Open Travel Guide
History of Rize

Rize History & Heritage Guide 2026

A historical companion to Rize — what happened, where to stand, and what survives.

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 sites

Places where Rize's past comes alive.

Byzantine/Medieval

Rize Castle

Medieval (13th century)

Zilkale

Ottoman (18th century)

Senyuva Stone Bridge

Ottoman/traditional

Hemşin valley architectural heritage