Imagine this: in the course of my short European trips, I came to Amasya in the Turkish Black Sea region because I had heard of an ancient love story. A legend, of course, but being a romantic at heart, I couldn’t resist. And then, I discovered that a small town, wedged into a mountain canyon and divided by a river has a museum the exhibits of which would easily turn the curators of world famous museums green with envy. It should not really have come as a surprise, because more  than 7 different civilisations have left their traces in Amasya and the best of it is displayed in a museum which is very much to my taste, because it is small, empty and you can get really close to the fabulous things displayed with ample explanations next to them.

Amasya’s Archaeology museum opened in its present form in 1980. The building itself is unremarkable, just a grey and red concrete block and you must watch out or you might walk past. But go inside, pay the modest admission of 3 TYL (just over 1GBP), enter through the glass doors and you simply go “Ohhh”.

The museum has only two floors and the ground floor is dedicated to antiquity. Lit by soft, yellow spotlights, the first thing you nearly fall over is a collection of huge amphoras, unbroken and piled in a corner.

And it’s just this somewhat casual way of displaying things which make the museum so attractive and easy to navigate. There is only one main aisle and glass showcases are set into the walls.

There is the treasure of Saraycik (307-337 AD) consisting  of gold coins which pour out of a bronze jug.

Roman jewellery of the finest craft, coins, seals and other artefacts fill other showcases.

And then there is the highlight, the one which causes the envy of much more renowned museums: the statue of Teshup, a king of the Hittite period spanning the 14^th to the 12^th century BC. The bronze statue which is only about 25cm high is the most elaborate and well preserved in the world. Only the British Museum in London has another one, but as the Turkish brochure says, it’s not as fine. Teshup’s huge eyes and thick eyebrows, prominent nose and determined mouth are incredibly life like and could belong to no one else but a king.

The Byzantine period is also covered with a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The first floor is dedicated to the Ottoman Empire. Famous for the artistry of the wood carvers, you can admire elaborate carvings on door leaves, chests and even a wooden sarcophagus.

Flags, coats of arms, robes and even reconstructed scenes of every day life give a vivid impression of the times.

Go outside into the courtyard and get ready for another surprise: surrounded by remains of columns, Roman and Greek statues and many Islamic headstones stands the tomb of Sultan Mesud I, a sultan of the Seljuks. Enter the tomb through a very low arch and stare at a collection of mummies dating from Ilhane period (14^th century) which preceded the Seljuks. If you, like me, thought that mummies only belonged to Egypt, think again. What really makes a lasting impression is the mummy of a baby prince, lying half on its side the eye sockets filled with blue.

Of course, these mummies are much younger than their Egyptian counterparts and the mummification process was a different one but they certainly give a good impression of what people looked like at the time.

The Amasya Archaeology Museum is one of the best places to visit in Europe for those interested  in ancient history  It’s located in Mustafa Kemal Pasa Caddesi which is Amasya’s main road and open every day from 9am to 6pm, but closes between 12 and 1pm.