After my stay in Ankara, my first stop was the city of Hattusas, the capital city of the Hittite Empire. The Hittite Empire ruled most of central Turkey and Northern Syria from 1800-1180 BC. The Empire is known for two distinctive facts. One fact, which was provided by the local villager that gave us a tour, is that it is one of the first three empires to develop an alphabet for their language. Another interesting note is that it is a part of the first treaty ever to be created, which was between them and King Ramses II of Egypt. There isn’t too much to see in terms of structure of the city. A lot of foundation can be found, but there is a reconstruction effort that is to be noted as a part of the wall has been reconstructed and continues to be worked on. Nevertheless, it is an ancient site that must be visited to get a feel for the complexity in which empires were developed and maintained close to 4000 years ago.
My next destination that day was Amasya. By far the most interesting city I have visited thus far on my journey. Amasya, which stands for the queen of the Amazons (female warriors) has been the home of twelve Ottoman Princes, seven of which went on to become sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Amasya would serve as a training ground for the princes as they would govern the region. In order for the future sultans to get a taste of the vast empire they were set to rule, the empire created a village in the region for every culture that was represented under Ottoman rule (Bosnian, Arab, Kurdish, Armenian, etc.). Going further back, the city first became populated in 5500 BC by the Hittite empire. It served various other empires after that and the remains of the other empires can be hinted throughout the city. The empire remains that stick out the most is that of the Pontic Empire. Amasya served as the capital for this somewhat large empire from 291-62 BC. The remains of the kings can be found in massive tombs that are carved into the sides of the cliffs that overlook the city.
Ankara ziyaretimden sonra, ilk durak Hattusas sehiriydi. Bu Hitit Imparatorlugun baskenti gercekten gidilmesi gereken bir sehir. Gorulecek olarak pek bir yapim kalmasada, yerlerin getirdigi bir yaklasik 4000 senelik tarihi var. Almanlar sagolsun, bizim icin butun sehiri kaziyorlar, hatta duvarin bir kismini tekrardan kurmus durumdalar. Paralari yetikce, duvari tamamlaya bakacaklar. Ama en cok ilgimi ceken sehirin kismi ise taslara oyduklari ince resimler. O zamanki araclariyla o kadar guzel aslan olsun, tanrihlar olsun, insanlar cizmislerki, hayretler icinde bakiyorsun. Kazildikca, burasi cok deger verilecek bir tarih eser olacaktir.
My next destination that day was Amasya. By far the most interesting city I have visited thus far on my journey. Amasya, which stands for the queen of the Amazons (female warriors) has been the home of twelve Ottoman Princes, seven of which went on to become sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Amasya would serve as a training ground for the princes as they would govern the region. In order for the future sultans to get a taste of the vast empire they were set to rule, the empire created a village in the region for every culture that was represented under Ottoman rule (Bosnian, Arab, Kurdish, Armenian, etc.). Going further back, the city first became populated in 5500 BC by the Hittite empire. It served various other empires after that and the remains of the other empires can be hinted throughout the city. The empire remains that stick out the most is that of the Pontic Empire. Amasya served as the capital for this somewhat large empire from 291-62 BC. The remains of the kings can be found in massive tombs that are carved into the sides of the cliffs that overlook the city.
Ankara ziyaretimden sonra, ilk durak Hattusas sehiriydi. Bu Hitit Imparatorlugun baskenti gercekten gidilmesi gereken bir sehir. Gorulecek olarak pek bir yapim kalmasada, yerlerin getirdigi bir yaklasik 4000 senelik tarihi var. Almanlar sagolsun, bizim icin butun sehiri kaziyorlar, hatta duvarin bir kismini tekrardan kurmus durumdalar. Paralari yetikce, duvari tamamlaya bakacaklar. Ama en cok ilgimi ceken sehirin kismi ise taslara oyduklari ince resimler. O zamanki araclariyla o kadar guzel aslan olsun, tanrihlar olsun, insanlar cizmislerki, hayretler icinde bakiyorsun. Kazildikca, burasi cok deger verilecek bir tarih eser olacaktir.
O aksam ve bir sonraki gunu de Amasya’da gecirdim. Muhtesem bir sehir. Bu kadar kucuk olmasana ragmen, bu kadar tarih dolu bir sehir gormedim. Bu sehir 12 tane Osmanli sehzadenin gelismesine saglamis. Osmanli imparatorlugu, sehzadeyi imparatorlugun degisik kulturleri hakkinda iyi egitim saglamasi icin de her kultur icin bir koy yaratmis Amasya’da. Onun icin de mesela bir Ermeni koyu, bir Arap koyu, veyatta bir Tatar koyu zamaninda bu bolgede bulunmaktadi. Onun disinda da Pontus Kralarin dag basindaki mezarliklari goz alici. Ve kiyadaki butun eski Osmanli evleri restorasyona girdikleri icin, cok sirin manzaralarla karsilasiyorsun butun Yesilirmak boyunca. Amasya’nin yemegi ayri bir guzel.
There are alot of pictures to show of these two historic cities. The first three pictures are of the Hittite capital Hattusas. The following pictures are all from Amasya. Note that in the couple of the pictures, you can see the tombs of the Pontic Kings carved into the cliffs in the background. The last picture is of an overview of the city created by the city of Amasya. You get a feel for the valley and the river that runs through the city in this city display.
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