Amasra, Turkey

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to Lysimachos the king of Thrace. It is said that she planned to lay out hanging gardens here like those of Semiramis in Babylon.

After its destruction, it was rebuilt by the Byzantines, but in the 14th century it fell to Genoese trading companies who extended the citadel. Mehmet II (the Conqueror) acquired Amastris for the Ottomans in 1485. A local Museum displays finds of historical interest.

The town is a popular seaside resort for nearby city dwellers and the preferred home of wealthy families connected with the Zonguldak mining industry. More recently the steelworks has also grown in importance. Little remains of the old town apart from the ruins of a Roman theater and baths. A castle on a narrow strip of land protected the old town and peninsula, which is still linked to an offshore island by a Roman bridge and an ancient tunnel. Within the fortress site near the West Gate stands the Kilise Mescidi, a small church mosque which served as the chapel for the castle commander. Parts of an ancient cemetery extend above the western beaches (Büyük Liman; 500m/550yds) and below what was once the acropolis.

In some fields about 2km/1.25mi inland stands a well-preserved Roman store-house over 100m/110yds long.