"Karabuk - Steel Country and Home of Safranbolu" Karabuk Ili by WulfstanTraveller

Karabuk is a relatively new province, its capital being the young city of Karabuk. Unlike many Turkish towns and cities, Karabuk city a tiny village in the shadow of formely much larger, richer Safranbolu nearby, until the 1920s. Then, it became a big centre of the Turkish steel industry and the industry still dominates much of the area, especially the provincial capital.

However, this is also home to Safranbolu and its neighbouring sites. Safranbolu is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful, interesting, and charming, characterful towns in the entire countryy in my opinion. It has a rich colelction of Ottoman houses and other buildings, on largely unchanged, stone-paved old streets, with new development being nearby but leaving the old town amazingly intact.