There are said to be thirty-two printing houses, having from four to eight presses each, also twenty-two dyeing houses, of which six are for red and sixteen for blue dyes. Thus this city, like many others in Lesser Asia, owes its existence to the demands and necessities of a large, fertile, and populous neighbourhood. Ainsworth
Hans and the minaret of Nasrullah Camii
Kastamonu is cut off from the Turkish highway system, but in the past the valley of the Gok Irmak (Blue River) where the town is located provided a trade route towards the eastern part of the country. For this reason the town had several caravanserais.
The district of Kastamonu is rich in minerals. Its copper mines were exploited by the Byzantines for their coins. The Candarogullari rulers of Kastamonu sold copper to the Genoese. The Ottomans continued to rely on these mines for their mint (and for their weaponry).
Kastamonu was renowned for its production of a variety of copper and brass utensils. In the introductory page you can see a brass set for shoeshiners which was on sale at Kastamonu bazaar.
Hans now being used as a bazaar (left) or as a restaurant (right)
Mahmut Bey Camii at Kasaba: (left) exterior; (right) interior
Kasaba is a village ten miles from Kastamonu. In the past it was a small town and this explains why in 1366 Mahmut Bey Candarogullari built a relatively large mosque there.
It retains most of its interior old wooden structure which is decorated with elaborate paintings.
Mahmut Bey Camii at Kasaba: detail of its decoration
The image used as the background for this page shows a detail of Ibni Neccar Camii wooden doors.
Return to page one or move to:
Introductory page
Safranbolu
Taskopru
Amasya
Turhal and Zile
Tokat
Niksar
Hattusa and Yazilikaya