Artvin Festivals

AREA: 7.436 km²POPULATION: 212.833 (1990)TRAFFIC CODE: 08DISTRICTS: Artvin (center), Ardanuç, Arhavi, Borçka, Hopa, Murgul, Şavşat, Yusufeli.SITES OF INTEREST: Kafkasör, Mersevan plateau, Hatila River, Ilıca Village and Otingo hot springs, Ciskaro mineral water spring, Kopmuş, Kemalpaşa, Sarpri, Salihlibey Mosques, İşhan (Kanlı) Church turned into a mosque by the Ottomans, Hamamlı (Dolisane) Church used as a mosque, Camandar Baba, Sefer Pasha, Zor Mustafa Bey Mausoleums, Çelebi Efendi, Mehmed Bey fountains, Çoruh bridge.Provincial Cultural DirectorateTel : (466) 212 25 07Fax: (466) 212 16 43Significant Days Freedom from Occupation daysFreedom Day - Artvin City Center7 MarchFreedom Day - Ardanuç Ardanuç District7 MarchFreedom Day - Borçka Borçka District7 MarchFreedom Day - Şavşat Şavşat District27 MarchFreedom Day - Borçka-MuratlıBorçka-Muratlı8 MarchFreedom Day - Arhavi Arhavi District12 MarchFreedom Day - HopaHopa14 MarchFestivals:Kafkasör Culture and Art Festival Kafkasör (Artvin)22-25 JuneArhavi Culture and Art Festival Arhavi3 rd. week of July Karakucak Wrestling Festival and Efkari Minstrels Celebrations Ardanuç19-20 MayFestivities Beet Celebrations Şavşat Plateaus22-23 July

Bull Wrestling Artvin

The interesting side of the annual festivals that are traditionally organized in the last week of June is bull wrestling. The bulls, which are brought from different parts of the province, are wrestled according to the classification based on their weights and neck thickness. Since the beginning date of bull wrestling, some regulations have been used in order to protect bulls from any harm, and maximum care has been shown for them not to suffer. During wrestling, when one of the bulls is recognized as weak, then he is accepted as the loser and taken away from the arena by the authorized people. Thus, as a show of power limited within its regulations, Kafkasör bull wrestling goes on in a sports and festival atmosphere. This kind of wrestling which has no match that is heard or seen across the world, also displays the permanent characteristics of the region. In the festival, which also includes Karakucak wrestling and folklore shows, the lyrical debate of bards who come from the surrounding sub-provinces and villages are watched by the people in great interest. The wild and romantic Coruh river with its impressive rapids crosses the land here. White water rafting is possible on this river for the adventure-lovers to enjoy the excitement that few other rivers in the world offer. Along the road to Erzurum, are the Tortum waterfalls, constituting another attraction with a calm and peaceful atmosphere. 55 kms east of Artvin, are the towns of Savsat and Borcka, and the nearby Karagoller, a dreamlike place of beautiful lake. Wide plateaus are also found in Artvin, one being the Bilbilan; and the other Kafkasor, where the famous Kafkasor Festival is held with the interesting bull-fights. Sarp border gate is at Hope. There are many historical citadels, mosques, churches, and bridges, along with yachting, hunting, fishing facilities and thermal springs.

