NORTHEAST AND EAST OF ANKARA

Kirikkale is a rapidly expanding industrial center on the major highway that leads east out of Ankara to the Black Sea. Passing by Kirikkale is the Kizilirmak River, known in ancient times as Halys, where you can spend a pleasant afternoon relaxing in one of the restaurants, set in the pastoral landscape, or visit the restful Celal Bayar Park. In Kirikkale, the Gun Museum displays different types of guns that are made in Kirikkale's gun factories.

Decorative ceiling in Merzifon, Amasya

After the highway divides, the eastern fork leads to Yozgat, 217 km from Ankara. Founded in the 18th century by the Ottomans, this city has two important buildings from this period, the Capanoglu Mosque and the adjoining Suleyman Bey Mosque. The 19th century Nizamoglu Mansion, an attractive example of domestic Turkish architecture, now houses ethnographical exhibits. The Yusuf Karslioglu Mansion Archeological Museum has Hittite, Phrygian, Roman and Byzantine artifacts. Camlik National Park is a few kilometers south of the city.

All the major early-Hittite sites lie in the province of Corum in Bogazkale National Park, between Yozgat and the city of Corum. Impressive double walls running past the Royal Gate, the Lion Gate and the Yer Kapi (an underground tunnel), ring the Hittite city of Hattusas, known today as Bogazkale. The more than 70 temples in the city made this the Hittite religious center and gave it the name, "City of Temples". The largest ruins are those of the great temple to the storm god Teshup. The Acropolis contained government buildings, the imperial Palace and the archives of the Hittite Empire. In 1180 B.C. the Phrygians devastated the city. After thorough excavations at the site, the city walls are now being extensively restored.

Tokat Ceramics

Yazilikaya, an open-air rock pantheon dating from the 13th century B.C., contains fine reliefs of all the Hittite gods and goddesses. Alacahoyuk, north of Bogazkale on the road to Corum, was the center of the flourishing Hattian culture during the Bronze Age. The magnificent Hattian gold and bronze objects in the Museum of Anatolian Civilization in Ankara were found in the Royal Tombs dating from this period. All the standing remains at Alacahoyuk, however, such as the Sphinx Gate, date from the Hittite period. Important Hittite settlements in the province of Corum include Alisar and Masathoyuk, as well as Sapinuva in the county of Ortakoy, which is situated in beautiful countryside along the Cekerek River. Sapinuva was the second most important Hittite city in the kingdom. Between the Abdullah and Kargi Plateaus is the village of Hacihamza with interesting regional architecture.

Corum, an important city on the road from central Anatolia to the Black Sea, produces the finest chickpeas in Turkey. Significant historical buildings include the 13th century Ulu Mosque and the 19th century clocktower. The tower, which was built in the shape of a minaret, is 27.5 m high, 5.3 m in diameter, and has an eight-sided base and is ascended by an 81-step circular staircase.

Historical Houses

The small town of Merzifon, 49 km northwest of Amasya, has several Ottoman monuments, including the 15th century Celebi Sultan Mehmet Medrese (theological college), the 17th century Kara Mustafa Pasa Mosque, and the 19th century clock tower. There are also sights worth seeing in Gumushacikoy, 22 km from Merzifon, including a 19th century bazaar, the 15th century Haliliye Medrese, and 18th and 19th century Yakup Pasa Darphane, and Maden mosques.

Set in a narrow gorge of the Yesilirmak (Iris) River, Amasya dates from the third century B.C. The ruins of the citadel rise from the craggy rock and contain an Ottoman palace and a secret underground passageway. Hewn into the rock face above the city, are impressive Roman rock tombs that are illuminated at night creating a spectacular image. The beauty of the natural surroundings and the splendid architectural legacy have combined to endow the city a reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey. Among the sights of interest for visitors are the 13th-century Seljuk Burmali Minare Mosque, the Torumtay Tomb, the Gokmedrese Mosque, the 14th century Ilhanid Hospital with lovely reliefs around its portal, the 15th century Beyazit 1 Mosque complex and the unusual octagonal Kapi Aga Medrese.

Tashan (Voyvodahan), Tokat

Traditional Turkish wooden mansions, or konaks, on the north bank of the Yesihrmak River in the Hatuniye quarter (Yaliboyu), have been restored to their former splendor, and some of these have been turned into guest houses. The restored 19th-century Hazeranlar Konagi, one of the loveliest, now houses an art gallery on the first floor and the Ethnography Museum on the second. The Archeology Museum has an interesting collection of regional artifacts including mummies of the Ilhanid Mongol rulers of Amasya. Cafes, restaurants, tea gardens and parks line the riverside and provide tranquil spots from which to enjoy the city's romantic atmosphere. From the top of Cakallar Hill you have a beautiful view of the city.

