Zeytinlik & Setbaşı Historic Houses

The Zeytinlik quarter is regarded as the original nucleus of Giresun, spreading across the eastern and south-eastern slope of the peninsular headland, directly below Giresun Castle.

History & Architecture

Within a web of narrow, steep and cobbled lanes stand rows of timber-and-stone mansions that took shape in the nineteenth century, blending the building traditions of the Greek (Rum) communities who lived here in large numbers with the domestic culture of the local Turkish households. The houses are typically built with rubble-stone ground floors and timber-framed, lath-and-plaster upper storeys, and their bay windows, wooden balconies, deep eaves and garden walls make them among the most coherent surviving examples of the classic Black Sea town house. In part of the stock, materials imported from Europe roughly two centuries ago still testify to the commercial prosperity of the district in its heyday.

Preservation & Visitor Appeal

Zeytinlik is one of the rare settlements to have kept its historic urban fabric largely intact, and it has been registered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as an urban conservation site; through an extensive restoration programme led by the Giresun Special Provincial Administration, a substantial share of the buildings (about forty-eight structures) has been repaired true to their original form and returned to use as boutique cafes, mansion guesthouses and cultural venues. Its appeal to visitors comes from this authentic atmosphere and its setting: at the point where the green of the castle hill meets the blue of the Black Sea, one can stroll the alleys and take coffee on sea-view terraces. Agencies favour the quarter on their city tour because it links, within easy walking distance, Giresun Castle with the tomb of Topal Osman, the Giresun Museum housed in the Gogora Church, and the waterfront, all along a single route.

Visiting, Access & Tips

The average visit lasts between sixty and ninety minutes; the strongest photo spots are the view over the rooftops toward the sea from the stepped lanes climbing to the castle, the narrow-street perspectives, and the cafe gardens. Access is easy: the quarter is within walking distance of the city centre, Ordu-Giresun Airport lies about forty kilometres to the east, and the D010 coastal highway connects to the city. Parking uses the multi-storey and open car parks in the centre; because the lanes are narrow and steep, tour buses are left at the castle-centre lots and the quarter is entered on foot, and the sloping cobbled surfaces make wheelchair access limited. The best time to visit is the mild season from late spring to early autumn; July and August, coinciding with the hazelnut season and the summer holidays, form the peak period. The recommended route is a half-day walking city tour that combines the quarter with the castle and the museum.