Amasya

Amasya was the capital of the Pontic Empire, the training ground of future Ottoman sultans, and the birthplace of the Greek geographer Strabo.

We stayed in an old Ottoman house.

...with a friendly puppy.

Attaturk also held one of his first congresses here.

The local mosque

The Amasya museum had an impressive collection of dead people.

Teshup was the Hittite storm god. This is the only known statue of him, and it dates back to the 15th century B.C.

Nightmare fuel

The Pontic kings, including Mithridates VI, are buried in the hills above the Iris River and bellow Amasya's castle.

Mithridates VI was one of the Roman Republic's most formidable opponents. He succeeded in killing almost all the Romans, soldiers and citizens alike, on the Anatolian peninsula, but was defeated by Pompeii in 63 B.C. He was also known for speaking 22 languages and taking small amounts of poison to build up immunity to it.

This odd bird lived near the tombs.

Amasya is one of my favorite Turkish cities.