Rize is a verdant Black Sea city in northeastern Turkey, celebrated as the heartland of Turkish tea production. Terraced tea gardens cascade down steep hillsides to the sea, while the Kaçkar Mountains rise dramatically inland, offering world-class trekking, rafting in the Fırtına Valley, and highland plateaus dotted with traditional Hemşin architecture.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Rize.
-
1
Region part of the Kingdom of Colchis; Greek settlement along the Black Sea coast
-
2
Byzantine control; coastal fortifications built; early Christian communities established
-
3
Various powers contest the region; Zilkale and Rize Castle built as defensive points
-
4
Ottoman Empire conquest; Islam becomes dominant; Hemşin populations converted and retained distinct cultural identity
-
5
Turkish Republic founded; tea cultivation introduced in 1924; ÇAYKUR state enterprise established 1973; Rize becomes Turkey's tea capital
Historical sites
Places where Rize's past comes alive.
Byzantine/Medieval
Rize Castle
Medieval (13th century)
Zilkale
Ottoman (18th century)
Senyuva Stone Bridge
Ottoman/traditional