Kayseri

My last visit to Kayseri was about 2 years ago.  Kayseri is is a large and industrialized city, about a 4 hour drive southeast from Ankara.  It is located along what was known as the “Great Silk Road” and has been a continuous settlement since 3000 B.C.  Wow, that’s old.  Despite its age, most of Kayseri is very modern with tall apartment buildings and lots of financial institutions.  It is also home to a beautiful 1500-year-old castle, and a handful of other historic sites.

The Kursunlu Mosque was built in the 16th century and is attributed to the noted architect Sinan.

The caravanserai, where merchant traders gathered before forming a caravan, dates from around 1500.  It now hosts book stores and other small shops. 

 Some shots of modern life:  

The Castle was built by the Byzantines and stands at the center square of the city. 

 Who knew there were so many kinds of feta-like cheese?

 Hunat Camii was built in 1238 to serve as a tomb for Mahperi Hunat Hatun, the wife of Alaeddin Keykubad.  It is one of the many structures built under the short-lived rule of the Seljuks. 

 

 

 

 

Kayseri is also known for a delicious dish called “manti.”  It is a small pasta filled with beef and served with yogurt, tomato sauce, and mint.  Unfortuantely, I didn’t get a picture of manti.  But I did catch this:  

 Finally, Kayseri, like all other cities in the world, has its revolutionaries.