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A Day from Of to the Çaykara Highlands
Cultural

A Day from Of to the Çaykara Highlands

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Heading east from Trabzon, the coast road reaches Of, where a small plain opens at the mouths of two streams that drop steeply into the sea. One is the Baltacı, the other the Solaklı.

Çaykara, Trabzon
Cultural
Radar Editör
October 19, 2026

About Trip

Heading east from Trabzon, the coast road reaches Of, where a small plain opens at the mouths of two streams that drop steeply into the sea. One is the Baltacı, the other the Solaklı. This trip follows the Solaklı: in the morning it looks at the largest stone mansion in the region on a hill above the sea, around noon it climbs inland through the narrow valley to Çaykara and Uzungöl, and it ends the day on the bare ridges of the Sultan Murat plateau at two thousand metres. Moving in a single day from the hazelnut groves on the shore to the pastures above the tree line is one of the journeys that best shows how close the Black Sea keeps mountain and sea.

Of and the Solaklı valley

Turkish Wikipedia writes that the land of Of is formed by the lower basins of the Solaklı and Baltacı streams; the district's name appears in ancient sources as Opiunte, and in Laz, Oput'e means "settlement, village". The Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism notes that Of was one of the colonies founded by sailors from Miletus, that it passed through Pontic, Roman and Byzantine rule, that it was an important trading centre in the period of the Empire of Trebizond, and that it joined the Ottoman lands in 1461. In the Ottoman period the district was a large kaza that also included today's Çaykara, Hayrat and Dernekpazarı; its borders shrank when Çaykara became a district in 1948 and Hayrat in 1990. In other words, the whole valley you will pass through on this trip was once part of a single administrative unit.

Getting there

The trip is easiest by your own car or one hired for the day; public transport on the plateau road is not regular in every season. Of lies on the coast road. The provincial directorate writes that Çaykara is 76 kilometres from Trabzon, that it was founded inside the valley running from Of towards Bayburt, and that the Of, Dernekpazarı, Çaykara, Bayburt state road follows the Solaklı stream. For Uzungöl, the Kültür Portalı gives 99 kilometres from Trabzon and 19 kilometres from Çaykara. Sources differ on the distance to the Sultan Murat plateau: the directorate's district page places it 27 kilometres south of Çaykara, while Turkish Wikipedia says it is 17 kilometres southwest of the district centre and elsewhere in the same article gives 25 kilometres. The directorate's plateau page states that the plateau lies on the Trabzon, Çaykara, Ataköy road, about 105 kilometres from Trabzon. Ask the district about the state of the road before you set out; up high the season is short and the weather changes quickly.

A stone mansion in Sıraağaç

The first stop of the day is the Çakıroğlu İsmail Ağa Konağı in the Sıraağaç neighbourhood of Of, formerly called Çalek. Turkish Wikipedia writes that the mansion was built on a hill overlooking the sea, mostly of pinkish dressed stone, that the stones were carried from a quarry 2 to 2.5 kilometres away, and that the building is considered the largest stone mansion in the Black Sea region. Sources disagree on its date: Wikipedia reports that it is thought to have been completed in 1805, that construction took six years and that 40 masters worked on it, while the provincial directorate writes that it was built by İsmail Ağa in the hijri year 1237, that is 1821. The directorate places the mansion in the village of Sarıağaç in Hayrat; Wikipedia and map records give the site as Sıraağaç, part of Of.

As you walk around the mansion you will notice that its two faces are very different. According to Wikipedia, the north face looking at the sea has two storeys and small windows, while on the south the building has three storeys; the main doors face west and east, there is a third door in the middle of the south side, and a separate door for horses on the east. The mansion stands on a square base of 529 square metres and its living space reaches about 1,500 square metres. The directorate writes that the ground floor is of dressed stone and held the winter room, the pantry and the granary, that the upper floor is clad in timber lath and plaster, and that the exact number of rooms is not known. Wikipedia notes that guests were received in a separate room on the west side with a gun room beside it, and that there was a prison on the lower floor and a library and meeting rooms in the building. These details make it possible to read the mansion less as a house than as a centre from which the local notables governed the region.

