Çamlihemsin
Encyclopedia
Çamlıhemşin is a small town and district of Rize Province
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
.
With its mountains and valleys in all shades of green Çamlıhemşin has a reputation as one of the most attractive parts of the eastern Black Sea region, particularly with the autumn foliage.
means "pine
-forested" or "piney" and "Hemşin".
coast, and is an important access point to the Kaçkar mountains. This is a hilly area surrounded by very high mountains that poke up into the clouds, and watered by the Fırtına River and other streams running down the Black Sea. It rains here all year round, temperatures drop to minus 7°C in winter and reach 25°C in summer.
This is a low-income district and successive generations of Çamlıhemşin have migrated to jobs in Turkey's larger cities (for example they have reputation as the best bakers and pastry-cooks in Ankara
). In Çamlıhemşin some tea is grown and otherwise people live from forestry, beekeeping or herding animals on the mountainside. However the countryside here is a gorgeous mix of meadows and valleys and in recent years the district has begun to attract tourists, people on trekking holidays in the Kaçkar. There are now small hotels and guest houses throughout the district.
Çamlıhemşin itself is a small town of 2,355 people. There is a health centre and some blocks of public housing, residences for teachers and civil servants posted here. There are high schools in Çamlıhemşin and primary schools in the mountains villages. The traditional Çamlıhemşin village house is wooden, with a steep roof to run off the rain and a wooden terrace at the side. Many of these homes seem stuck to the steep hillsides by magic.
20 villages of the district are inhabited by Hemshinli, 7 villages are inhabited by Laz
. The centre of the district (Vija/Vicealtı) has a Hemshinli majority and a Laz minority who are mostly recent settlers. Hemshinli have a distinct folk culture, for example, the women wear bright orange headscarfs which they tie in a certain way to declare their availability (or not) for marriage.
The local cuisine includes muhlama, the fondue
-type hot cheese, butter and flour pudding.
Rize Province
Rize Province is a province of north-east Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. Its capital is the city of Rize.-Geography:...
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
With its mountains and valleys in all shades of green Çamlıhemşin has a reputation as one of the most attractive parts of the eastern Black Sea region, particularly with the autumn foliage.
Etymology
The town was originally known as Vija or Vije, with local variants Vijealtı, Vijedibi, although it was officially named as Vicealtı until 1953 when its name was changed to Çamlıca by Turkish authorities. Its current name was given in 1957. This is a combination of the terms "Çamlı" which in TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
means "pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
-forested" or "piney" and "Hemşin".
Geography
Çamlıhemşin is high in the Fırtına Valley, which leads down to the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
coast, and is an important access point to the Kaçkar mountains. This is a hilly area surrounded by very high mountains that poke up into the clouds, and watered by the Fırtına River and other streams running down the Black Sea. It rains here all year round, temperatures drop to minus 7°C in winter and reach 25°C in summer.
This is a low-income district and successive generations of Çamlıhemşin have migrated to jobs in Turkey's larger cities (for example they have reputation as the best bakers and pastry-cooks in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
). In Çamlıhemşin some tea is grown and otherwise people live from forestry, beekeeping or herding animals on the mountainside. However the countryside here is a gorgeous mix of meadows and valleys and in recent years the district has begun to attract tourists, people on trekking holidays in the Kaçkar. There are now small hotels and guest houses throughout the district.
Çamlıhemşin itself is a small town of 2,355 people. There is a health centre and some blocks of public housing, residences for teachers and civil servants posted here. There are high schools in Çamlıhemşin and primary schools in the mountains villages. The traditional Çamlıhemşin village house is wooden, with a steep roof to run off the rain and a wooden terrace at the side. Many of these homes seem stuck to the steep hillsides by magic.
20 villages of the district are inhabited by Hemshinli, 7 villages are inhabited by Laz
Laz people
The Laz are an ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia...
. The centre of the district (Vija/Vicealtı) has a Hemshinli majority and a Laz minority who are mostly recent settlers. Hemshinli have a distinct folk culture, for example, the women wear bright orange headscarfs which they tie in a certain way to declare their availability (or not) for marriage.
The local cuisine includes muhlama, the fondue
Fondue
Fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a spirit lamp , and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese...
-type hot cheese, butter and flour pudding.
Places of interest
Çamlıhemşin has a number of places for hiking and escaping into the countryside, including:- AyderAyderAyder is a yayla in Rize Province, Turkey. - Geography :Ayder at is a typical yayla with no settled population, but hosts visitors during summers. Average altitude is . It is a part of Çamlıhemşin district of Rize Province...
- the village has mineral baths and plenty of accommodation for visitors. - the Fırtına Valley, which runs through the heart of Çamlıhemşin, and is spanned by the Ottoman-era Fırtına River bridges.
- Kale-i Balâ a castle high on a rock
- ZilkaleZilkaleZilkale is a medieval castle located in the Fırtına Valley , and is one of the most important historical structures in Çamlıhemşin district of Rize Province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey....
, a medieval era castle
Notable residents
- Mahmut Turan - player of the tulumTulum (bagpipe)The tulum is a musical instrument, a form of bagpipe from Turkey. It is droneless with two parallel chanters, usually played by the Laz, Hamsheni people, and Pontic Greeks...
, a kind of bagpipes