Bolu Province
Bolu Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in north-western Turkey, between the capital, Ankara, and the largest city in the country, Istanbul. Its area is 8,313 km,2, and its population is 320,824 (2022). The capital city of the pr ...
in the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
region of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is the seat of
Göynük District
Göynük District is a district of the Bolu Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town of Göynük.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 4,376 (2021). The mayor is Ahmet Çankaya ( MHP), elected in 2019. Its neighbours are
Mudurnu
Mudurnu is a small town in Bolu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 52 km south-west of the city of Bolu. It is the seat of Mudurnu District.
from north-east,
Nallıhan
Nallıhan is a municipality and district of Ankara Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,079 km2, and its population 26,553 (2022). It is 157 km from the city of Ankara. Its elevation is 625 m.
Nallıhan is one of many towns that claim to ...
from south-east,
Sarıcakaya
Sarıcakaya is a municipality and district of Eskişehir Province, Turkey.
Its area is 382 km2, and its population is 4,621 (2022). The town lies at an elevation of .
On August 15, 2023, there was a temperature of recorded in Sarıcakaya, s ...
Taraklı
Taraklı, formerly known as Dablar is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 292 km2, and its population is 6,894 (2022). It is a historic town, surrounded by forest and located approximate ...
from west and
Akyazı
Akyazı is a municipality and district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 628 km2, and its population is 94,494 (2022). The mayor is Bilal Soykan ( AKP).
Composition
There are 76 neighbourhoods in Akyazı District:
* Akbalık
* Alaa ...
from north-west.
History
The area has a long history of occupation going back to the
Phrygians
The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity.
Ancient Greek authors used "Phrygian" as an umbrella term t ...
,
Lydians
The Lydians (Greek language, Greek: Λυδοί; known as ''Sparda'' to the Achaemenids, Old Persian cuneiform Wikt:𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭, 𐎿𐎱𐎼𐎭) were an Anatolians, Anatolian people living in Lydia, a region in western Anatolia, who spo ...
,
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ns and
Ancient Romans
The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens
(; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...
. It was known as ''Koinon Gallicanon'' in antiquity. The Çatak Hamamı bathhouse dates back to the Roman times.
Göynük was absorbed into the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in the early 14th century. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Göynük was part of the Kastamonu Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire.
Sights
Göynük has over 100 early 20th century
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
period houses, these plus the even older mosques, tombs, fountains, and Turkish baths makes it a town of great historical interest, and an attractive location of narrow streets, with a pretty stream running through the centre. The victory tower on the hill at the top of the town and the old Ottoman mansion called "Müderrisoğlu Konağı" at the centre are important landmarks of Göynük.
The most significant entombed saint of Göynük is
Akshamsaddin
Akshamsaddin (Muhammad Shams al-Din bin Hamzah, ) (1389 in Damascus – 16 February 1459 in Göynük, Bolu), was an influential Ottoman Sunni Muslim scholar, poet, and mystic saint.
Biography
He was the grandson of Shahab al-Din al-Suhraward ...
religious scholar
Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and its definition is highly contested. It des ...
, poet, mystic
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
, and guide of
Mehmed the Conqueror
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
.
Trivia
Göynük was used as a location of films including ''Akrebin Yolculuğu'' by
Ömer Kavur
Ömer Kavur (18 June 1944 – 12 May 2005) was a Turkish film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed fourteen films between 1974 and 2003. His film, '' Gece Yolculuğu'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Ca ...
, ''El Yazısı'' and a number of Turkish TV series e.g. ''Aynalar'' and ''Rüzgarlı Bahçe''.
Notable natives
*
Bıçakçı Ömer Dede Bıçakçı can refer to:
* Bıçakçı Bridge
* Bıçakçı, Alanya
* Bıçakçı, Batman
* Bıçakçı, Çameli
{{geodis ...
, original name Omar Sikkin, an edge tool maker and student of
Haji Bayram Wali
Haji Bayram Veli () (1352–1430) was an Ottoman poet, Sufi saint, and the founder of the Bayrami Order.Levine, Lynn A. (editor) (2006) "Hacı Bayram Mosque (Hacı Bayram Camii)" ''Frommer's Turkey'' (4th edition) Wiley, Hoboken, New Jerse ...
.
* Debbağ Dede, a tanner known for his miracle during the
Hajj
Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
to
Rumelia
Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...