Espiye

Espiye is a town and a district of Giresun Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey.There is very limited information about the ancient history of Espiye, but slightly more of the larger nearby town of Tirebolu.The countryside is very attractive in all shades of green; the higher mountainous area.

The area was part of the Roman Empire and its successors the Byzantine Empire and the Empire of Trebizond. Copper was mined here in the 1st century AD, and Andoz Castle was later built on the west side of the modern day town, a sister castle of Tripolis (modern day Tirebolu), and Bedrama (or Bedrum) in the Harşit valley to the east of Espiye. However, the castle was too small to be the heart of a civil settlement. Measuring only 90 feet by 20 feet, it was most likely used as a watchtower for advance warning of invading ships on the Black Sea.