Mount Harşena and the Rock-tombs of the Pontic Kin

Amasya was on our way from Ani to Istanbul and, considering it required only a short detour from main E80 road, I decided to go there. It was Saturday afternoon and the town was bustling with tourists. There is no doubt the town is worth its popularity – it was undisputedly one of the most beautiful places in Turkey we visited. The town, like many Turkish settlements, is located on the slope of Mount Harşena, along the river of Yeşilırmak and its city center is well preserved. The buildings just on the river bank are really picturesque. To fully admire the beauty of the town one has to climb up the mount Harşena. As a WHS fan I had to do it anyway because the mountain is on Turkish Tentative List. The uniqueness of Harşena stems from stone tombs carved in its slopes. The tombs were carved by several Pontic kings, who resided in Amasya as a capital of the kingdom from 3rd century BC.

The Pontic Kingdom was established by Persian satrap Mithridates who adopted Persian tradition of rock tombs (of which the most prominent example is Naqsh e-Rostam near Persepolis). The ones carved in Harşena are very big – up to 15 meters high, but in terms of artistic value are far away from their Iranian counterparts. I dare say they look much nicer from a distance than near. There are no reliefs, just carved caves with small entrance (you cannot look into the tombs but I …