Amasya Maid of the Mountains

Amasya Maid of the Mountains presents the cultural heritage of an Anatolian city whose history reaches back to the later phase of the Late Neolithic Age at Doğantepe Höyük. Şevket Dönmez traces the unusual continuity of the city’s name through forms such as Amasea and Amaseia. He also locates Amasya along the Yeşilırmak, known as Kummesmaha in Hittite texts and Iris in the classical era, beneath Mount Harsena and its castle.

The volume connects archaeological and architectural history with living popular traditions. The Anatolian story of Ferhat and Şirin is situated in Amasya, where two graves on Mount Ferhat are associated with the lovers. Dönmez also considers the city as an ancient settlement and discusses Pontic Cappadocia through Oluz Höyük. These layers show how legend, topography, and material evidence continue to shape one another.

Other contributors broaden the portrait. E. Emine Naza Dönmez examines Harsena Castle, Kızlar Sarayı, and architecture of the Turkish period; Muzaffer Doğanbaş discusses regional woodcraft, belief systems, and sacred buildings; İ. Hakkı Göztaş follows the city’s historical development and secular architecture. Together, the essays map Amasya through archaeology, memory, craft, faith, and the built environment.