The official reason for the inscription of the old city of Safranbolu in the UNESCO world heritage list, states that the city developed starting from the Seljuk conquest in the 11th century AD as a caravan center on a fundamental trade route between Europe and the Orient, it became a leading city in this role starting from the 13th century, and was at its peak in the 18th century. In addition to being a supra-local trade centre, the city stood out (and still stands out) for the production and trade of saffron, which even gives the city its name. Then Safranbolu "shriveled up", so to speak, when the advent of the railway (late 19th century) made the old road itineraries obsolete. As often happens, it's this radical decadence that has allowed the best conservation of traditional urban features. Today Safranbolu cannot be said to be a city "still in time", because it has a very active function in the tourist market; but its architectural layout tells us admirably about the appearance of the Ottoman cities of the past, up until the end of the 19th century. Although it retains some outstanding monuments (mosques, caravanserais, hammams) Safranbolu has its main feature in being an entire city whose buildings speak of the past. The historic center – I would venture – best preserved in Türkiye.

Safranbolu is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture ; registered historical buildings include not only houses, but mosques, fountains, hamams and caravanserais. You can easily spend a day wandering the cobblestoned alleys, visiting some of its attractions or just window-shopping the many tourist shops. Obviously, you will visit the saffron museum, buy some of the stuff and even try some saffron tea (fairly tasteless I thought).

A great country side town to visit in Karabük province in Turkey. The old (eski) section of town has various narrow allies filled with vendors, Coffee (kahve) shops, restaurants and various traditional boutique hotels. It is great for a 2 day stay to enjoy the town during a typical day and have a few local meals. A place to relax and let life slow down around you. Take a step back in time is this very friendly and welcoming ( hoş geldiniz) town.