Heinblog

Sunday, May 12, 2013

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.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Ardahan

Sarah and I went back to Turkey during (Orthodox) Easter Break: Akhaltsikhe -> Ardahan -> Amasya -> Cappadocia -> Ordu -> Trabzon -> Khashuri -> Akhaltsikhe.

We were only in Ardahan for 30 minutes, but it was easy to get a feel for the place. I was surprised that a provincial capital of Turkey could feel more desolate than Akhaltsikhe.

Many rural Turkish towns have one of these.

Ardahan Castle

We saw some weird stuff at bus stops too.

Khertvisi Fortress

Jack and I also visited Khertvisi Fortress, perhaps Georgia's most impressive non-restored castle. Khertvisi was first built in the 2nd century BC, and it was supposedly captured by Alexander the Great (4th century BC, so this is unlikely), the Mongols (13th century), and the Turks (16th century). It took its current form in the 14th century when the Jaqeli family ruled Samtskhe, though the Turks made some additions.

Khertvisi Fortress is important because it is located at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Paravani Rivers, the two largest rivers in Samtskhe.

These holes were used to shoot arrows and pour boiling liquids on assailants.

The villagers house cows in the fortress during the winter. Yes, this is a room filled with dung.

There is a small Georgian church being remodeled within the castle.

Of course there's a secret entrance...

... and it's a dead end.

We were able to climb down the cliff.

Vanis Kvabebi

Vanis Kvabebi is an 8th century cave complex 4 km away from Vardzia. It is almost as beautiful as its neighbor and receives fewer visitors. The day Jack, my Fulbright friend from Ukraine, and I went, nobody was there but us and the monks.