Amasya – Sivas - 30 September 2011

Weather:  showery/cloudy and cold conditions with a wind factor.

Temperature:  mid-teens to late teens.

As the ancient tomb site was closed yesterday afternoon we set off this morning at 8.30am to walk over the Yesilirmak River foot bridge to the hills above the town.  The tombs are behind the old houses and we had a reasonably short steep climb to access the tombs.  They date back to 3^rd century BC and are attributed to the Pontic Kings who had them carved out of the stone in the mountains.  Altogether there are eighteen around the town and all have been plundered.

Photo:  Desley and the group standing outside one of the massive rock-cut tombs.

Photo:  One of all of us...yes we are travelling together!  Traditional Ottoman houses in the background and the tombs are carved above these.

After leaving Amasya we noticed a considerable difference with the countryside and as we were going higher the land had very little vegetation with the occasional short evergreen bush. 

Our first stop was Tokat another town with a very long history.  This visit was not on our itinerary but several of the travellers asked to be able to purchase fruit.  While we were refuelling our guide asked for advice which led us to the old caravanserai (1631) now given over to a coffee shop in the centre and the outer enclosed square to shops selling lots of interesting wares.  Ergun, our guide loved the place and we had a great time shopping as well as enjoying a sebek – a hot thick milk drink with cinnamon sprinkled on the top.

Photo:  The caravanerai at Tokat.  Shops surrounded this enclosed area.

It was then onwards for another hour to Sivas which was the centre of the 12^th century Seljuk Empire however like many towns we have come across they have all had a long history of invasion.  We dropped off our cases at the hotel and after an hour’s rest headed out walking around Sivas taking in the interesting sites. 

Photos:  The wall of the healing centre with the spectacular blue minarets;  the tree of life on the law faculty;  the minaret (leaning) at Umi Camii.

The weather had really cooled down and there was a fair breeze blowing so we really felt cold for the first time and had dressed accordingly.

We called into four ancient buildings:  Ulu Camii which has a spectacular brick minaret and has a lean not unlike the Leaning Tower of Pisa (a mosque restored to its former splendour and noted for its 35 arched columns in the interior); the science faculty built in 1300 AD; the Sifalye Medresesi or the healing centre (1217 -1218 AD) and the faculty of law (1271) noted for its blue minarets and the tree of life carved on the front of entrance.

The science faculty has been converted to a café with the side areas lined with padded seats.  As it was very windy and cold our guide took us here to relax, have a break and order some cay (tea), Turkish coffees and apple teas. A street vendor sold us some sesame bread for 50 Turkish lira (30 cents) which was enjoyable with our drinks.

Photo:  A great respite from the wind and cold at the old science faculty.

We had some free time before dinner so Desley and I headed out to the shops for a look around.  There were many jewellery shops and after looking at least twenty it all became overwhelming!

We had a bit of fun and Desley bought Cameron a traditional Turkish beanie.  Everyone loved it so the group are heading back in the morning to have a buy up…the poor fellow had better be ready for an Australian invasion!

Dinner was pre-booked and Ergun recommended the Iskander kebab which is well known from this area.  Bread is fried and thinly sliced meat is placed on the top followed by a tomato sauce.  Yoghurt is served on the side and we all found the dish to be absolutely delicious.  Another dessert sampling time came at the end of the meal.  It was the same dessert as last night however this one was served with cheese inside instead of walnuts…it hit the right spot as it wasn’t too sweet.

Photo:  The Iskander kebab...yum!

We had a cold walk back to the hotel and we discussed if it was going to be colder on the trip however the general consensus was that as Sivas was so high (1275 metres) in the Anatolian mountains it would be naturally colder.  Apparently it dips to 25 degrees below in winter…..hmmm, when I heard that I knew I shouldn’t be whinging about the cold!

All in all, it was a very interesting day!