Kıbrıscık

Kıbrıscık is a small town and district in Bolu Province of the Black Sea region of northwestern Turkey. It covers an area of 641 km², and the population (2000) is 5,354 of which 1,524 live in the town (actually a large village) of Kıbrıscık.

The journey up to Kıbrıscık is attractive countryside reached on narrow country roads under the trees, while the town itself is above the tree-line surrounded by rocky mountains. People visit the area to hike in the high meadows ("yayla") on the flanks of the Köroğlu mountains, including Devevira at 1,825m. Other attractions include Karagöl lake, a deep crater lake, on the road to Beypazarı with forest all around; visitors come to walk, camp and watch the bird life on the lake. Other walks in the district take you to caves and interesting limestone rock formations.

The area is well inland from the Black Sea coast, behind high mountains, and has an inland climate, with a lot of rain in summer and autumn, and cold, hard winters with snow on the ground. Agriculture is a challenge on these rocky hillsides so the local economy depends on grazing sheep and cattle. A little rice is grown in places.

This was a village linked to the Byzantine town of Bithynia (as Bolu was then named) and which was brought under Ottoman Empire control at the same time as Bolu.

External links

* [http://www.kibriscik.bel.tr Kıbrısçık municipality's official website]
* [http://kibriscikhem.gov.tr/ District governor's official website]
* [http://www.kibriscik.ilcesi.com/ Local information website]