Mount Erciyes dominates Kayseri in a way that the city seems to accept without comment. The extinct volcano rises to about 3,900 metres above the plain, snow-capped for much of the year, and its cone is visible from almost every street. Kayseri sits at its foot, a big, practical, trading city of nearly 600,000 with a black basalt citadel in the middle that was rebuilt by the Seljuks in the thirteenth century. The Seljuks left their mark here in the form of tomb towers, mosques and a medical school, the Gevher Nesibe complex, from 1206, which was one of the first of its kind.
Kayseri was called Caesarea in Roman times, and the surrounding area has even older roots. A few kilometres to the north-east, the mound of Kültepe held an Assyrian trading colony four thousand years ago, where merchants kept records on clay tablets, some of the oldest business letters in the world. The great architect Sinan, who designed many of the best Ottoman buildings in Istanbul, was born in a village nearby.
Riding out of the city, the landscape opens into the high steppe of central Anatolia: wide, almost treeless, with fields of wheat and sugar beet and volcanic hills. Roads are generally good, often very straight, with wind as the main hazard. Heading west and south you approach the Cappadocia region, where volcanic ash has been carved by erosion into pinnacles and valleys. The loop through the region takes in some excellent tarmac, but it is exposed, so watch the weather, especially in winter when snow can arrive early and linger.
Kayseri is also a city that likes its food. Mantı, tiny dumplings served with yoghurt and spice, is the local dish, and pastırma, a spiced air-dried beef, hangs in shop windows throughout the old town. Sucuk, the garlicky sausage, is another speciality. You will find fuel, workshops and hotels easily, and the bazaar near the citadel is a good place for a tea and a walk. May to October is the best season, and mornings are crisp even in summer.