The monastery, consisting of five large buildings lined up in front and around a hundred small buildings hidden at the back, is large enough for a few thousand people to live in. This amazing monastery is composed of churches, chapels, libraries, fountains, and kitchens, in addition to many guest rooms. Some of the chambers are even ornamented with colourful frescoes.
As the road nears Zigana Valley, it becomes even more beautiful with pines, firs, beeches, alders, and chestnuts, and it gets closer to the mountains. As the altitude reaches nearly two thousand meters the road starts passing through the low hanging clouds.
Hamsiköy, located on the foothills of Mount Zigana at an altitude of seven hundred meters, is famous for its rice pudding. Following the Torul-Gümüşhane-Yayladere route, one can reach the Yağmurdere Valley after leaving the Salmankeş pass at an altitude of 2,280 meters behind, one of the most inaccessible parts of the Black Sea region. The district of Dumanlı, located by Yanbolu creek, has been the centre of seven old villages in history. Some of the buildings in those villages situated in narrow valleys at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,800 meters still stand.
Maçka is also home to over twenty plateaus scattered around like emeralds; Kiraz, Lapazan, Çakırgöl, Çatma Oba, Düzköy, Hıdırnebi, Kuruçam, and Mount Sis are only a few to name. One must explore the stone and wooden houses that reflect the traditional culture of the region as well as the plateaus that reflect the character of the region with mountain lakes and avid creeks. With fresh air and high levels of oxygen, the plateaus are enlivened with the sounds of the “horon” (a local dance).
