Taşköprü is a district located in the northeast of Kastamonu province. Its economy is primarily based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The district takes its name from the historic stone bridge over the Gökırmak River, built during the Roman period. It is home to a number of historical and natural sites.
Taşköprü (Republic of Turkey Taşköprü District Governorship)
History
Archaeological research conducted in the Taşköprü region indicates that Paleolithic stone tool production sites around Kızılcaören date back to ancient times. Traces of settlement date back to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages. These are followed by rock tombs belonging to the Paplagonia kingdoms, and the ancient city of Pompeiopolis, founded on Zımbıllı Tepe in 65–64 BC, served as the provincial capital of Sebaste during the Roman period. Serving as a bishopric until the 4th century AD, the settlement was largely abandoned following external raids in the 6th and 7th centuries. However, recent excavations and conservation work have unearthed the ancient city's theater, forum, bathhouse, basilica, and temple structures.
Turkish rule began with the conquest of the region by the Seljuk Third Beylerbey Hüsamettin Çoban Bey in 1213. During the Candaroğulları Principality in the 13th and 14th centuries, educational and religious structures were intensively constructed. The Şeyh Hüsameddin Tekke Mosque and the Abdal Hasan Tomb, dating to this period, are unique examples of the region's religious and social life. The seven-arched stone bridge built over the Gökırmak River by Ali Bey in 1366 in honor of Celalettin Beyazıt gave the settlement its name, "Taşköprü." The district, annexed to Ottoman rule in 1460, became an official district in 1868, a municipality in 1869, and, with its own hydroelectric power plant in 1935, it became a center with advanced technical infrastructure for its time.
Geography and Climate
Taşköprü, at an altitude of nearly 550 meters, forms a corridor within the Gökırmak Valley, stretching between the Küre Mountains to the north and the Ilgaz Mountains to the south. The town center and surrounding villages are situated on the valley floor and alluvial plains. The hills and slopes at higher elevations are mostly covered with forests of black pine, fir, beech, and oak. Steppe formations and riverside species such as willow and poplar can be found along the valley walls.
Within the district are the Gökırmak River, along with its tributaries, the Daday River, Alpagut, Çit, and Çakmak Rivers; water is transferred to agricultural areas via dams and irrigation canals. Average annual precipitation ranges from 600–800 mm. Because it lies in a climate transition zone, summers are hot and relatively dry, and winters are cold and rainy. Seasonal snow cover is recorded as 50–70 days, frost as 100–120 days, and frost as 120–150 days, shaping the agricultural calendar and natural ecosystem development.
Population and Demography
While the total population of Taşköprü district was 41,424 as of 2007, it decreased to 37,196 people in 2024. During this period, increases of 1,594, 678, and 1,411 people were observed in 2015–2016, 2017–2018, and 2022–2023, respectively, while decreases at various rates were observed in the other years. According to 2024 data, the male population was 18,430 people (49.55%) and the female population was 18,766 people (50.45%), and the difference between the genders was limited. Annual population changes followed a fluctuating course, which can be explained by factors such as local registry updates and migration movements.
Economy
The Taşköprü economy is based on agricultural production carried out on the fertile plains of the Gökırmak Valley. More than half of the district's land is arable, with primary crops being garlic, sugar beets, wheat, barley, and hemp. Because garlic forms the basis of production for both local consumption and export, the annual Garlic Festival serves as an event that fosters the district's agricultural identity and tourism. The dams and canals constructed to improve irrigation infrastructure bring approximately 20–25% of the arable land directly under irrigation, increasing the productivity of the crop pattern.
The livestock sector consists of cattle and sheep farming, poultry farming, and beekeeping. Locally raised dairy and meat products are shipped both to the local market and to nearby districts and provinces, and marketing and financing services are provided through regional cooperatives. Electric flour mills replaced the water mills established in the early 20th century, and non-food industries such as flour, feed, and legume processing facilities and marble workshops have also developed in the district.
Tourism-Culture-Cuisine
Taşköprü's tourism potential is based on the balanced integration of historical artifacts, natural landscapes, and local lifestyles. Architectural assets such as the Pompeiopolis ancient city site, the seven-arched stone bridge, the 13th-century Şeyh Hüsameddin Tekke Mosque and Abdal Hasan Tomb, and the Kara Mustafa Pasha Stone Mosque attract archaeology and history enthusiasts. The Küçüksu and Chios recreational areas, the Ilgaz-Küre forest roads, camping areas suitable for highland tourism, and the Gökırmak coastline all offer opportunities for nature tourism.
Cultural life highlights folk dances (Taşköprü Zeybek, Köçekçe), folk song traditions, handicrafts (hand-printed headscarves), and religious culture (Saints' Week events). Competitions, exhibitions, and symposiums held during the Garlic Festival offer both farmers and visitors the opportunity to share knowledge.
Regional products, especially garlic, are used extensively in the local cuisine. Recipes such as "well kebab" and "kapama" (a type of meat dish), pastries called "ter ekmek" (a type of pastry), keşkek (a type of pastry), banduma (a type of pastry), tirit (a type of pastry), and tarhana soup are integral parts of both daily meals and ceremonial meals. Furthermore, fruits and vegetables dried using traditional methods are preserved and consumed as the region's most essential winter preparations.
