ABOUT VAKFIKEBİR
Vakfikebir is 40 km west of Trabzon, surrounded by Carsibasi in the east, Besikduzu in the west, Tonya in the south and Black Sea in the north. From Işıklı lighthouse the coastline turns first south west then north west to form the large bay called “Büyükliman” (The Big Harbour). The bay of Buyukliman is partly closed to northwestern wind making it a good refuge for the sailors. The tale of how this county took its name is interesting. Gülbahar Hatun, the mother of Yavuz Sultan Selim (Ottoman Emperor) sailed from İstanbul to see her son. On her way to Trabzon, her ship was caught in a terrible storm and she made a vow to endow the land she would first set foot in for the sake of Allah, if she could make it out of the storm. She survived the storm and landed in Vakfıkebir coast. She founded a charitable foundation in Trabzon called Hatuniye Foundation and included the income from Vakfıkebir to this foundation. Thus the name of the town which used to be Büyükliman changed to Vakfıkebir (means the Big Foundation). Since it has a natural harbor and since the transportation was mostly done by the sea in the old times, the importance of the town and its history is obvious.
The town was under Russian invasion from July 20th 1916 to February 14th 1918.
Vakfıkebir has the biggest land area amongst the towns of Trabzon.
