Turkey: Amasya

Further east along the Black Sea coast and then inland along small roads over the mountains to Amasya, where we had booked a room at the Grand Pasha Hotel:

 on the river:

Immediately behind the hotel were Pontic tombs:

and above that a castle on the top of the hill:

We went up there later, and had a look round:

and there was also a great view over Amasya:

Most of the shopping and food areas, and the main sights (mosque, museum, medressa) are on the opposite bank:

Including an old han, still in use as a series of workshops and shops:

The main mosque:

A highlight was an old mental health hospital, where music was used to treat patients. It is now a cafe and music venue, with a small museum of musical instruments:

Another day we walked out to an outlying tomb with Byzantine paintings, first passing the original carved dedication of a mosque and a religious school:

There was a big nationalistic ceremony and parade, with an aircraft flyby along the valley: