Ardeşen Shore
The district's Black Sea coastline has played an important role in the revival of its tourism in recent years.
View on map6 places to visit in the Ardeşen district of Rize: Ardeşen Shore, Fırtına Stream and Tunca Valley Nature Park. Plan your trip to Ardeşen with local food, practical tips and transport information.
The district’s coastline is 10 km long.
History
Ardeşen’s former name was Artaşeni, meaning something like “House of Arta”. The Lazeti region, where Artaşeni, formerly a village, was located, was within the borders of the Colchis kingdom in Antiquity. The Ottomans fully took over this region in 1547. According to the 1876 Trabzon Province yearbook, Ardeşen’s population was 110 people living in 42 households.
Geography
Almost a quarter of Ardeşen’s steep and rugged terrain is forested. On its roughly 10% of farmable land, the main crop grown is tea. In recent years, kiwi cultivation has developed as an alternative crop. The district’s largest river, the Fırtına Stream, has many suitable routes, so rafting can be done on it.
Plateaus
Tunca Valley Nature Park was declared a nature park in 2013, covering 4,082 hectares.
History and Culture
Ardeşen became a district centre on 1 March 1953, when it changed from a subdistrict (nahiye) to a district. The source notes that, according to tradition, the district’s name is linked to Yavuz Sultan Selim. The culture historian Nikolay Marr’s 1910 research recorded that Artaşeni village was one of the villages where Laz was spoken. The district contains historic works such as a mosque, a church, an arch bridge and examples of traditional houses.
Key Facts
Ardeşen is 45 km from Rize. It borders Fındıklı to the east, Pazar to the west, the Kaçkar Mountains and Çamlıhemşin to the south, and the Black Sea to the north. The name is said to come from Yavuz Sultan Selim’s words, “Beyond this region lies joy”.
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