Its history has left a trace or two as well. According to Wikipedia, Tuzcuoğlu Memiş Ağa took refuge with Çakıroğlu İsmail Ağa in 1817, and in the First World War the mansion was shelled by Russian warships but suffered very little damage. The directorate states that it was repaired in 1979 by the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums; Wikipedia writes that restoration work has been under way again since 2019. So ask in advance whether you can go inside; even looking from outside, from the edge of the grounds, is enough to see the stonework. Morning light falls on the east front, and the best place to photograph the north face looking at the sea is the slope below the mansion.

Inland along the Solaklı

After the mansion, go back down to the coast and turn into the Solaklı valley. The directorate explains that the stream bed is narrow, so the settlements along it are squeezed into a narrow strip too. On the way you first pass Dernekpazarı; the directorate writes that the town was founded on the narrow flat ground beside the stream, on the west side of the Solaklı valley. Then comes Çaykara. It takes its name from the Çaykara spring, which rises among the stones near the confluence of the Solaklı and Yeşilalan streams; Wikipedia reports that the town's old popular name was Kadahor, meaning "lower village". Çaykara was a village belonging to Of until 1925, became a township in 1925, gained district status with a law passed in 1947, and was formally organised on the first day of 1948.

As the valley narrows upstream, the mountains rise. Wikipedia writes that the last westward extensions of the Kaçkar range lie in the area, that peaks such as Demirkapı, Kayışkıran and Karakaya exceed three thousand metres, and that lakes such as Karagöl, Sarıgöl, Balıklı Göl and the Aygır lakes are scattered along the glacial valleys. According to the directorate, the Soğanlı Mountains on the Bayburt border also pass three thousand metres in places.

A short stop at Uzungöl

After Çaykara, the road turning into the valley of the Haldizen stream climbs to Uzungöl. Do not stay long here, but you cannot pass without seeing the lake either. The Kültür Portalı writes that the lake formed when rocks falling from the slopes blocked the Haldizen stream, and that the old timber houses of the nearby village of Şerah complete the scene; Turkish Wikipedia adds that the lake is part of the Uzungöl Nature Park declared in 1989. The lake's altitude is given differently in the sources: the Kültür Portalı gives 1,090 metres and the directorate's plateau page 1,150 metres. A short walk along the shore loosens the legs, but the real height is gained after this.

The Sultan Murat plateau

After Uzungöl the road winds up through the forest, and at one point the trees suddenly end. The directorate writes that the Sultan Murat plateau lies at 2,000 metres, above the tree line. The view before you is green but bare, rounded ridges with plateau houses scattered between them. The plateau's name rests on a tradition: the directorate and Wikipedia both report the story that Murad IV camped here with his army in 1635 on the way back from his Iranian campaign.

The plateau also has a more recent history. The directorate writes that in 1916 an officer and 70 soldiers lost their lives here fighting against the Russians, and that the plateau therefore has a memorial area called Şehitler Tepesi. Wikipedia notes that trenches from the First World War can still be seen today. Walking along the ridges you may notice these trenches as irregular hollows and traces of banks in the ground; remember that the area is a place of remembrance and walk quietly.

The plateau is also a living place. KÜRE Ansiklopedisi writes that local people migrate to the plateau in late spring and spend the summer here, and that traditional work such as making cheese and butter continues. The directorate notes that plateau festivals are held here every year in midsummer; since dates may change from year to year, confirm them with the district before you go. Wikipedia describes how the horon is danced to the kemençe and the kaval at weddings in the district; on festival days you are likely to hear the same music on the plateau.

When to go

Summer is the time to go up to the plateau. The directorate writes that Trabzon's plateaus are covered in snow in winter and wrapped in mist and drizzle in the summer heat. That mist also creates the plateau's finest moments: when the valleys fill with cloud, looking down from the ridges at two thousand metres you can see the clouds spreading like a sea. Early in the morning the valleys are often clear, and in the afternoon the mist climbs upwards; plan to come down before the fog covers the return road. On the plateau road the air is much cooler than below, so bring a warm layer and a rain jacket.

Practical notes

  • You will drive all day between the mansion, the lake and the plateau; fill up with fuel on the coast.
  • Plateau roads may close in winter and early spring; ask the district about the road.
  • Check current information on visiting the mansion and on festival dates with the relevant official body.
  • The area with the trenches is a place of remembrance; avoid loud noise and do not leave rubbish.
  • Animals graze freely on the plateau; slow down when approaching herds by car.

Sources

Location - A Day from Of to the Çaykara Highlands

Trip Info
CityÇaykara, Trabzon
TypeCultural
DateOctober 19, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions