Safranbolu is a town located in the Karabük Province within the Black Sea region of Turkey. It serves as the seat of the Safranbolu District and sits at an elevation of 508 meters (1,667 feet). The town is situated approximately 9 kilometers north of the city of Karabük, 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Ankara, and about 100 kilometers south of the Black Sea coast.
The settlement has a diverse history involving several former names in both Greek and Turkish. Its historic Greek names include Theodoroupolis, Dadybra, and Saphrampolis, while its previous Turkish names were Zalifre and Taraklıborlu. Administratively, the town was part of Kastamonu Province until 1923 and belonged to Zonguldak Province between 1923 and 1995.