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Set high in the Kaçkar
Mountains at the eastern end
of the Black
Sea coast, Artvin is
about as far from Istanbul as
anyplace in Turkey can be.
Artvin (ahrt-VEEN,
alt. 520 meters/1706 feet, pop. 25,000)
is far from Istanbul in distance (1317
km, 818 miles) and also in ambience.
This is a rough-and-ready town of
mountain farmers working in poor soil,
of orchard arborists, livestock herders,
and...prostitutes?! Yes, prostitutes.
After the fall of the Soviet Union,
formerly Soviet women (who came to
be called "Natashas") in
search of quick cash flooded into northeastern
Turkey and turned many cheap hotels
into brothels.
Assuming that's not what you're looking
for, you'll enjoy an hour's
stroll through the town, but overnight
facilities are limited and
of a poor standard—even (perhaps especially)
if you spend the night with a stranger.
You're better off planning your itinerary
so that you stay in Ayder, Erzurum, Kars, Trabzon,
or even the small Kaçkar
Mountains town of Yusufeli.
The main attraction of the Caucasus
Culture and Arts Festival (Kafkasör
Kültür ve Sanat Festivali),
held in late June at an alpine pasture
7 km (4 miles) from the town, is bull
wrestling matches.
The town center of
this provincial capital is perched
high above the highway which follows
the serpentine course of the Çoruh
River. From the bus station
on the highway you follow a winding
road up, up, up for a few kilometers
to the town proper.
Distances & Travel Times
Ardahan: 235 km (146
miles) E, 4 hours
Erzurum: 215
km (134 miles) S, 4 hours
Kars: 207
km (129 miles) SE, 4.5 hours
Trabzon: 235
km (146 miles) W, 4 hours
Yusufeli: 85 km (53
miles) S, 2 hours
Kaçkar
Mountains
Eastern
Turkey
Black
Sea Coast
Where
to Go
Turkey
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