Artvin, Northeast Turkey

Set high in the Kaçkar Mountains at the eastern end of the Black Sea coast, Artvin is about as far from Istanbul as anyplace in Turkey can be.Artvin (ahrt-VEEN, alt. 520 meters/1706 feet, pop. 25,000) is far from Istanbul in distance (1317 km, 818 miles) and also in ambience. This is a rough-and-ready town of mountain farmers working in poor soil, of orchard arborists, livestock herders, and...prostitutes?! Yes, prostitutes.After the fall of the Soviet Union, formerly Soviet women (who came to be called "Natashas") in search of quick cash flooded into northeastern Turkey and turned many cheap hotels into brothels.Assuming that's not what you're looking for, you'll enjoy an hour's stroll through the town, but overnight facilities are limited and of a poor standard--even (perhaps especially) if you spend the night with a stranger. You're better off planning your itinerary so that you stay in Ayder, Erzurum, Kars, Trabzon, or even the small Kaçkar Mountains town of Yusufeli.The main attraction of the Caucasus Culture and Arts Festival (Kafkasör Kültür ve Sanat Festivali), held in late June at an alpine pasture 7 km (4 miles) from the town, is bull wrestling matches.The town center of this provincial capital is perched high above the highway which follows the serpentine course of the Çoruh River. From the bus station on the highway you follow a winding road up, up, up for a few kilometers to the town proper.Distances & Travel TimesArdahan: 235 km (146 miles) E, 4 hoursErzurum: 215 km (134 miles) S, 4 hoursKars: 207 km (129 miles) SE, 4.5 hoursTrabzon: 235 km (146 miles) W, 4 hoursYusufeli: 85 km (53 miles) S, 2 hoursKaçkar Mountains, NE TurkeyExtreme northeastern Turkey is a land of steep, rocky mountains. The Kaçkars are the northeasternmost range, their slopes plummeting into the Black Sea.In the steep, fertile valleys, farmers in villages and small towns make a precarious living from their fruit (especially apricot) and nut (especially walnut) orchards, mountain fields and pastures.In the 1970s an American named Richard Bangs arrived in the Kaçkars intent on rafting down the treacherous Çoruh River which thunders along the steep valley on the southeastern side of the Kaçkars, with Class 6 rapids in some places. He did it, then began bringing groups through his company, Sobek Expeditions, to do it with him. Thus was white-water river rafting born in the Kaçkars.Today people come to the mountains to shoot the rapids along the Çoruh, to visit the interesting old Georgian churches left from when the population here was mostly Christian Caucasians, to trek in the mountains, or simply to drive through the valleys and enjoy the dramatic scenery.Yusufeli, 130 km (81 miles) north of Erzurum, right in the midst of the best trekking and rafting country, is the favored base. A more pleasant town than the nearby provincial capital of Artvin, Yusufeli is right across the summits from Ayder on the Black Sea slope.

Artvin (Provinz)

Artvin ist eine Provinz der Türkei. Ihre Hauptstadt ist die Stadt Artvin. Die Provinz hat 191.934 Einwohner
(Volkszählung 2000) auf einer Fläche von 7.493 km².Sie grenzt an die Provinz Ardahan, Rize und Erzurum.
Die Einwohnerdichte beträgt 25,62 Einwohner/km².In Artvin lebt ein großer Teil der Lasen.BezirkeProvinzzentrum Artvin Ardanuç Arhavi Borçka Hopa Murgul Şavşat Yusufeli Basisdaten Provinzhauptstadt: Artvin Region (Bölge): Schwarzes Meer Gebiet Fläche: 7.493 km² Einwohner: 191.934 (2000) Bevölkerungsdichte: 25,62 Einwohner/km² Vorwahl: 0466 Kfz-Kennzeichen: 08 Provinzgliederung: 8 Bezirke

Artvin City 2

Town in northeastern Turkey with 25,000 inhabitants (2004 estimate), situated on the Coruh river, 550 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Artvin province with 195,000 inhabitants (2004 estimate).
Artvin's economy is based upon the region's limited agriculture and livestock breeding.
Artvin is linked by road with the small port of Hopa on the Black Sea, 60 km northwest, and Erzurum 200 km south.
The population of Artvin is highly mixed, consisting of Georgians and Lazes.
HISTORY1877: Placed under Russian rule, at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War.1918: Artvin is returned to Turkey following a treaty between Turkey and Soviet Russia.

