Ziraat Botanical Tea Garden

The Ziraat Botanical Tea Garden sits on a hilltop once known as Garal Mountain, about two kilometres southwest of central Rize, and it is nothing less than the birthplace of Turkey's tea industry.

History

Its origins reach back to 1924, in the first years of the Republic, when the agronomist Zihni Derin, together with a gardener named Emil Vlakov whom he brought from Batumi, established a tea and citrus nursery on fifteen decares of land. The first saplings planted here, tea alongside mandarin, lemon, orange, grapefruit, citron and bamboo, proved that Rize's mild, rain-soaked climate was ideally suited to tea cultivation, and so the foundation of what is today a major national industry was laid on this very slope. For that reason the garden is far more than a place to rest; it is effectively an open-air museum of agricultural history.

Views & Facilities

The panoramic outlook is what makes it an essential tour stop: from the viewing terrace visitors take in the sweep of the Black Sea, Rize Castle, the city skyline and the emerald tiers of tea bushes cloaking the surrounding hills, all in a single frame. Comprehensively renovated in 2022, the site was given retaining walls of Rize's distinctive black stone, a bust of Zihni Derin, revived old-style Rize fountains, fresh landscaping and many more tea and botanical plants. Within the grounds are a small tea factory where the processing stages can be observed, a children's playground, a traditional nayla storehouse, a tea shop and a restaurant called Çayla, while the Atatürk Tea and Horticultural Research Institute stands immediately adjacent.

Visiting, Access & Tips

Agencies favour the garden because it lies close to the centre, entry is free and it is open every day from 08:00 to 22:00, tour coaches can reach its ample car park, and it delivers a strong Black Sea impression in a short visit. The average stop lasts between 45 and 90 minutes, and on guided programmes it is usually combined with Rize Castle and the Tea Museum in a single half-day city tour, often serving as the first or last photo break. The strongest photographs are taken from the terrace railing and along the paths between the tea beds, especially in soft morning light. The best time to visit is between May and September, when the tea glows a vivid green, with July and August being the peak season. Although part of the ground is sloped, the renovated terraces and ramps make access largely easy, and a wheelchair can reach a portion of the viewing area.