Yukarışahinler: Napşiti and Historical Place Names

Yukarışahinler’s layered local history offers a way to understand the village: its present-day name is connected with the older settlement of Napşiti, while cemeteries, a bridge, and traditional landscape names add to the picture. Its historical layers range from the settlement’s division in 1954 and the name change in 1959 to cemetery records from 1999 and architectural notes from 2014. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Yukarışahinler, this focus on cultural history offers a concrete starting point for planning your trip. It is worth distinguishing the history of the names, architectural references, and the mosque’s religious function.

Napşiti: Settlement and Name Changes

Yukarışahinler is one of the two present-day villages that emerged from the historic settlement of Napşiti. When Napşiti was still a single village, it was divided into Tudeni Napşiti (Aşağı Napşiti), Jileni Napşiti (Yukarı Napşiti), and Orta Napşiti. In 1954, Napşiti was divided into Aşağı Napşit and Yukarı Napşit. In 1959, Law No. 7267 changed the “Napşit” element in the names of both villages to “Şahinler.” This sequence helps put the different forms in chronological order: first came the division of the historic settlement, then its partition, and finally the legal change to part of the name. The years 1954 and 1959 therefore refer to two different events, not a single one.

Cemeteries, Bridge, and Mosque

A cultural survey published in 1999 records three graves with headstones and footstones in the cemetery of the Yeniyol neighborhood. For the cemetery of Merkez Camii, it notes a headstone that had been moved from its original location and damaged, along with its corresponding footstone. The same survey records the Hijri years 1296, 1304, 1310, and 1312 on gravestones in both cemetery areas; it does not assign the individual years to any particular stone. Two kinds of historical dates thus appear side by side: dates relating to the settlement’s history and name changes, and Hijri years on gravestones.

Another local landmark is the Aşağı Şahinler Bridge, which connects the Yeniyol neighborhood in Yukarı Şahinler with Kestanealan. The Dereiçi Mosque in Yukarı Şahinler serves as a place of worship, is affiliated with Diyanet, and offers Quran courses at certain times. If you are considering a visit, check local access in advance.

Architecture and Landscape Names

A description from 2014 mentions three Laz houses in Yukarı Napşiti that had retained their architectural character, as well as four serender (traditional granaries). The date sets these architectural notes apart from the much earlier settlement division and name change: they belong to a more recent period in the village’s history. The reference to the Laz houses describes an architectural feature, while the information about the serender records their number.

Traditional landscape terminology includes Aporğala, the Laz name for the stream near Jileni Napşiti, and Kikitavi, the name of a stony area in Yukarı Napşiti. The two names refer to different kinds of places: Aporğala names a stream, while Kikitavi names a stony area. These individual landscape names add to the history of the settlement’s division and subsequent name change.

Discover more destinations: Kireçlik Köyü, Yusufeli, Arhavi, Kemalpaşa, Hopa, Şavşat, Borçka, Çimenli

For the broader travel overview: Artvin.