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With its dramatic mountain-and-riverside
setting, its charming old
houses, mosques and antiquities, Amasya
is among Turkey's undiscovered treasures.
If you're planning to tour the Black
Sea coast, be sure to stop in Amasya (ah-MAHSS-yah,
pop. 65,000; map) for at least one
night on your way.
Amasya, a provincial
capital, stretches along the banks
of the Yesilirmak (Green River) in
a narrow mountain defile, with sheer
rock cliffs rising above the town
center. Ancient tombs of the kings
of Pontus (3rd century BCE), carved
right into the sheer rock, are floodlit
at night.
Many graceful old Ottoman houses have
been preserved, and a few now serve
as charming pensions. Other
sights include several fine 13th-century Seljuk
Turkish buildings, a Mongol
madhouse, and a good little museum which
contains, among other curiosities,
a collection of local mummies!
Bus and car are
the best ways to get here. Trains from Sivas are
slow and less comfortable than the
bus. The nearest airport is
the small Merzifon-Amasya Airport,
6 km east of Merzifon, 41 km northwest
of Amasya.
There's a larger, busier airport
at Samsun.
You can include Amasya on my Recommended
Itinerary for Eastern
Turkey.
More about Amasya? Read Turkey:
Bright Sun, Strong Tea,
my humorous travel memoir.
Distances & Travel Times
Ankara: 335
km (208 miles), 5 hours
Bogazkale: 85
km (53 miles), 1.5 hours
Cappadocia
(Urgup): 400 km (250 miles),
7 hours
Çorum: 92
km (57 miles), 1.75 hours
Giresun: 339
km (211 miles) E, 6 hours
Istanbul: 685
km (426 miles), 10.5 hours
Samsun: 130
km (81 miles), 2.25 hours
Sinop: 220
km (137 miles), 4 hours
Sivas: 225
km (140 miles), 4 hours
Trabzon: 500
km (311 miles), 8 hours
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