Krom Valley

Krom Valley is a deep, steep-sided mountain valley within the boundaries of Yağlıdere village in the central district of Gümüşhane, roughly 31 to 36 kilometres north of the city centre. Known by its Greek name Kromni, meaning "rocky cliffs," the valley is traced back as far as 400 BC but took on its enduring settlement fabric from the 6th century AD under the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) empire, passing through Byzantine, Trebizond-Greek and, after the Ottoman conquest of 1478, Ottoman rule to become a layered multicultural landscape.

History & Silver Mining

Silver mining shaped its destiny: from at least the 17th century the local Greek Orthodox villagers worked in silver extraction, smelting and charcoal burning, and in return were exempted from the harach tax levied on non-Muslims. These privileges drew fresh Greek migrants from the coastal Pontos, and a dense network of nine neighbourhoods grew along the valley, among them Bulutyayla, Mancandanos, Çayıroğlu, Gavanak, Düzce, Muhara, Sarıoğlu, Evlice and Başkapı. After the 1923 Greek-Turkish population exchange emptied the valley of its Greek inhabitants, Krom fell largely silent, leaving behind a melancholy open-air museum of stone churches, chapels, a bridge and castle ruins.

Churches & Monastery

Today 15 churches and chapels, one bridge and one castle are officially registered, though sources put the total church count as high as 22, or 27 counting surviving ruins; Agios Nikolaos, Çayıroğlu, Ortayayla, Muhara, Soruhan, Zembelek and Alikinos are the best known. The valley's spiritual heart is the İmera (St John Prodromos) Monastery at Olucak village, founded in Gothic style in 1350 and used as a nunnery until 1710. Declared a third-degree archaeological site in 2009, Krom has recently returned to academic attention through a Gümüşhane University project that uses drones to build 3D models of 40 churches and assess their earthquake resilience, mapping a triangular network of intervisible sanctuaries centred on Soruhan Church.

Visiting, Access & Best Time

For tourism, Krom is not a mass coach stop but a niche route for independent culture travellers, photographers and faith-heritage enthusiasts seeking the region's Pontic Greek legacy; agencies pair it with the Santa Ruins and Süleymaniye (Old Gümüşhane) to build full-day themed tours of "lost civilisations." A typical visit takes half a day to a full day (about 3-5 hours) of walking that takes in İmera and several churches. The best season runs from late spring, once the snow clears, to autumn (May-October); crowds peak in summer, while the higher valley roads are usually closed by snow in winter.