In antiquity, Trabzon was a Greek colony, and has always been heavily influenced by Greek culture. Later, from 1204 to1641, Trabzon was the capital of the Trebizond Empire, one of the successor states that rose as the Byzantine Empire collapsed. Trabzon is full of old Byzantine churches that have been converted into mosques, and a couple of these sites have been preserved as museums. Today the city has one functioning church, with about a dozen members.
Probably the most famous attraction in the region is the Sumela Monastery, located in the mountains about 45 kilometers inland from Trabzon.
This monastery sits on a cliff, surrounded by mountains. It's at least ten miles to the nearest town, and even from the nearest road you have another ten minute hike up to get to the entrance. It's about as remote and peaceful a location as hermits could dream of.The monastery was first founded in the 4th century AD by two monks who had a vision of the Virgin Mary on this cliff. It grew and reached its present form in the 1200s, during the rise of the Empire of Trebizond.
Even during Ottoman times, this monastery received special protection and grew and flourished until it was seized by the Russians after World War I. It was finally abandoned in 1923.
Sumela is known for its beautiful frescoes of scenes from the Bible. Unfortunately most of the artwork in the monastery has been badly damaged from wear, tear, and vandalism.
The inside of the rock church has the least damage, because the vandals can't reach the ceilings as easily. 
We spent close to an hour climbing around in the cells of the monastery. It's a pretty incredible place, especially when you think about people living there five hundred years ago. The rooms are very dark and cold, since they're all carved out of stone and the windows are quite small. The nearest village is at least a day's journey away by foot, all up and down steep cliffs and mountains. Those monks must have been pretty dedicated to live up there.
The other big thing to see in Trabzon is the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) museum. This old Byzantine church overlooks the Black Sea, and was also built in the 1200s.
The church was converted into a mosque in 1461, and then was seized by the Russians and used as a hospital during World War I. Later the mosque received a grant for restoration and has been a museum since the 1950s. 
The architecture is lovely, with lots of stonework on the outside and more Biblical frescoes on the inside. Unfortunately, as in the monastery, much of the artwork has been defaced and destroyed by centuries of people and conquerors.
A painting in the narthex depicting the wedding at Cana.
The inside of the sanctuary has a lovely high vaulted ceiling. The acoustics are incredible. I'd love to bring a choir in and sing here. But that might be weird, since it's a museum.
On the front wall is inscribed this surah from the Qur'an, which reads, "True temples belong to God only and therefore shalt thou worship no other but God." Walking around Trabzon, there are tons of other things to see. The castle wall from the old Trebizond days still stands, and runs through the middle of the city. For an American, it's pretty odd and awe-inspiring to meander around and see the ruins of a castle nestled between the pastry shops and houses.
But for me the best part of Trabzon was all the outdoor tea gardens. Throughout the city, in the plaza, at each tourist attraction, there are outdoor pavilions where people gather to sip a cup of afternoon tea and talk with their friends. As we wandered around, we noticed that this seems to be a favorite pastime for many people. I saw many people who parked at a table all afternoon, sometimes to play backgammon, but mostly just to talk and enjoy the weather with their friends.
What better way to spend an afternoon on vacation than in a tea garden high on a hill, overlooking the whole city and the sea, with good company and good tea?
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