Gümüşhane is a city in the Harşit valley on the historic Silk Road, named after the silver mines that were worked here for centuries. It is known for Karaca Cave with its dripstones, Limni Lake at over 2,000 metres, Artabel with its glacial lakes, the Santa Ruins of abandoned Greek mining villages, the Roman legionary camp of Satala, Tomara Waterfall and Kadırga Plateau. Gümüşhane mulberry pestil and köme are registered products.
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10 places worth seeing in Gümüşhane, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Hüseyin Öcal (CC BY 3.0) · Source Former Greek mining villages scattered across the slopes of the Yanbolu valley at 1,600 metres, in the village of Dumanlı in the central district. People lived here until the 1923 population exchange, and stone churches and the ruins of a school and houses remain. Today highland villagers use the area in summer.
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Photo: Ghanevalilik (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source The historic core of the city; of the old settlement that grew thanks to the silver mines and the Silk Road, examples of mosques, churches, hammams, fountains and civil architecture remain.
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Photo: Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Source In the village of Sadak in Kelkit, the permanent camp of the XV Apollinaris legion on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire; Emperor Trajan visited it in 115. The remains of an aqueduct still stand, and the bronze head of Aphrodite of Satala in the British Museum was found here.
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A cave in the village of Cebeli in Torul, 1,550 metres above sea level and 17 km from the city centre; with its stalactites, stalagmites, columns, cave pearls and travertine terraces, it is one of the most beautiful caves in Türkiye. It was discovered in 1983 and opened to visitors in 1996.
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Photo: Hamdigumus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A highland lake surrounded by spruce and Scots pine forest in the village of Zigana in Torul; it was declared a nature park in 2011. There is a walking path around the lake, and on misty days it has a special atmosphere.
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Photo: Sinan Şahin (CC BY 3.0) · Source A mountainous area in Torul, declared a nature park in 1998, with more than 15 lakes formed in the Ice Age, five of them large; its highest point is the 3,331-metre Abdalmusa Peak. It is ideal for hiking and camping in the summer months.
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Photo: Iremwithmeri (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A waterfall 21 km from Şiran, near the village of Seydibaba, where water emerging from a karstic spring falls 14–22 metres down a sloping hillside over a width of 35 metres.
View on mapA highland pasture where highland villagers from Trabzon, Giresun and Gümüşhane meet; the Kadırga Plateau Festival, held every July with horon dancing and the kemençe, is one of the largest highland festivals on the Black Sea.
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Photo: Sinan Şahin (CC BY 3.0) · Source The broad valley of the Kelkit Stream, known for its hills and farmland that show the transition from the forested Black Sea landscape to the steppe.
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Photo: Elelicht (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source The mountain pass where the historic Silk Road crossed from Trabzon to Central Anatolia; in winter a ski centre operates on its forested slopes. The Zigana Tunnel, opened in 2023, took the pass out of the main traffic route.
View on mapGümüşhane lies in the interior of the Eastern Black Sea Mountains, in a narrow valley cut by the Harşit Stream, at an altitude of about 1,150 metres. Although it is close to the coast, it lies behind the mountains, so its climate and vegetation are very different from those of the Black Sea shore: the northern slopes are covered with spruce forest, while steppe and orchards begin in Kelkit and Şiran to the south.
The city’s medieval name was Canca; in the 6th century it appears as Tzantzakon in the work of the Byzantine historian Procopius. The name Gümüşhane entered Ottoman records in the 18th century and comes from the region’s rich silver and lead mines; the Greeks called the city Argyroupolis (“silver city”). The city was the next stop after the Zigana Pass on the historic Silk Road that ran from Trabzon to Iran, and it passed to the Ottomans in 1461 when the Empire of Trabzon fell. From the 16th to the 19th centuries the mines were the livelihood of the city and the surrounding Greek villages; high highland villages such as Santa flourished in this period and were emptied by the 1923 population exchange.
The old city stood in the Süleymaniye neighbourhood; after floods and migration in the 19th century the settlement moved down to the present valley floor. Satala in Kelkit was one of the most important legionary camps on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. The Zigana Tunnel, opened in 2023 and the longest road tunnel in Türkiye, has shortened the road between Trabzon and Gümüşhane.
