TRABZON
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeast Turkey. Built as a church in the 13th century, the city's Hagia Sophia has served as a hospital and a museum, but today is a mosque with restored ceiling frescoes. The Trabzon Museum, set in an early-20th-century mansion with rococo and art-nouveau elements, traces the city’s history with archaeological and ethnographic exhibitions.
Nearby, the Yeni Cuma Mosque, formerly a church, has Byzantine-era mosaics and frescoes, along with a baroque altar. The 16th-century Gülbahar Hatun Mosque and Tomb were built by Sultan Selim I in honor of his mother. To the south, the 3-story Atatürk Mansion has formal gardens and displays 19th- and 20th-century furnishings. In Çarşi, the city’s traditional market district, Taşhan is a 16th-century caravansary (travelers’ inn). The Bedesten, an old stone marketplace building, is filled with stores and cafes. Southeast of Trabzon is Uzungöl, an alpine lake tucked between forested mountains, with boating and hiking trails.