Gümüşhane Province is a province in northern Turkey, bordering Bayburt to the east, Trabzon to the north, Giresun and Erzincan to the west. It covers an area of 6,575 km² and has a population of 191,474 in 2006. The population was 186,953 in 2000. The name Gümüşhane means silver house. The capital is Gümüshane, also known as Gümüsane or Gumush-Khaneh. The city has a rich mining (silver and bronze) history and was the source of exports for Trabzon. The ancient Greek name of the city was Θήρα (Thera) meaning, gate or doorway. As of 1911, Gumush-Khaneh was the chief town of a sanjak of the same name in the Trebizond vilayet of Asiatic Turkey, situated on high ground (elevation 4400 feet) in the valley of the Kharshut Su, about one-half mile south of the Trebizond-Erzerum chausse. Its population was about 3000, who were mainly Greeks, who had emigrated great distances to work in the mines, and supplied virtually the whole lead and silver mining labor in Asiatic Turkey. The Greek bishop of Gumush-Khaneh had under his jurisdiction all the communities engaged in this particular class of mines. The silver mines from which the place takes its name were noted in ancient times and are mentioned by Marco Polo.
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