Artvin City 1

ARTVİN CİTY
Like all cities extending along the beautiful Black Sea coast, Artvin is a lovely district, 64 km southeast of Hopa, possessing picturesque views of nature. Typical of this region, wide forests cover the area, and this landscape of mountains and lakes, plateaus and rivers, together with the traditional settings of pretty wooden houses, offers a pleasant atmosphere to visitors. The wild and romantic Çoruh river with its impressive rapids crosses the land here. White water rafting is possible on this river for the adventure - lovers to enjoy the excitement that few other rivers in the world offer. Along the road to Erzurum, are the Tortum waterfalls, constituting another attraction with a calm and peaceful atmosphere. 55 km east of Artvin, are the towns of Şavşat and Borçka, and the nearby Karagöller, a dreamlike place of beautiful lake. Wide plateaus are also found in Artvin, one being the Bilbilan; and the other Kafkaslar, where the famous Kafkasör Festival is held with the interesting bull - fights. Sarp border gate is at Hopa. There are many historical citadels, mosques, churches, and bridges, along with yachting, hunting, fishing facilities and thermal springs. In this city of diverse nature, there also exist numerous ancient sites for sightseers to visit. The ruins of a 16th century castle lie at the foot of the hill where the city is situated. There are fine old churches, dating to the 7th - and 10th centuries, near the villages of Barhal, İşhan, Bağbaşı and Çamlıyamaç. Balih Bey Mosque is another important monument of Artvin, and the typical old Turkish houses are the part of the charming historical scenery. The ride to Artvin via either route is wonderfully scenic. As you approach Artvin you will notice mediaeval castles guarding the steep mountain passes. As new roads are built in Eastern Turkey, a window opens on early civilizations as old as history itself, amid scenery that will take your breath away. With Trabzon as a starting point, the new and spectacular road to Kars and Mount Ararat, the resting place of Noah's Arc, is an easy drive along the Black Sea Riviera as far as Hopa, a port within ten miles of Russian border. Here the road winds its way into towering mountains and verdant valleys and passes the hill town of Artvin, where you will want to break your journey. At the edge of the Eastern Black Sea Mountains, you are in the heart of Turkey's wildlife area where natural beauties are balanced by Georgian and Genoese churches that graced these mountains when Marco polo made his own journey to the East. Hopa, an attractive town at the foot of a forested mountain, is the last port before the Turkish-Georgian border. The international boundary actually divides the village of Sarp. 27 km northeast of the town of Borçka on the way to Artvin there is the wonderful alpine lake of Karagöl, with various pine trees, as well as other flora and fauna. The road to Artvin traverses the Cankurtaran mountain pass, where verdant landscape changes to barren rocks. Hatira Valley National Park, about 25 km in length, is 10 km from Artvin, between the confluence of the Çoruh River and the Hatilla stream in the east, and Mt. Nathali (2923 m) in the west. Canyons with sheer cliffs and vertical drops can be seen though out the park. Both Mediterranean and Black Sea flora flourish together in the park along with bears, deer, wolves, foxes and eagles. Special houses on top of wooden stilts are home to the park bees who produce the famous regional honey. A winding drive midway up a Mountainside takes you to Artvin, the capital of the province. At the foot of the escarpment, a ruined 16th century castle crowns a rocky outcrop. Artvin is a charming city with beautiful old Turkish houses, typical of the region. The area's mild climate makes summer visits delightfully refreshing and every June, crowds of tourists, as well as brightly-clad locals, throng to the Kafkasör festival, where the spectacle of fighting bulls highlights the celebration. The adventurous might like to attempt white-water rafting on the wild, romantic Çoruh River. During the Middle Ages the Artvin area came under Georgian sovereignty, which makes it the best place for touring remains of the Georgian past. Its wonderfully scenic roads lead to the ruined churches and settlements that stand as a legacy of this period. The best-preserved of these are at Barhal and lshan, in the majestic Kaçkar Mountains. Barhal also offers some of the best country horseback riding. Several other churches in Bağbaşı and Çamlıyamaç are just off the road to Erzurum, passing by the Tortum Waterfalls and the pristine Tortum Lake. Other Georgian churches and settlements near Yusufeli are Dörtkilise, Köprügören, and Tekkale. Yusufeli itself boasts wonderful possibilities for nature lovers and hiking at 4,000 meters. East of Artvin is the former Georgian capital Ardanuç with its famous castle, which overlooks the longest canyon in the region.