Taşova, Turkey

History

The first of many cultures and civilisations to settle on the plain were the Hittites who by 1650 BC were spread throughout Anatolia. Then came the Phrygians (1200 - 700 BC), Cimmerians, Medes and Persians.

The Ancient Macedonians of Alexander the Great came to Anatolia in 331 BC and upon their dispersal rule of the Amasya region including Taşova passed to the Kings of Pontus (in 291 BC), who remained in control until the arrival of the Romans. The plain was part of the Roman Empire until 395 AD and for centuries more belonged to Byzantium. The Arab armies of early Islam came through in 712.

Following the victory of the Seljuk Turks over Byzantium at Malazgirt in 1071, Turkish peoples spread into Anatolia taking the Byzantine cities one by one. The plain of Taşova was conquered by Danishmend lords in 1075, who were based in nearby Amasya. The area was taken over by the Seljuk lord Kılıçarslan II in 1174, and following much more invasion and warfare was finally brought within the Ottoman Empire in 1425.

Under the Ottomans the plain Taşova remained a rural village with a Turkish population. The village was attacked by Greek bandits at the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence but these were pushed out of the area by the newly formed Turkish army.

From the History section of Taşova on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.