It is the traditional houses of Safranbolu that have earned the city a world-wide reputation and inscribed it on UNESCO's World Heritage List, with many trailing back to 18-19th century, however, the fact that the locals manage to keep the traditional lifestyle alive takes the visitors on a journey back in time. As you walk along Safranbolu’s streets sheltering over 2000 traditional Turkish-Ottoman houses, you will grasp the opportunity of exploring the elegancy of Ottoman housing architecture and of becoming familiar with the traditional lifestyle of its hospitable locals.

The Select Samples of The Ottoman Civilian Architecture: "Safranbolu Houses"

Safranbolu, managing to preserve its complete old settlement texture, is home to historical houses grouped in two main areas: The first is the "Bazaar" section that's mostly used during winter and previously known as the "City", while the second one is previously known as "Vineyards" and was mostly used during summer time. The locals spent the winter months in the "City", and they moved to their summerhouses in the "Vineyards" upon the arrival of warmer summer days, however, life in marketplace, the centre of production and trade, used to be lively and hectic through the year.

With thier unique architecture and locations, the houses of Safranbolu give the guests insight into the former Turkish lifestyle. Safranbolu houses were mostly built by the side of the valley for two reasons: the first is to avert the occupation of fertile agricultural lands and the second is associated with the good grace and decency of neighbour relations among the Turkish people. Because the houses were constructed on the slopes, they do not hinder one another’s view and exposure to sunlight. The upper stories supported by buttresses project over the cobbled pavements which were made as inclined to resist flood waters and to minimize humid effect.

Safranbolu adores those who set eyes on its beautiful houses that defy time with their sound stance and reflect an architecture of superior taste in company with fine wooden decoration. Some houses, designed as museums, have an eye-catching wooden artwork on ceilings and some possess an indoor pool to cool the air and to avoid fire.

The Lands Where World's Most Expensive Spices Grow

The name of the town derives from "saffron", and Safranbolu is where the best quality saffron in the world is produced. The cultivation and care of saffron is very demanding, however, it is worth the effort since it is capable of coloring a fluid one hundred thousand times as heavy as the saffron itself with yellow. Being used in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries, it carries the title of being the most expensive spice in the world.

Safranbolu's Famous Turkish Delight: A Matchless Flavour

Safranbolu has made a name for itself with its perfectly-flavoured Turkish delight (lokum), a dessert regarded to be a leading flavour in the Turkish cuisine culture. The reason is, Safranbolu’s lokum is lighter and the mineral-rich natural water sprung from Safranbolu is used in the making of this dessert; which means, you must taste and buy lokum as a gift during your visit to Safranbolu.

How to Go?

Safranbolu is well accessible by road from İstanbul and Ankara. There are regular coach departures to Safranbolu from both cities. Safranbolu is roughly 5 hours’ drive from İstanbul while it is 2,5 hours from Ankara.

Information Text on the Use of Your Personal Data

This Consent and Information Document (“Information Document”) regulates terms and conditions for use of the data notified by Users of services (“Patients”) and/or gained from Patients during delivery of Oba Tourism Organization Adversiment  and Publishing Limited Company (“Medithrace”) with headquarter at Ertuğrul Mah. Orduevi Cad. No 2 Süleymanpaşa -  Tekirdağ pursuant to Personal Data Protection Law (Nr. 6698)  activities performed to deliver services, including “Free-of-charge Second Opinion and Health Counseling” (“Services”) at contract partner hospitals (“Hospitals”) with details written below.
 
How is your medical history and health information obtained?

Your personal health details are derived from “your medical reports, details about medications you take, epicrisis, imaging studies, imaging reports and pathology reports” that you submit us and they are shared with or disclosed to partner hospitals in Turkey and their relevant personnel in order to create your treatment plan.

Which data is processed?
 
This article lists the data that is regarded as personal data in Personal Data Protection Law (Nr. 6698) and processed by Medithrace for the services delivered to patients. Unless otherwise is stated, “Personal Data” and “Data with Specific Quality (Sensitive”) shall have following meanings pursuant to terms and conditions of this Information Document. 

Hospital collects following data that are notified by Patients. 
 
