Amasya: Maid of the mountains. Photographs by Ali Konyali - Tarkan Kutlu.

Original bdg. Dust wrapper. 4to. (29 x 23 cm). In English. 400 p., color and b/w ills. "Amasya has traces in Dogantepe Höyük that go as far back as to the latter period of the Late Neolithic Age and, as Sevket Dönmez notes in his article, "Amasya is one of the rare Anatolian cities to have kept its name (Amasea, Amaseia, Amasseia, Amaseia Hadriane, Amaseia Severiane Antoniane, Amaseia Severeia Alexandreia) almost intact from time immemorial. Amasya is on the Yesilirmak River that in Hittite texts is named 'Kummeshmaha' and in the classical era was called 'Iris'. The Yesilirmak flows from west to east along the long narrow channel it carves in the limestone and travertine rocks. Towering immediately north of the river is Mount Harsena where the city's castle is built." It is a common belief that the love of Ferhat and Sirin found a home in Amasya. In his article Sevket Dönmez remarks that, "the Anatolian version of the epic love story of Princess Sirin and Ferhad - Sirin being the sister of Queen Mahmene Banu, Azerbaijan's ruler of the city of Erzen; Ferhad being the region's famous craftsman- is set in Amasya where it has left a mark on the town's historical topography and archaeology. The two simple graves side by side on Mount Ferhad today have been attributed to Ferhad and Sirin, illustrating how contemporary and popular the story is." Amasya, Maid of the Mountains, is about the cultural heritage of a city that has been the cradle rich in popular culture and belief systems. Sevket Dönmez looks at the city as an antique settlement and portrays Pontic Cappadocia in his article about Oluz Höyük. E. Emine Naza Dönmez emphasizes the importance of Harsena Castle and Kizlar Sarayi for the city and she also focuses on the architecture in the Turkish Period. Muzaffer Doganbas describes the woodcraft in the region, and also the belief systems and sacred buildings. I. Hakki Göztas scrutinizes the historical development of the city and its secular architecture. The photographers Ali Konyali and Tarkan Kutlu held a mirror to the city of Amasya in this monograph prepared by Filiz Özdem.