Safranbolu is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about two hundred kilometers north of Ankara and about a hundred kilometers south of the Black Sea coast, or more precisely about 9 kilometers north of the city of Karabük. Former Turkish names of the town were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu and in Greek Saframpolis, Σαφραμπολις. It was part of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995. According to the 2000 census, the population of the district is 47,257, of which 31,697 live in the town of Safranbolu. The district covers an area of 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi), and the town lies at an elevation of 485 m (1,591 ft).