Central Anatolia Tour (Day I)

We stayed overnight in Sivas, our most Eastern Turkish town. I felt as if I had come to a part of Turkey where tourists are not so commonplace and it felt exciting to feel the east closing in on me. While staying at the hotel in Sivas, a few in our group were invited to attend a night before the wedding party for the bride and all her family and friends. It was so nice to be welcomed to see the happy occasion. I saw the "bride to be" dance in her red dress with her future husband and then when he kissed her goodbye and left, the real party began. The women at the event danced and ate cookies and cake and had a wonderful time. Later in the evening my friend Sue went down and had her hand painted with henna, along with the bride, a tradition in Turkey.

Sivas is located on the eastern end of the Central Anatolia Region and at its highest point. Its history goes back to 1500 BCE when it was established as a Hitite town, and then in turn was ruled by Assyrians, Medes, and Persians before coming under the rule of kings of Cappadocia and Pontus. eventually it fell to the Romans and finally the Turks. It is located at the junction point of the Persian and Baghdad caravan routes and was once a busy commercial center. It has some of the finest Seljuk Turk buildings ever erected.

We spent the morning exploring Sivas medresses. We started with the Sifaiye Medresse, a medieval medical school dating back to 1217. Inside now is a lovely rose garden and tea tables. Just opposite it is the Cifte Minare Medrese (Seminary of the Twin Towers) finished in 1271. Unfortunately all that is left of this medresse is the portal.



We walked next to the Buruciye Medressi, built in 1271. This medresse was once the mathematics and science school. Currently inside is a lovely tea garden. On our way out we were approached by some adorable young boys selling pretzels. Hospitality for sure!









After the morning tour we headed to Tokat and a visit to the Gok Medrese. Gok means blue in Turkish and the building's blue tiles is where the medrese received its name. It was built in 1277 and was used as a hospital until 1811. Now it's a museum that contains Stone and Bronze Age artifacts from excavations at Masat Hoyuk, relics fromTokat's churches, (including a wax effigy of St. Christina martyred during the reign of Diocletian), tools and weapons, Korans and Islamic calligraphy and an excellent costume display. On the way to lunch, we walked by the Tas Han, an Ottoman caravanserai and by the Hatuniye Mosque and Medresse dating from 1485. And finally right across the street from where we ate lunch we saw (but unfortunately had no time to enjoy) the wonderful Ali Pasa Hamam. This bath house was built in 1572 for Ali Pasa, one of the sons of Sulleyman the Magnificent. I also bought a pretzel from some more "pretzel boys."

Next it was on the bus again to Amasya, a beautiful city between the Black Sea and inner Turkey. It is described as one of the prettiest towns in all of Turkey. Amasya was once an Hitite town and later conquered by Alexander the great. It was later controlled by Persian provincial governers and became the capital of a great Pontic Kingdom. The golden age of the Kingdom of Pontus lasted until 47 BCE when the Romans conquered this area. On the way to Amasya our bus passed through the same pass that Ceaser's troops passed in Central Anatolia. Nearby this area, Julius Ceaser was recorded as saying, "Veni, vedi, vici...I came, I saw, I conquered," made in reference to his victory over the Kingdom of Pontus.


Once in Amasya we walked along the Yesilirmak River and had a "off the itineray" pleasure. A small group of us popped into the Mihri Katun women' s tea house for a cup of cay and women's talk. (Mary Khatun was Amasya's first female poet in the 1400s). It was so delightful for the small group of us American and Turkish women to laugh together few a while and share our stories in this tea house. When we left, we hugged goodbye and really felt like we had connected with each other. It was well worth the reprimand from our illustrious leader once when we returned!


That night we stayed in the Apple Palace hotel over looking the Tombs of the Pontic Kings, which were cut deep into the rock face on the bank of the river. At dinner that night up near our hotel we had a beautiful view of the Pontic Tombs illuminated in the evening darkness.