It turns out that the letter K is very popular with the godfathers of settlements all over the world. Even in my modest travels, I’ve discovered the places with this letter appear to be twice as many as any of the others. That’s why I plan to “serve” them to you in small portions. I’ll start with my favorite destinations with K in Turkey. I intentionally didn’t include Kusadasi, it’s not a particular favorite of mine.
1. Kars
The center of the north-easternmost region of Bulgaria’s neighbour, it is famous for the production of wonderful cheeses from cow’s milk, especially Gruyere, and honey from herbs growing at an altitude of 2000 m. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was part of Russia, as evidenced by the preserved wonderful examples of Russian architecture. The biggest landmark of the region is the medieval capital of Ani, a UNESCO site, as well as numerous Armenian and Georgian churches, crystal lakes and a very special biodiversity. I have dedicated several articles to it in the blog.
2. Kozan
A small-ish city compared to neighboring two-million Adana, Gaziantep and so on, Kozan is famous for its fortress. The fortress itself is famous for being almost the only one south of the Taurus Mountains and beyond the ancient Fertile Crescent, flat as a baking sheet. It is also beautiful and pleasant to visit, and offers wonderful views of the surrounding plains. The important thing is not to visit it in hot weather and to be equipped with sun protection, long sleeves and leggings. And to look at your feet while walking, old stones can be tricky.
3. Karatepe-Aslantas
You can translate the name Karatepe as Black Peak, and Aslantas has something to do with the lion as a royal symbol. This is no coincidence, because the third of our favorite destinations with K in Turkey is the former royal capital of Azativataya. It is located on the banks of the Aslantas Dam on the Ceyhan River and was the center of one of the many kingdoms that arose after the collapse of the Hittite Empire. The remains we see are typically Hittite. The concrete, on the other hand, dates back to the mid-20th century, when the site was declared Turkey’s first National Park-Open-Air Museum.
4. Karahantepe
Very important – this ‘tepe’ or mound has nothing to do with the previous one, except that they are both located in central southern Turkey. Karahantepe is close to the city of Sanliurfa and its more famous and larger brother, Göbeklitepe, which you may have heard of. They are part of a group of prehistoric settlement mounds, famous for their huge stone totems with incredible bas-reliefs of animal and anthropomorphic nature. Even more incredible is that all of these stone forms were carved solely with the help of another stone, which turned out to be more durable.
5. Konya
The fifth of our favorite destinations with K in Turkey, Konya, is one of the multi-million cities of that wonderful country, located right on the southern edge of the Anatolian Plateau. There are great architectural monuments such as old madrasahs, now converted into museums, and nearby is the unique prehistoric site of Çatal Höyük – unfortunately emptied of the most valuable finds, which are housed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. But the most famous landmark is the Mausoleum of Mevlana, who is none other than the famous medieval poet and sage Rumi.
6.Kahta
Kahta is a small town in the Turkish south, which is not known for much, except that the airport of the regional center Adıyaman is probably closer to it. And, from here the road to the incredible mausoleum of Mount Nemrut and other wonders of the ancient kingdom of Commagene starts. Many years ago, Kahta itself was closer to the peak on the slopes of the Taurus Mountains. Today, the Yeni Kale fortress or Old Kahta remains there, and the “new” city has descended comfortably on the banks of the Euphrates River and one of the largest dams in the world, Ataturk. Full of balak, which means very tasty fish.
Gaziantep is considered the culinary capital of Turkey, but for me personally, the best gastronomic experience happened in the last of my favorite destinations with K in Turkey – Kahramanmaras, before it tragically suffered in the great earthquake of February 2023. In Maras, as the locals call it, I spent two unforgettable days tasting great food, diversified by walks through the old architecture and small museums like the one dedicated to dondurma. Dondurma is the slightly sticky Turkish ice cream, which in Maras is traditionally made from goat’s milk. I tried it too, doubt not. See you soon!
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