Excellent places for relaxing are located near Amasya. Set amid magnificent mountain scenery, Borabay Mountain Lake is one such popular place for day trips. It is 63 km northeast of Amasya at an elevation of 1,050 m. Seven Swans Bird Heaven is a refuge for migratory birds 32 km from Amasya. And Terzikoy Thermal Spring, with hotel and motel facilities, is 36 km away.

The whole province of Amasya is filled with orchards, which produce some of the world's most delicious apples.

Tokat, also on the Yesilirmak River, has many Seljuk and Ottoman monuments which lend a picturesque yet solemn aesthetic to the cityscape. Among the main historical buildings are the ruins of a 28-tower castle, the 11th century Garipler Mosque and a Seljuk bridge. The 13th century Pervane Bey Darussifasi (Gok Medrese), one of Tokat's finest buildings, is now the Archeology Museum. A regional commercial center, Tokat has retained many of its old commercial warehouses, including the Tashan, Suluhan, Yagcioglu Ham and Gazi Emir (Yazmacilar) Ham. A walk down Sulu Sokak in the city center, a street lined with inns, mausoleums, bazaars and baths, provides an excellent overview of the city's architecture. In the Gazi Emir (Yazmacilar) Hain you can find many specimens of block-printed cloth, a 300 year-old tradition for which Tokat is famous. A tradition of carved and painted wood decoration and painted murals give the konaks (mansions) of Tokat a particular elegance. The 19th century Madimagin Celalin Konak and the Latifoglu Konak have been restored to their former splendor to give a vivid picture of the good life in rural Turkey 100 years ago. The Ballica Cave in Tokat, containing many fossils, is also a must. It is 680 m long with five underground levels and eight large rooms. The air in this stalactites and stalagmites filled cave is beneficial for sufferers of asthma.

Gokmedrese, Sivas

In 47 BC, the Romans conquered the four cities of Komana, Zela (Zile), Neccaesarea (Niksar), and Sebastapolis (Sulusaray) which were included in the province of Pontus in the first century AD.

Niksar, 69 km northeast of Tokat, was once the capital of the Danismend Emirs. The town has a well-preserved citadel as well as early Turkish monuments, including the Coregi Buyuk Mosque, which boasts a very fine 12th century carved stone portal. It was in Zile, south of Amasya and west of Tokat that Julius Caesar, after a particularly speedy battle, quaffed a cup of Tokat's fine local wine, and declared his famous "Veni, vidi, vici." Beneath the citadel which guards the city stands the restored Ulu Mosque of 1269.

Sivas, an important commercial center during the Middle Ages, stood at the junction of the caravan routes to Persia and Baghdad. Between 1142 and 1171 it was the capital of the Danismend Emirs and a vitally important urban center during Seljuk rule. The remaining architectural monuments reflect this formerly prominent position. The Ulu Mosque dates from the Danismend Emirate. The Seljuk buildings include the 13th-century Izzeddin Keykavus Sifahanesi, which was a hospital and medical school, the beautifully decorated Gok Medrese, the twin minarets of the Cifte Minare Medrese and the Buruciye Medrese all of which reflect the aesthetic of the Seljuk period.

In 1919, the decision to liberate Turkey from occupying foreign powers was made by the National Congress which was convened in Sivas. Today, the 19th- century building where the congress was held has been restored as the Atatark and Congress Museum, with War of Liberation and an ethnographic exhibits. In the Buruciye Medrese, the Museum of Archeology and Stoneworks displays finds from local digs as well as Islamic tombstones decorated with reliefs. The 19th century Akaylar Mansion Museum is now an ethnographic museum. In town, there are excellent Sivas carpets for sale; the city has long had a reputation for fine weaving. And in Sivrialan Village, the Asik Veysel Museum commemorates the famous Turkish poet (1884-1973) who was born here and who lived and died here.

Sivas Kangal Dog

Kangal, 68 km south of Sivas, is the home of Turkey's most famous breed of dog - the kangal ("dog of the Galatians") which came with them in the 3rd century B.C. Used as sheep dogs, these golden-haired animals have also proven themselves in police and security work. Twelve km northeast of Kangal is the famous Balikli Kaplica spa. At 36 degrees Celsius the waters contain bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium, and spring from the earth accompanied by scores of tiny fish that are said to aid in the cure of skin complaints. In the province of Sivas are the famous spas of Sicak Cermik (warm spring) and Soguk Cermik (cold spring).

Once a Byzantine outpost, Divrigi became the capital of the Turkish Mengucek Emirs in the 12th and 13th centuries. Although very much off the beaten track, visitors come to Divrigi to see the Ulu Mosque and Medrese of 1229. Seljuk stonework reached its most exuberant expression in the animal and flower carvings on the portals. UNESCO has declared this one of the world's leading cultural heritage sites.