●    Identity - Address Details: Name surname, identity number, gender, date of birth, business or personal e-mail, phone number, home address or business address that are written on relevant forms,
●    Health Evaluation Details: Your medical history, medical reports, details of medications you take, epicrisis, imaging studies, imaging reports and pathology reports.
●    Extra data: Other health and/or personal information that is required for service delivery and not covered in above written data classes. 

Pursuant to Articles 3 and 7 of Personal Data Protection Law (Nr. 6698) and regulations to be issued by the Committee, personal data or sensitive data shall not cover the data that is anonymized by deleting your identity details in an irreversible manner and terms and conditions of this Information Document, hereby, shall not apply to such data. 

Why do we use your data?

Your data is shared with or disclosed to physicians, healthcare staff and other relevant hospital personnel to help our firm provide you with “free-of-charge second opinion” service that is rendered in relation with your probable treatment. Thus, they are used to have contract hospitals create a complete treatment plan and submit estimated cost.

Hospitals may process the personal data notified by the Patient and the new data derived by the Hospital from the personal data in order to help the Patient use the Services, deliver the Services, fulfill the intended use of the personal data specified in this Information Document, fulfill the liabilities arising out of the content of Services and meet any and all legal obligations.

In addition, the Hospital may process the personal data and disclose them to third parties without any need to consent of the Patient pursuant to Articles 5, 6 and 8 of Personal Data Protection Law (Nr. 6698) and/or in the presence of exemptions in the relevant legislation.

Allowed Disclosures
 
Medithrace shall be entitled to disclose the personal data notified by the Patient and the new data derived by the hospital from the personal data in order to render the Services, improve the patient experience, improve Services and achieve any one of the goals specified under the section “Why do we use your data?” of this Information Policy.

Your personal, clinical and genetic data collected pursuant to this Information Document, hereby, shall be processed in line with the provisions written in this document and the provisions and security measures dictated by relevant legislation of the country, where the data is stored and/or processed.

Your Right to Access Your Data and Your Correction Requests

 The patient shall have the following rights by applying to Medithrace;

●    Learning if the personal data is processed or how it is processed,
●    Requesting relevant information, if personal data is processed,
●    Learning the intent of processing personal data and whether they are used in line with the intention, 
●    Learning local and international third parties who are shared the personal data,
●    Requesting correction, if personal data is processes incompletely or incorrectly,
●    Requesting correction, deletion or disposal of the personal data in line with the provisions set by relevant legislation; requesting notification of the correction, deletion or disposal to third parties that are transferred the personal data,
●    Raising an objection to a negative outcome arising out of analyzing the data exclusively with automated systems,
●    Requesting compensation of loss and damage that arises out of illegal processing of personal data. 

The patient may post the request in writing to Ertuğrul Mah. Orduevi Cad. No: 2 Süleymanpaşa -  Tekirdağ or e-mail the request letter to info@medithrace.com. Medithrace shall issue and transfer the positive or negative response in writing or electronically pursuant to the above mentioned requests, provided the grounds of negative response are notified. The Patient undertakes that the details subject to this Information Policy are complete, correct and up-to-date and that they will be immediately updated in case of any change Medithrace shall assume no responsibility, if up-to-date information is not notified by the Patient.

Duration of Storage for Personal Data


Medithrace shall store the personal data notified by the Patient for the interval that the Services are actually delivered in order to fulfill liabilities set in this Information Policy, hereby, and arise out of the content of Services to help the Patient use the Services.

Our Measures and Commitments for Data Security

Pursuant to provisions set by relevant legislation or mentioned in this Information Policy, Medithrace commits to take necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure appropriate level of security in order to prevent illegal access to the personal data and/or illegal data processing.
Possible Changes in Information Policy
Medithrace shall be entitled to amend provisions of this Information Policy at any time, provided the amended policy is accessible at the Web Site, www.medithrace.com. The amendments made in the Information Policy by Medithrace shall be put into force immediately after the amended provisions are publicized.

By signing the declaration and consent document, I agree and state that I received the information and consent document, I read and understood the content and my personal data is processed, used and disclosed to third parties if necessary for my potential treatment.

UP