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Amasya

Amasya is a tale of two shores. On the north of the Yeşilırmak River, rows of half-timbered Ottoman houses sit squeezed together like chocolate cakes in a patisserie window. To the south, the newer, more modern Turkey tries to get on with things in an outward-looking ode to the succession of empires that reigned in this narrow, rocky valley. Towering above the minarets and the medreses (seminaries) are pockmarks of Pontic tombs, etched into the highrise bluff and guarded by a lofty citadel. Amasya's setting may evoke high drama, but life here unfolds as slowly as the train takes apples out of town via a mountain tunnel. In local folklore, these tunnels were dug by Ferhat, a tragic star-crossed figure who was in love with Sirin, the sister of a sultan queen.

Explore Amasya

T
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, chiselled deep into…
A
Amasya Museum
Amasya's museum packs in treasures from the Chalcolithic era up to the Byzantine age in its ground-floor galleries. Look out for the famous bronze…
S
Sultan Beyazıt II Cami
The graceful Sultan Beyazıt II Cami (1486) is Amasya's largest külliye (mosque complex), with a medrese (seminary), fountain, imaret (soup kitchen) and…
H
Harşena Castle
Perched precariously atop rocky Mt Harşena, Amasya's kale (castle) offers magnificent views down the valley. The much-repaired walls date from Pontic…
S
Sabuncuoğlu History of Medicine Museum
Built as a psychiatric hospital in 1309 by Ilduş Hatun, wife of the İlkhanid Sultan Olcaytu, the Darüşşifa (Bimarhane) may have been the first place to…
G
Gök Medrese Cami
The Gök Medrese Cami was built from 1266 to 1267 for Seyfettin Torumtay, the Seljuk governor of Amasya. The eyvan (vaulted recess) serving as its main…
M
Mehmet Paşa Cami
The pretty Mehmet Paşa Cami was built in 1486 by Lala Mehmet Paşa, tutor to Şehzade Ahmet, the son of Sultan Beyazıt II. It's rather simple inside but…
H
Hazeranlar Konağı
The Hazeranlar Konağı, constructed in 1865 and restored in 1979, was built by Hasan Talat, the accountant of governor-poet Ziya Paşa, for his sister,…
B
Burmalı Minare Cami
This Seljuk-era mosque was built between 1237 and 1247. Inside, the plain white, domed interior is offset by a very jazzy gold-coloured mihrab (niche…

T
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, chiselled deep into…
A
Amasya Museum
Amasya's museum packs in treasures from the Chalcolithic era up to the Byzantine age in its ground-floor galleries. Look out for the famous bronze…
S
Sultan Beyazıt II Cami
The graceful Sultan Beyazıt II Cami (1486) is Amasya's largest külliye (mosque complex), with a medrese (seminary), fountain, imaret (soup kitchen) and…
H
Harşena Castle
Perched precariously atop rocky Mt Harşena, Amasya's kale (castle) offers magnificent views down the valley. The much-repaired walls date from Pontic…
S
Sabuncuoğlu History of Medicine Museum
Built as a psychiatric hospital in 1309 by Ilduş Hatun, wife of the İlkhanid Sultan Olcaytu, the Darüşşifa (Bimarhane) may have been the first place to…
G
Gök Medrese Cami
The Gök Medrese Cami was built from 1266 to 1267 for Seyfettin Torumtay, the Seljuk governor of Amasya. The eyvan (vaulted recess) serving as its main…
M
Mehmet Paşa Cami
The pretty Mehmet Paşa Cami was built in 1486 by Lala Mehmet Paşa, tutor to Şehzade Ahmet, the son of Sultan Beyazıt II. It's rather simple inside but…
H
Hazeranlar Konağı
The Hazeranlar Konağı, constructed in 1865 and restored in 1979, was built by Hasan Talat, the accountant of governor-poet Ziya Paşa, for his sister,…
B
Burmalı Minare Cami
This Seljuk-era mosque was built between 1237 and 1247. Inside, the plain white, domed interior is offset by a very jazzy gold-coloured mihrab (niche…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Amasya.

See
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, chiselled deep into…
See
Amasya Museum
Amasya's museum packs in treasures from the Chalcolithic era up to the Byzantine age in its ground-floor galleries. Look out for the famous bronze…
See
Sultan Beyazıt II Cami
The graceful Sultan Beyazıt II Cami (1486) is Amasya's largest külliye (mosque complex), with a medrese (seminary), fountain, imaret (soup kitchen) and…
See
Harşena Castle
Perched precariously atop rocky Mt Harşena, Amasya's kale (castle) offers magnificent views down the valley. The much-repaired walls date from Pontic…
See
Sabuncuoğlu History of Medicine Museum
Built as a psychiatric hospital in 1309 by Ilduş Hatun, wife of the İlkhanid Sultan Olcaytu, the Darüşşifa (Bimarhane) may have been the first place to…
See
Gök Medrese Cami
The Gök Medrese Cami was built from 1266 to 1267 for Seyfettin Torumtay, the Seljuk governor of Amasya. The eyvan (vaulted recess) serving as its main…
See
Mehmet Paşa Cami
The pretty Mehmet Paşa Cami was built in 1486 by Lala Mehmet Paşa, tutor to Şehzade Ahmet, the son of Sultan Beyazıt II. It's rather simple inside but…
See
Hazeranlar Konağı
The Hazeranlar Konağı, constructed in 1865 and restored in 1979, was built by Hasan Talat, the accountant of governor-poet Ziya Paşa, for his sister,…
See
Burmalı Minare Cami
This Seljuk-era mosque was built between 1237 and 1247. Inside, the plain white, domed interior is offset by a very jazzy gold-coloured mihrab (niche…

Guidebooks

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