The little town of Sürmene, 40 kilometers east of Trabzon, was known in antiquity as Susarmia or Augustopolis.
Nearby (five kilometers to the west) is the village of Sürmene Kastel, where there's a ruined medieval castle and the impressive 18th-century mansion Yapukoglu Konagi that was formerly the seat of the ruling Yapukoglu family.
In the isolated hill region to the south of Sürmene are a number of abandoned Greek monasteries.
