Kastamonu in the context of "Karabük Province"

The Danishmendids or Danishmends (Turkish: Dânişmendliler) were a Turkish dynasty. These terms also refer to the Turkish state in Anatolia. It existed from 1071/1075 to 1178 and is also known as the Danishmendid Beylik (Turkish: Dânişmendliler Beyliği). The dynasty was centered originally around Sivas, Tokat, and Niksar in central-northeastern Anatolia, and extended as far west as Ankara and Kastamonu for a time, and as far south as Malatya, which they captured in 1103. In the early 12th century, the Danishmends were rivals of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, which controlled much of the territory surrounding the Danishmend lands, and they fought extensively against the Crusaders.

The dynasty was established by Danishmend Gazi for whom historical information is rather scarce and was generally written long after his death. His title or name, Dānishmand (دانشمند) means "wise man" or "one who searches for knowledge" in Persian.

The Khalwati order (also known as Khalwatiyya, Khalwatiya, or Halveti, as it is known in Turkey and Albania) is an Islamic Sufi order (tariqa). It is most widespread in Egypt, Albania, Bosnia, Turkey, and to a lesser extent, Azerbaijan. The order takes its name from the Arabic word khalwa, meaning hermitage.The order emerged from the Safavi-Bektashi milieu and underwent Sunnification under the Ottomans. It was founded by Muhammad-Nur al-Khalwati, and his son Umar al-Khalwati, around the city of Herat in medieval Khorasan (now located in western Afghanistan). It was Umar's disciple, Yahya Shirvani however, who founded the “Khalwati Way” as a practice. Yahya Shirvani wrote Wird al-Sattar, a devotional text read by the members of nearly all the branches of Khalwatiyya.

The Khalwati order is known for its strict ritual training of its dervishes and its emphasis of individualism, their poetry is also notable for being influenced by Hurufis like Naimi and Nesimi. Historically, the order promoted individual asceticism (zuhd) and hermitage (khalwa), differentiating themselves from other orders at the time. The order is known as one of the source schools of many other Sufi orders.

Kastamonu Province (Turkish: Kastamonu ili) is a province of Turkey, in the Black Sea region in the north of the country. It is surrounded by Sinop to the east, Bartın, Karabük to the west, Çankırı to the south, Çorum to the southeast and the Black Sea to the north. Its area is 13,064 km, and its population is 378,115 (2022). The population density is 29 inhabitants per km. The provincial capital Kastamonu has a population of 128,707 (2022).

Kastamonu District (also: Merkez, meaning "central") is a district of the Kastamonu Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Kastamonu. Its area is 1,847 km, and its population is 152,541 (2021).

Ali Suavi (Ottoman Turkish: علی سعاوی; 8 December 1839 – 20 May 1878) was an Ottoman Turk political activist, journalist, educator, theologian and reformer. He was exiled to Kastamonu because of his writings against Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz. He is one of the first Pan-Turkists in the Ottoman period.