Amasya Map

Amasya is a small but very historic city in modern Turkey in the Black Sea region built along the Yesilirmak River under steep cliffs. In ancient times it was called Amaseia and was a strong rich city with kings, Princess poets and scholars and later became an important Center for the Roman Byzantine and Ottoman Empire. It is famous for the beautiful old wooden Ottoman houses by the river and the rock tomb of the Pontiac kings carved high into the cliffs above the city. The history goes back thousands of years. When people visit Amasya they can see layers of many different civilizations in one place.

History

History Archaeologists believed that people lived in the Amasya area at least 4000 BCE making it one of the oldest settled places in the region. In the Bronze Age it was part of the land influenced by the Hittites, one of the first great empires of Anatolia. Later during the first Millennium BC the area came under Persian control as part of the Achaemenid empire. After Alexander the Great defeated the Persians his empire broke into smaller Hellenistic kingdoms. Around the end of the 4th century BC I Mithridates I of Persian descent founded the kingdom of Pontus and chose Amaseia as its first capital.

During this time, Amasya grew as a fortified city high above the river and the famous rock tombs of the Pontic kings were carved into the cliffs of Mount Harsena. In the first century BCE the kingdoms of Pontus fought against Rome but were finally defeated and Amasya passed into Roman hands. Under Roman rule, the city became a wealthy provincial center and in the 2nd century CE it received honorary titles such as metropolis and first city showing its importance in the region. The geographer Strabo, one of the most famous writers of the ancient world, was born in Amasya which shows that the city was also a place of learning and culture. When the Roman Empire split Amasya became part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. For many centuries it remained a strong fortress city and regional center controlling a key route between the inner parts of Anatolia and the bb black sea coast. Despite wars and invasions in Anatolia during the early Middle Ages, Amasya kept its strategic and administrative importance under Byzantine rule. In the 11th century after the Battle of Manzikert opened much of Anatolia to Turkic peoples, Amasya was taken by the Turkmen Danishmend dynasty around 1075. It became the capital of their emirate which made a city an important Turkish political center for about a century. In the late 12th century the Seljil sultan Kilij Arslan II absorbed the Danishmend lands and brought Amasya under Seljuk rule. Under the Seljuks Amasya stayed significant because it controlled the road linking the central plateau to the Black Sea and further routes towards Iran.

The city's fortress on Mount Harsen and its location in a narrow valley made it easy to defend so different rules valued it as a scarce base. Over time, Turkish Persian and older Greek influences mixed in the city s culture and architecture. The Ottomans annexed Amasya in the late 14th century around 1386-1387 during the reign of Sultan Bayezid. It became the administrative center of the Rum province which includes several important towns such as Sivas, Tokat and Corum. It gives Amasya high status in the empire. Amasya also became a training city for Ottoman princes; many future sultans governed the city as young men, including Mehmed II and Bayezid II. After the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 Prince Mehmed used Amasya and nearby Tokat as his main base during the civil war which again shows how safe and central the city was. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Amasya developed as a center of education, religion and art with mosques, medreses and wooden houses being built along the river. The city remained important in the Ottoman provincial system for many generations although later some administrative functions moved to other towns. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as the Ottoman Empire weakened, Amasya became a smaller provincial town but kept its historic core and traditional lifestyle. After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey Amasya became the capital of Amasya province and remained a local center for framing, trade and administration in the black sea region. In the recent decades, the city has invested in tourism, restoring its Ottoman houses, old bridges and the paths around the rock tombs and fortress. Visitors now come to see not only the ancient tombs and castles but also the riverfront mansions and museums that tell the story of Hittites, Persians, Pontic kings, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottoman in one continuous timeline. The very long history of Amasya combined with its dramatic landscape makes it one of Turkey s most atmospheric historic cities.

Culture

Culture Amasya has a calm, traditional culture shaped by many civilizations that lived over thousands of years. The old riverside houses, narrow streets and small shops give the city a warm close community feeling. Families are important and people like to spend time together especially in the evenings. Tea houses by the river are popular, men and women meet friends there, drink tea, talk and play games like backgammon. Religion also shapes daily life. You can hear the call to prayer from several mosques, and religious holidays such as Ramadan and Eid are celebrated with family visits, special meals and helping the poor.

At the same time, Amasya is not seen as very strict or closed, visitors usually feel welcome and tourism has added a more open, lively side to the city. Local music and folk dance are part of festivals and public events for subregional instruments are used in performance weddings or big social events often lasting more than one day with lots of music, dance and food. The food culture is rich with dishes like soups with yogurt meat and grain stuffed vegetables and any sweets made with nuts and syrup. The region is also famous for fruits especially apples which appear in desert and local dishes. Handicraft like weaving woodwork and pottery skills exist even in small workshops or as souvenirs for tourists rather than building time village crafts.

Language

Geography

Geography Amasya lies in Nathan Turkey in the Black Sea region but slightly inland from the actual coast. The city sits in a narrow valley along the Yesilirmak River which flows between steepest rocky hills. One side of the city is overlooked by mount harshana with cliffs where the famous rock cut Royal tomb and fortresses stand. This dramatic setting makes Amasya look like a city squeezed between a river and high stone walls for stuff because it is in a valley . The city is quite long and thin in shape following the river. Old wooden houses, bridges and streets are close to the water while newer neighborhoods stretch into side valleys on to lower slopes. The surrounding region is hilly and mountainous with both bare rocky areas and green fields. The land around the river is fertile so it is used for farming fruits and vegetables and grains.

The region has a mix of continental and Black Sea climate. Summers are warm or hot but not as humid as the coast and winters can be cold with some snow especially on the higher ground. The hills protect the city from some harsh winds but can also trap cold air in winter and heat and summer. Rainfall in more seasons but is usually not as heavy as directly on the Black Sea coast. The province connects the inner Anatoliani plateau to the Black Sea basin so it has long been a natural route for trade and travel. Roads and rail lines follow the River Valley linking the region with larger cities like Samsun and Sivas.

FAQs