BAYBURT
Bayburt was once an important center on the ancient Silk
Route in Anatolia and it was visited by
Marco Polo and Turkish excursionist Evliya
Çelebi.
Xenophan wrote in his book of Anabasis that the city was an Iskit city called as
Gymnias. It was a big and prosperous town in Asia Minor.
The history of the city dates as far back to 3000 BC. It's
also known that it was founded by the Azzi tribe, than Cimmerians passed thru in
the 8th century BC. Meds and Persians were other invaders and settlers of the
region. In the 2nd century BC Bayburt was annexed to
Pontian Kingdom and than to the Roman Empire who
restored Bayburt Castle which was originally built by
Urartus. Between 8th and 9th centuries it constantly changed hands between
Emevis and Byzantines, and than finally
Seljuks and Ottomans.
The city welcomes you with the remains of its Byzantine
Castle. There are several interesting mosques,
Turkish baths and tombstones in the city as well
as the Çatalcesme Underground City which looks like the ones in
Cappadocia, and the natural wonder Sirakayalar
Waterfall which are all attractive. Some other sites of
interest are: Bent, Ali Singah, Meydan, Pashaogullari, Pulur baths, Bayburt
Grand Mosque, Kutluk Bey, Pulur, Yukari Hinzevrek
Mosques, Hart, Ksanta,
Varzahan ruins, Korgan Bridge, Tashan, and Sehit Osman Mausoleums.
The city is very small but deserves notice, although it has been designated
as a province just recently in 1989, after being a district of
Gümüshane for many years.