Sümela Monastery
A former Greek Orthodox monastery built into a sheer cliff face high above a forested valley in the Pontic Mountains. Its rock church is painted with frescoes, and it was in use until 1923.
- Where
- Maçka, Trabzon, Türkiye
- Grade
- Heritage site
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 3 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 40.6900, 39.6583
Get the Sümela Monastery stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Sümela Monastery. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Trabzon volume with your photos and a note.
Near Sümela Monastery
Hagia Sophia, Trabzon 35 km
A 13th-century Byzantine church near the shore in Trabzon, built when the city was capital of the Empire of Trebizond. Now a mosque, it is often called one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture, known for its carved stone and wall paintings.
Uzungöl 54 km
A mountain lake 95 km south-east of Trabzon, formed when a landslide dammed the Haldizen Stream. A village with a mosque sits on its shore, and steep forested slopes rise on every side.
Ayder 125 km
A highland summer pasture in the mountains of Rize, with wooden chalets set among green slopes and waterfalls. It is known for its hot springs and as a starting point for walks into the Kaçkar Mountains.
Kaçkar Mountains 127 km
A mountain range rising steeply above the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey, once called the Lazistan Mountains. Its high meadows, glacial lakes and granite peaks are reached on foot from summer villages in the valleys.
Çifte Minareli Madrasa 163 km
A late Seljuk theological school in Erzurum, built a few years before 1265. It takes its name from the two fluted minarets that crown its carved stone gateway, one of the most recognisable façades in eastern Turkey.
Gonio Fortress 188 km
A Roman fort at the mouth of the Chorokhi river on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi and close to the Turkish border. Its great square of walls still stands, and old stories link the place to Medea and her brother Absyrtus.
Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital 197 km
A mosque and hospital joined in one building, raised in 1228 to 1229 by the Mengujekid dynasty in the upper town of Divriği. Its stone portals are carved so deeply and elaborately that they put it among the great works of Anatolian architecture.
Alphabetic Tower 198 km
A 130 metre tower on the Batumi seafront, shaped like the double helix of DNA. Two bands spiral up it carrying the 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet, each 4 metres tall and cast in aluminium.
Questions
Where is Sümela Monastery?
Sümela Monastery is in Maçka, Trabzon, Türkiye. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Hagia Sophia, Trabzon (35 km), Uzungöl (54 km), Ayder (125 km).
How do I get the Sümela Monastery stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Sümela Monastery and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Trabzon volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Sümela Monastery before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Trabzon volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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