80 · City guide
Osmaniye
Land of castles and Karatepe
Osmaniye is a province at the eastern edge of the Çukurova plain, backed by the Amanos Mountains, which throughout history controlled the passes between Anatolia and Syria. The bilingual inscriptions at Karatepe-Aslantaş made it possible to decipher Hittite hieroglyphs, while Kastabala left impressive remains from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. With castles such as Toprakkale, Savranda, Hemite and Haruniye, the province is called the "city of castles". Zorkun Plateau (yayla) and Düldül Mountain offer cool summer getaways. Affected by the 2023 earthquakes, Karatepe and Kastabala reopened to visitors in June 2023 after repairs.
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Places
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Reservoir and pond
Aslantaş Dam Lake
Düziçi, Osmaniye
A 49 km² reservoir on the Ceyhan River surrounding the Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park.
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History and archaeology
Bahçe Pass (Amanian Gates)
Bahçe, Osmaniye
A mountain pass linking Cilicia and Syria, called the 'Amanian Gates' in antiquity.
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Castle
Bahçe Castle
Bahçe, Osmaniye
A small medieval castle in the Bahçe district center, on the Amanos pass road.
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Bodrumkale (Kastabala Castle)
Merkez, Osmaniye
A medieval castle on a rocky hill dominating the ancient city of Kastabala.
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Castle
Çardak Castle
Merkez, Osmaniye
The remains of a medieval castle east of Osmaniye, overlooking the plain.
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Çiftmazı Nature Park
Merkez, Osmaniye
A nature park declared in 2011, attached to central Osmaniye, with a day-use area and a visitor center.
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Mound (höyük)
Domuztepe Archaeological Site
Düziçi, Osmaniye
A Late Hittite settlement on the east bank of the Ceyhan River, opposite Karatepe; the site where the famous storm god statue was found.
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Düldül Dağı (Mount Düldül)
Düziçi, Osmaniye
The highest summit of the Amanos (Nur) Mountains; a rocky peak rising northeast of Düziçi.
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Archaeological site
Düziçi Floor Mosaic and Archaeological Site (İrenopolis)
Düziçi, Osmaniye
An archaeological site associated with the ancient city of İrenopolis, where a floor mosaic has been uncovered.
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Hammam (Turkish bath)
Düziçi Historic Hamam
Düziçi, Osmaniye
A historic hamam in the Düziçi district center, remaining from the old settlement of Haruniye.
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Castle
Haruniye (Harun al-Rashid) Castle
Düziçi, Osmaniye
A border castle built in the 8th century in the time of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid.
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Castle
Hasanbeyli Castle
Hasanbeyli, Osmaniye
A watch castle rising on the Hasanbeyli mound.
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Hemite (Amouda) Castle
Merkez, Osmaniye
A medieval castle on a hill dominating the Ceyhan River, also used by the Teutonic Knights.
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Hemite Rock Monument
Merkez, Osmaniye
A Hittite relief and inscription carved into the rock on the bank of the Ceyhan River.
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Hierapolis-Kastabala Ancient City
Merkez, Osmaniye
One of the impressive ancient cities of Çukurova, with its colonnaded street, theater, temple and Bodrumkale on the rocky hill.
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Kadirli Alacami
Kadirli, Osmaniye
A historic building converted from a church into a mosque, bearing traces of the Roman, Byzantine and Turkish periods.
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Museum
Kadirli City Museum
Kadirli, Osmaniye
A district museum introducing the history of Kadirli, the Karatepe area and local culture.
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Reservoir and pond
Kalecik Dam Lake
Merkez, Osmaniye
The lake of an 80 m high dam on the Kalecik Çayı in the foothills of the Amanos.
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Picnic area
Karaçay Picnic Area and Walking Path
Merkez, Osmaniye
A recreation and walking area along the Karaçay, east of Osmaniye.
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Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum
Kadirli, Osmaniye
One of the world's leading open-air museums, in the fortress of the Late Hittite king Azatiwada, with bilingual inscriptions and gate orthostats with reliefs.
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Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park
Kadirli, Osmaniye
A national park dating from 1958 on the shore of the Aslantaş Dam Lake, protecting archaeological sites within pine forests.
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Kırmıtlı Bird Paradise
Merkez, Osmaniye
A wetland on the bank of the Ceyhan River near Kastabala, where hundreds of bird species can be seen.
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Reservoir and pond
Mehmetli Dam Lake
Sumbas, Osmaniye
A reservoir in the foothills of the Taurus north of Sumbas and the rural landscape around it.
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Castle
Mitisin Castle
Merkez, Osmaniye
A tower-castle in the Nur Mountains on the Zorkun road, watching over the plain.
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Campsite
Olukbaşı Camping Area
Merkez, Osmaniye
A highland camping area within the Amanos forests on the road to the Zorkun Highland.
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Museum
Osmaniye City Museum
Merkez, Osmaniye
A city museum on Karaoğlan Caddesi telling the story of the city's history and daily life.
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Savranda Castle
Merkez, Osmaniye
One of the strongest mountain castles of Cilicia with its 12 bastions, guarding the Amanos pass.
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Toprakkale Castle
Toprakkale, Osmaniye
A medieval castle built of black basalt stones, watching over the roads linking Çukurova to the Amanos passes.
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Zorkun Highland (Yayla)
Merkez, Osmaniye
A cool highland among pine forests in the Amanos Mountains, considered one of the oldest highlands of Çukurova.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Museums
- Karatepe-Aslantaş and Kastabala can be visited with the Müzekart (Museum Pass); winter and summer hours differ.
- Best time
- Spring and autumn; June–September for the yaylas.
- Getting there
- On the Adana–Gaziantep motorway and railway; the nearest airports are Adana (Çukurova) and Hatay.
- Earthquake note
- Karatepe and Kastabala reopened in June 2023; there may be access restrictions around Bodrumkale.