Popular among Turks, the seaside resort of Anyo, located 95 km east of Samsun, is one of the oldest settlements in Anatolia. There is evidence of people living here as early as the Paleolithic era – a prehistoric era that lasted from about 2.6 million years to 12,000 years ago – and Yunye was an important port at the crossroads of the Great Silk Road and the coastal Road until Ottoman times.
A 14th-century Turkish mystic poet lived here. Yunus Emre and St. Nikolai, before the transformation of his life path into the legend of Santa Claus. Smaller in size and more conservative than Samsun and Ordu, Yunye deserves a short stop for a walk along the promenade by the sea and the maze of winding streets and alleys surrounding the central square Cumhuriyet Meydam, which is located on the other side of the coastal road, some distance from the sea.
Attractions
Yunye Castle
About 7 km from the coastline is the ruined Yunye fortress, founded under the Pontic Kingdom and rebuilt by the Byzantines, in which there is a tomb cut into the rock. Get on a minibus going to Kaleka or Akkush on the D850 road to Niksar and Tokat, ask to drop you off at the road to the fortress. From this point to the top of the hill is another 2 km up the slope.
Tozkoparan Kay Mezary
This rock tomb is already a thousand years old, it is located just off the seaside highway – Black Sea Coastal Hwy, 5 km from the center. The entrance to the tomb is flanked by two stone figures of bulls, it is believed that they were created between 7000 and 5000 BC. Minibuses that go in an easterly direction can take you to the cement factory, near which there is a turn to the tomb.
