Amasia, Pontos (Amasya, Turkey)
Amasya is a city in
northern Turkey and is the capital of Amasya Province, in the Black Sea
Region. Tokat from east, Tokat and Yozgat from south, Çorum from west,
Samsun from north.
The city of Amasya (Turkish pronunciation:
[aˈmasja]), the Amaseia or Amasia of antiquity, stands in the mountains
above the Black Sea coast, set apart from the rest of Anatolia in a
narrow valley along the banks of the Yeşilırmak River. Although near the
Black Sea, this area is high above the coast and has an inland climate,
well-suited to growing apples, for which Amasya province, one of the
provinces in north-central Anatolia Turkey, is famed. It was the home of
the geographer Strabo and the birthplace of the 15th century scholar
and physician Amirdovlat Amasiatsi. Located in a narrow cleft of the
Yesilirmak (Iris) river, it has a history of 7,500 years which has left
many traces still evident today.
In antiquity, Amaseia was a
fortified city high on the cliffs above the river. It has a long history
as a wealthy provincial capital, producing kings and princes, artists,
scientists, poets and thinkers, from the kings of Pontus, through Strabo
the geographer, to many generations of the Ottoman imperial dynasty.
With its Ottoman-period wooden houses and the tombs of the Pontus kings
carved into the cliffs overhead, Amasya is attractive to visitors. In
recent years there has been a lot of investment in tourism and more
foreign and Turkish tourists visit the city.
During the early
Ottoman rule, it was customary for young Ottoman princes to be sent to
Amasya to govern and gain experience. Amasya was also the birthplace of
the Ottoman sultans Murad I and Selim I. It is thus of great importance
in terms of Ottoman history. Traditional Ottoman houses near the
Yeşilirmak and the other main historical buildings have been restored;
these traditional Yalıboyu houses are now used as cafes, restaurants,
pubs and hotels. Behind the Ottoman wooden houses one can see the Rock
Tombs of the Pontic kings.