Sights in Amasya
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Tombs of the Pontic Kings
Looming above the northern bank of the river is a sheer rock face with the conspicuous rock-cut Tombs of the Pontic Kings. The tombs, cut deep into the rock as early as the 4th century BC, were used for cult worship of the deified rulers. There are 18 tombs in these valleys, all of them empty. Climb the well-marked steps to the ticket office.
Just past the ticket office the path divides: turn left to find a couple of tombs reached via a rock-hewn tunnel, or right to find more tombs and the remnants of the Palace of the Maidens. In the cliff behind the terrace are several more tombs. You'll have to pass through the hole in the wall and scramble up the rock-cut stairs to ge…
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Amasya Museum
The Amasya Museum is well worth a visit. Notable exhibits include the famous Statuette of Amasya, a bronze figure of the Hittite god Teshub, with pointed cap and huge almond-shaped eyes; wooden doors taken from the Gök Medrese Camii, showing the progression between Seljuk and Ottoman carving; and displays on Ottoman crafts such as rope-making. English signage is good throughout.
The highlight, though, is the tiled Seljuk tomb in the garden, which contains a unique collection of gruesome mummies dating from the İlkhan period. The bodies, mummified without removing the organs, were discovered beneath the Burmalı Minare Cami. None of it's for squeamish or young eyes, but th…
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Mirror Cave
Another Pontic tomb, the Mirror Cave (Aynalı Mağara), is apart from the others on the road in from Samsun. It's worth visiting if you have time.
Although built during Pontic times, it's likely that this tomb was later used as a chapel by the Byzantines who painted the fast-fading frescoes inside. With a Greek inscription high on the façade, this is one of the few tombs to have any type of adornment.
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Citadel
Harşena castle is perched precariously atop the cliffs of the Pontic Tombs and offers magnificent views. The remnants of the walls date from Pontic times, perhaps around the time of King Mithridates. The fortress was repaired by the Ottomans and again in the late 1980s. On a ledge just below the citadel is an old Russian cannon that is fired during Ramazan to mark the end of the daily fast.
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Palace of the Maidens
Just past the ticket office to the Tombs of the Pontic Kings, the path divides: turn left to find a couple of tombs reached via a rock-hewn tunnel, or right to find more tombs and the remnants of the Palace of the Maidens. Though there were indeed harems full of maidens here, the palace that stood on this rock terrace was that of the kings of Pontus, and later of the Ottoman governors.
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Hazeranlar Konağı
Just past the steps up to the Pontic Tombs is the Hazeranlar Konağı, constructed in 1865 and restored in 1979. The restored rooms are fully furnished in period style and have models to illustrate their use. Whether you'll enjoy the Directorate of Fine Arts gallery in the basement probably depends on what's showing (historical photos at time of research).
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Mehmet Paşa Camii
The pretty Mehmet Paşa Camii was built in 1486 by Lala Mehmet Paşa, tutor to Şehzade Ahmet, the son of Sultan Beyazıt II. Don't miss the beautiful marble mimber (pulpit). The complex originally included the builder's tomb, an imaret (soup kitchen), tabhane (hospital), hamam and handan (inn).
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Büyük Ağa Medresesi
The impressive octagonal Büyük Ağa Medresesi was built in 1488 by Sultan Beyazıt II's chief white eunuch Hüseyin Ağa. It still serves as a seminary for boys who are training to be hafız (theologians who have memorised the entire Koran) and is not open to the public.
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Gök Medrese Camii
The Gök Medrese Camii was built from 1266 to 1267 for Seyfettin Torumtay, the Seljuk governor of Amasya. The eyvan (vaulted recess) serving as its main portal is unique in Anatolia, while the kümbet (domed tomb) was once covered in gök (sky-blue) tiles, hence the name.
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Beyazıt Paşa Camii
Near the Künç Köprüsü is the Beyazıt Paşa Camii, an early Ottoman mosque (1419), following a twin-domed plan that was a forebear in style to the famous Yeşil Cami in Bursa. It's closed except at prayer times, but its most interesting features are external anyway.
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Gümüşlü Cami
Perched on a rise to Amasya's main square is The Gümüşlü Cami (Silvery Mosque; 1326), the earliest Ottoman mosque in the town. It was rebuilt in 1491 after an earthquake, in 1612 after a fire, and again in 1688, then added to in 1903 and restored yet again in 1988.
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Sultan Beyazıt II Camii
The graceful Sultan Beyazıt II Camii (1486) is Amasya's largest külliye (mosque complex), with a medrese, fountain, imaret and kütüphane (library).
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Burmalı Minare Camii
The Burmalı Minare Camii was built by the Seljuks between 1237 and 1247, with elegant spiral carving on the minaret.
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Vakıf Bedesten Kapalı Çarşı
The Vakıf Bedesten Kapalı Çarşı (Covered Market) was built in 1483 and still in use today.
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Taş Han
Head along Atatürk Caddesi and you'll see the partly ruined Taş Han (1758), an Ottoman caravanserai.
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Mustafa Bey Hamamı
On the northern side of the Darüşşifa is the 1436 Ottoman Mustafa Bey Hamamı.
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