Location

Çamlık Mesire Yeri (Çamlık Recreation Area) lies on the western side of Amasya's city centre, inside Atatürk Forest. Published descriptions place it right next to the Vocational School (Meslek Yüksekokulu), which means it is not a distant excursion out of town but a woodland reached from the edge of the built-up area. In a city squeezed between two mountains and leaning against the narrow valley that the Yeşilırmak has cut, a pine grove this close to the centre holds a special place in everyday life.

It is not a historic building, a museum or a monument with an inscription. It is a quieter place within an Amasya better known for its rock tombs, madrasas and princely memories, but it is where townspeople go to breathe. The date of its founding, who carried out the afforestation and when, and the reason the forest bears the name "Atatürk Forest" are not given in the sources available. Because no documents could be found on these points, they are not passed on even as hearsay.

Facilities

In Amasya's tourism literature, Çamlık is listed as a recreation area with picnic areas, a nature-walking (trekking) trail, a viewing terrace and a food and drink unit. These four elements recur in different publications in almost the same order. The picnic areas are laid out beneath the trees; the trail serves those who come not only to sit and rest but to walk in the woods. The sources do not state the trail's length, difficulty or waymarking, so no figures are given here.

The food and drink unit makes it possible to spend a whole day in the area. Because the way the facility is run, its opening hours and its prices may change over time, it is wiser to ask Amasya Municipality for the current situation before going.

The Viewing Terrace and How It Differs from Çakallar

When people in Amasya speak of a viewing terrace, Çakallar usually comes to mind. Çakallar Hill lies south of the city, behind Mount Ferhat, about three kilometres from the centre and some 250 metres above the town; hotels, motels and guesthouses stand among its pines. According to local accounts, it served in the Ottoman period as a hunting ground for princes and sultans, and some princes and Amasya pashas had summer lodges there. It is said that the eastern part of the Çakallar locality came to Süleyman the Magnificent by inheritance, and that when his son Prince Mustafa was appointed governor of Amasya he had a summer residence built there and lived in it for a time. The city's drinking water is also said to have been supplied from this locality for many years.

Çamlık's viewing terrace, by contrast, is on the western bank and is not tied to that past. The two places should not be confused: one offers a view from height at the south of the city, the other is a recreation area set within a forest on the west side. The sources do not list which buildings and rock faces can be picked out from the Çamlık terrace. Given the general layout of the city, this much can be said: Amasya spreads along both banks of the Yeşilırmak, which runs between Mount Harşena and Mount Ferhat, and the view shows one side of that valley arrangement. To claim more for the terrace would be to describe a view that has not been seen.

Climate and Vegetation

The central district in which Çamlık lies is a transitional zone between the Black Sea climate and the continental interior. Summers are not as rainy as on the Black Sea coast nor as dry as in the interior; winters are not as mild as on the coast nor as harsh as inland. Spring is the wettest season, and July and August are the driest months. According to measurements made at the city centre since 1937, average annual precipitation is 436.7 millimetres and the average annual temperature is 13.6 degrees; on average there are about fifty frost days a year. The highest temperature recorded so far was 45 degrees on 30 July 2000, and the lowest was minus 20.4 degrees on 23 February 1985. The prevailing wind is generally the poyraz, blowing from the northeast, but because of the topography of the city centre the most influential direction is the northwest.

The forests of the central district lie largely in the Akdağ region. At higher elevations Scots pine, black pine and beech occur; at lower elevations, Turkish pine, juniper, oak, hornbeam and aspen are found. Small trees such as wild pear and plum, and shrub forms such as creeping juniper, are also part of this cover. There is no clear record of which pine species grow at Çamlık. Considering that the city centre lies at an altitude of about 412 metres, it is a cautious inference that Turkish pine grows in the lower parts of the region, but that species name is not a verified fact for Çamlık.

Among Amasya's Other Recreation Areas

Çamlık is not the province's only recreation area. The same official list includes places such as Omarca in Gümüşhacıköy, Şarlayık in Merzifon, Sarılık, Yassıçal Pond and Ziyaret (Gölbaşı). Omarca is a wooded area within the boundaries of Gümüşhacıköy, known as Omarca Çamlığı, and is used for recreation by people of the surrounding area. Ziyaret is a settlement reached by turning left at the third kilometre of the Amasya-Taşova road; at its entrance are a pool and green areas, with an open-air and an indoor restaurant. Yassıçal Pond offers a green space on the water's edge within the city centre. Areas such as Kuştepe in Hamamözü and Sultangazi in Göynücek serve mainly the people of their own districts.

In this list Çamlık stands apart as a recreation area inside the city centre, offering tree shade and a walking trail rather than a waterside. Its closeness to the city means a visit does not depend on a weekend or holiday plan. Its position next to the Vocational School suggests that the area is also close to student life, but there is no written source for this use, so it is an inference.

Sources

Official sources

  • Amasya Municipality, "Amasya'nın Coğrafi Yapısı" page. amasya.bel.tr

Other sources

  • Amasya tourism guide, "Turizm Mesire Yerleri" section (amasya.web.tr).
  • Amasya Coğrafya and Doğal Güzellikler pages (karadenizinfo.com): climate, vegetation, Çakallar viewing terrace. karadenizinfo.com
  • Doğaya Gel, "Amasya'da Gezilecek Yerler", entries on Çamlık Picnic Area and Omarca. dogayagel.com
  • Rehber Bilgi and Sabah Galeri, compilations of picnic and recreation areas in Amasya. rehberbilgi.com
  • Turkey Outdoor, "Amasya Çakallar Tepesi Tanıtımı". turkeyoutdoor.org

Online sources