Sinop
The Northernmost Point Of Turkiye, On An Isthmus, With A Hellenistic And Byzantine Citadel Containing A Prison Used From 1887 To 1997 · Sinop, Sinop
Sinop sits on an isthmus at the northernmost point of Turkiye, with a harbour on one side and open sea on the other, which is why the Greeks founded it, the Pontic kings used it and everyone since has fortified it. Two things make it worth the long drive. The first is inside the citadel: a prison built in 1887 and used until 1997, which held a long line of Turkish writers and political prisoners, and which is now a museum with the cells, the exercise yard and the graffiti intact. Walking it is uncomfortable in the way it should be. The second is the town itself - green, quiet, wooden boat yards still working on the harbour, fish restaurants that are the best on this coast, and a statue of Diogenes with his barrel and his lantern, because the man who lived in a jar and told Alexander to stop blocking his sun was born here. It is a long drive from anywhere, and that is most of why it is still like this.
Sinop Kalesi ve Tarihi Cezaevi, Sinop Merkez, Sinop, Sinop, Turkiye
The town and the citadel walls are open; the Historic Prison inside the citadel is a ticketed museum with daytime hours and a weekly closing day, as is the Archaeological Museum. Fish restaurants on the harbour run year round. The beaches are open and unsupervised. Winter is wet and windy and much reduced.