Turkey: Amasya – Harsene Castle
Harsene Castle aka Amasya Fortress is an absolutely stunning gem on top of steep rocks of Mount Harsene high above the Yesilirmak River and the town of Amasya – absolutely fairytale location and panorama. The castle is truly ancient – to to the commanding geographic location there was a fortress that existed here in Persian, Roman, Pontic, and Byzantine times. The Ottomans conquered Amasya and built a massive fortress here in 1075 – with eight levels of defensive walls, rising higher and higher along the mountains, each level creating a separate and autonomous level of defense. We almost had the entire fortress for ourselves – end of the day and it’s a long and winding drive to get up here – but it was one of the most panoramic fortified mountaintop I’ve ever seen.
