A town called “Market” Population: 16,200
Market day: Thursday
Right in the centre of Pazar on the eastern Black Sea coast is something rather startling – and mildly shocking – namely a statue of Atatürk placed so that the great secularist is looking straight at the huge new Gülbahar Hatun Cami (2003), a positioning that can hardly be accidental.
Other than that there’s little to detain you in this small Laz town. As you drive east through the two Pazar tunnels on the coast road keep an eye out for the restored Kız Kalesi (Maiden’s Castle) perched on a rock just off shore. Was it built by the Byzantines? Was it built by the Genoese? Hard facts are there none although best estimates date it to the 13th or 14th century. All that survives is a single tower anyway.
Transport info
There are frequent minibuses to Pazar from Rize‘s waterfront minibus stands as well as from points further east.
