In the previous post, I presented general views of Safranbolu. This one will focus on one well-restored mansion and its owners. And after that is a short presentation of Cinci Han, an old caravanserai.
Let us go in …
Zamanlık for Safranbolu
While walking on one of the narrow streets, Ergun noticed an eye-catching sign on a door that said “Zamanlık.” Inspired by “samanlık,” meaning haystack, or hay barn, it roughly translates as, with the intended pun, “time-stack” or “time-barn.” (Both are my terms, and the owners may not prefer the translation.)
There, we met Gül and İbrahim Canbulat, working on their project to build and keep the collective memory of the town, thus the name, time-barn, Zamanlık. İbrahim, an architect, and Gül, with extensive managerial experience, brought the right resources for these projects. After all, Safranbolu itself is a time-stack, almost frozen in the 17th century. Preserving time and building a collective memory of the place is fitting.
Macunağası Mansion
After a brief conversation, they kindly invited us for coffee at their newly restored house. Later that afternoon, we went to the Macunağası İzzet Efendi Mansion. (The approximate pronunciation of the name sounds like “mah-June-ah-a-sah.”)
The couple lovingly restored and decorated the mansion to its early glory. They allowed me to take photographs in and around their house. I believe it was the first time a stranger was allowed to do so. Thanks, İbrahim and Gül, for that experience. The mansion has been operating under the name Gülevi as one of the best places to stay in Safranbolu.
At that time, they had just finished the restoration and were still putting on the finishing touches. İbrahim, with a master’s degree in architecture, oversaw the restoration. As we moved into one of the rooms with ornate wood ceilings, he explained that the restored pieces were of a different color wood to highlight the restoration. The fresco paintings were brought to the surface with their scars after hiding under whitewash for many years, maybe decades.
One of the surprises of the mansion was their kitchen. In that inherently old setting, the kitchen was very modern. But, it was in line with their lifestyle and interest in cooking. If you visit their Web sites and look around, you will see the extensive local and regional recipes they have collected. I understand that Gülevi now offers gourmet food for refined palates. That afternoon, İbrahim made delicious espresso coffee for us and explained their ongoing efforts to build a collective memory of the town in Zamanlık.
A Slideshow
I produced a video slideshow and a photo book and shared them with the Canbulats. In those days, self-published photobooks were not common. İbrahim liked the book and ordered about a dozen additional copies.
Recently I recreated the slideshow, keeping it close to the original version. The new rendering should provide a smoother video experience and a larger viewport. I hope that it conveys the enchanting charm of the town and the beauty of the Macunağası İzzet Efendi Mansion. Enjoy!
A gallery of photographs of the Macunağası İzzet Efendi Mansion is below.
Click on the images to see them larger, uncropped, and read their titles.
Cinci Han
Safranbolu was a major stop on the trade routes between Europe and Asia. Hailing from the days of the Silk Road is Cinci Han, a caravanserai that hosted camel caravans with many stable rooms. Its stone walls convey stability and security even today. It was built in 1645, a prominent stop until the trade routes faded. For a long time, it was used as a storage depot for various things.
It was converted into a hotel, probably in the 1950s, with a nice restaurant and some gift shops. In the summertime, it serves food in its courtyard, where we enjoyed a nice dinner one evening. The entrance to Cinci Han was through an old, rusty, but quite sturdy iron gate. The massive gate also had a smaller door on it for a convenient entrance.
The name Cinci (pronounced as gin-gee with the second syllable as short as the first) is also attached to several other major structures in town including an old Turkish bath. They are dominant elements in town panoramas in the photographs below. The sunrise photographs are the result of my rare photographic ventures out that early. I wanted to see how well the color of the rising sun matched the namesake of the town, saffron. In the opening photograph of the first article, you will find plenty of echoes of saffron color.
The last photograph below shows two houses on either side of the minaret on the left. If I am not mistaken, Paşa Konağı is to the left of the tip of that minaret. And, the Cinci Turkish Bath is in the right lower third of the same frame with its double domes.







The next post will present various sections of the town, visit a museum, and tour another mansion.
Haluk Atamal
Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing Cemal.
I will be sending an e-mail for some questions.
A. Cemal Ekin
Thanks, Haluk. I will watch for your e-mail with questions.
Cemal
Haluk Atamal
Dear Cemal,
Sorry to write here but my mails do not reach you.
A. Cemal Ekin
No problem, I wrote you an e-mail from my other address. There is a problem with [email protected], it is rejecting all emails, including one from my other address, yours, and two other friends so far.
Cemal