Gümüşhane has a climate that is transitional between the Black Sea and continental types: winters are cold and snowy, and summers are hot and dry. Averages for 1961–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (provincial centre):
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.1 °C | −5.3 °C | 35 mm | 11 |
| February | 5.4 °C | −4.8 °C | 31 mm | 10 |
| March | 10.0 °C | −1.0 °C | 46 mm | 13 |
| April | 16.4 °C | 3.8 °C | 59 mm | 13 |
| May | 21.2 °C | 7.6 °C | 70 mm | 15 |
| June | 25.2 °C | 10.9 °C | 47 mm | 10 |
| July | 28.3 °C | 13.9 °C | 15 mm | 4 |
| August | 29.1 °C | 14.0 °C | 14 mm | 4 |
| September | 25.5 °C | 10.3 °C | 21 mm | 5 |
| October | 19.0 °C | 6.0 °C | 43 mm | 9 |
| November | 10.9 °C | 1.0 °C | 42 mm | 10 |
| December | 5.0 °C | −2.9 °C | 41 mm | 11 |
June to September is the best time to visit. The roads to areas at 1,600–2,400 metres such as Limni, Artabel and Santa generally open in June, and snow begins in October; even in summer the nights are cool on the high highland pastures. The Kadırga Plateau Festival is held in mid-July. The end of summer, when the mulberries ripen, is also when the making of pestil and köme begins.
By air: There is no airport in the province. The nearest is Trabzon Airport (about 110 km); Erzurum airport, reached via Erzincan and Bayburt, is also an option.
By road: Gümüşhane lies on the Trabzon–Gümüşhane–Bayburt–Erzurum road. With the Zigana Tunnel, the journey to Trabzon has come down to about 1.5 hours. Via Kelkit and Şiran it connects to Erzincan, Sivas and Giresun (Şebinkarahisar). A private vehicle is recommended for highland sites such as Santa and Limni. There is no railway in the province.
Day 1 – Merkez and Torul: In the morning, the dripstones of Karaca Cave; in the afternoon, Torul Castle and the glass terrace; in the early evening, a walk around Limni Lake. Siron and köme in the evening.
Day 2 – Santa or Artabel: The stone church and houses at the Santa Ruins, reached along forest and highland roads; for those who enjoy hiking, the glacial lakes of Artabel (in the summer months, a full day).
Day 3 – The south: The ruins of Satala in Kelkit and Tomara Waterfall in Şiran.
Gümüşhane cuisine is a bridge between the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia. The province’s best-known products are made with mulberries: Gümüşhane dut pestili (mulberry fruit leather), made by thickening mulberry molasses with starch and drying it in thin sheets, and Gümüşhane kömesi, made by dipping strings of walnuts into the same mixture, are both registered geographical indications. Also registered are Gümüşhane sironu, in which yufka is wrapped with yoghurt and garlic and baked, Gümüşhane dölek güveci (dölek casserole), Gümüşhane ekmeği (Gümüşhane bread), Kürtün Araköy ekmeği (Araköy village bread), Kelkit ketesi (Kelkit flaky pastry), Gümüşhane deleme peyniri (deleme cheese), Gümüşhane kuşburnu nektarı (rosehip nectar), Şiran kök pekmezi (Şiran root molasses), Gümüşhane şeker fasulyesi (Gümüşhane sugar beans) and Kelkit şeker fasulyesi (Kelkit sugar beans). Among handicrafts, the Kelkit zilli kilimi (kilim with bells) is a registered weave.
Gümüşhane province has 6 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A dish with a registered geographical indication, in which rolled yufka is served with yoghurt and garlic.
A casserole with a registered geographical indication.
A kete (flaky pastry) with a registered geographical indication.
A village bread with a registered geographical indication.
The main stops are Karaca Cave, the Santa Ruins, Limni Lake, the Artabel Lakes, Satala Ancient City, Süleymaniye (Old Gümüşhane), Tomara Waterfall, Zigana Pass and Kadırga Plateau.
Mulberry pestil, köme, siron, rosehip products and molasses. Pestil and köme are registered geographical indications.
It is in the village of Cebeli in the Torul district, 17 km from the centre of Gümüşhane, at an altitude of 1,550 metres.
They are the remains of highland mining villages where Greeks lived until the 1923 population exchange. They lie within the boundaries of Dumanlı village.
It opened on 3 May 2023. It is the longest road tunnel in Türkiye and has shortened the Trabzon–Gümüşhane road.
June to September is the best period. The highland roads are open in these months, and the Kadırga Plateau Festival is held in July.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 7 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.