Three historic buildings side by side in Akdağmadeni: a church, a former post office and a former recruiting office

Located 104 kilometers from Yozgat, Akdağmadeni takes its name from the lead mining once carried out in the district. The large population of Greek and Armenian workers who worked in the mines during the 19th century has left its mark on buildings that still stand today.

According to records, Akdağmadeni was founded as a settlement in 1815, gained a municipal organization in 1862 and was attached to Yozgat as a district in 1871. Ottoman-era census records from 1895 show that the town had 1,920 Greek men, 2,031 Greek women, 1,027 Armenian men and 877 Armenian women; at the time, the district center also had three churches and schools belonging to non-Muslim communities. This large population largely left the region following the population exchange between Turkey and Greece between 1924 and 1927; a Muslim population settled in the vacated areas.

A stone church built for mine workers

The stone church, located in Yeşildere neighborhood in the district center, was built in 1862 to meet the worship needs of non-Muslim workers employed at the lead mine. Built with a three-nave basilical plan, the structure's interior contains eight columns and 13 inscriptions written in Greek; its floor is stone-paved, its interior is covered with barrel vaults, and its exterior roof is hipped. Having lost its congregation after the population exchange, the church gradually fell out of use. The structure was placed under protection in 2005 but remains derelict today; part of its roof has collapsed.

From a shop to a post office: Saray Mağazası

The former post office building in Ahisavi neighborhood was built as a commercial establishment named "Saray Mağazası" between the Hijri years 1316-1319, or 1899-1902 in the Gregorian calendar, according to inscriptions on its northern facade. Faced with cut marble and rectangular in plan, the building appears as a single story from the front and two stories from the rear street; its facade features three triangular pediments, each with a round window at its center, and an entrance with two arched doorways. The building began providing postal services in 1933. Today owned by the Akdağmadeni Municipality, it is used by the district office of the Social Security Institution.

Named after a recruiting office, but originally a Greek house

The former recruiting office building in Çamlık neighborhood was, despite its name, originally built as a residence; it is known that a Greek family used the building as a home until the population exchange. Two stories tall and rectangular in plan, the building carries features of late-19th-century civil architecture in its facade layout and was registered in 1983. Transferred to the municipality after the population exchange, the structure was used by various public institutions over the years, one of which was the recruiting office service that gave it its name. Now restored, the building is operated today by the Akdağmadeni Municipality as a guesthouse.

All three structures are on Akdağmadeni's list of registered cultural assets and are within walking distance of one another in the district center. Those wishing to visit the district can obtain information on current visiting conditions from the Akdağmadeni Municipality.