27
September, Amasra
Balkaya Pansiyon
70TL
A relaxing day spent strolling the harbour
and town. Roughguides.com: “Amasra brazenly flaunts its charms to new arrivals.
Approached from any direction, the town suddenly appears below you, swarming up
onto a rocky headland sheltering two bays. A narrow stone bridge links the main
town to the island of Boztepe further out, while the headland shelters the
east-facing Büyük Liman (Big Harbour) on one side and the west-facing Küçük
Liman (Little Harbour) on the other. As the beaches at both are at best
average, it’s best to regard Amasra as a base for forays to better beaches
further east. Amasra’s historical pedigree and colourful atmosphere make it
worth at least an overnight stop. During the day it is a quiet place, full of
shady corners to sit and contemplate. By night it’s much livelier, and the old
walls are lit up attractively, but it doesn’t lose its small-town charm. Mentioned
as Sesamus in the Iliad, Amasra was colonized by Miletus in the sixth century
BC. The name derived from Queen Amastris, a lady of the court of Alexander the
Great, who, after the death of her husband, acted as regent for her young son,
only to be repaid with murder at his hands. Avid letter-writer Pliny the
Younger was appointed Rome’s special commissioner to this region in 110 AD.
After the ninth century, following a barbarian attack, the town declined in
importance, though the Byzantines maintained a garrison here. The Genoese took
over when Byzantine strength declined, and held the city until the Ottomans
assumed control in 1460.”
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