Karaman: Castle, Medrese and Caves

Karaman’s history is represented at clearly distinct sites: the Karaman Kalesi and Hatuniye Medrese are in the city center, while the castle hill also bears traces of much earlier periods. The province also has caves and rooms carved into rock. This means you can plan a trip around both buildings and archaeological themes, as well as the landscape. When choosing a holiday apartment, the first consideration is whether you want to focus on the city’s buildings or destinations in the province.

Karaman Kalesi: three concentric rings

Karaman Kalesi is in the city center of Karaman and probably dates from the late 11th or early 12th century. Its three concentric fortification rings are called the Outer Castle, Middle Castle, and Inner Castle. These terms give the complex a clear structure: rather than viewing it as just one building, you can read the castle as a sequence of three areas nested within one another.

The Inner Castle stands on a hill where traces from the Bronze Age and the Roman and Byzantine periods have been identified. This means the castle brings together a medieval point of reference and older historical traces. Anyone interested in history will find different periods here, distinct from the named structure of the fortification rings.

Hatuniye Medrese and Karaman Museum

Hatuniye Medrese is also in the city center. It was built in 1382 by Nefise Sultan. Nefise Sultan was the daughter of the Ottoman Sultan Murat Hüdavendigar and the wife of Karamanoğlu Alaaddin Bey. The medrese has an open courtyard and a single iwan. Arcades surround the sides of the courtyard, and student cells are located on the east and west sides. The courtyard, arcades, and cells make the building’s spatial layout tangible. In contrast to the castle, a different architectural form comes into focus here.

The archaeological exhibition hall of the Karaman Museum displays the body of a woman brought from the Manazan Caves. This exhibit connects a museum object with the caves in Taşkale. Visitors who prefer to explore historical themes through a single exhibit rather than the layout of a building will find a different way to discover Karaman and its province here.

Rock-cut spaces and caves in Karaman Province

The Manazan Caves are within the town limits of Taşkale in Karaman Province. Five storeys of communal living spaces have been hewn by human hands into a tall limestone cliff. The grain stores are also within Taşkale’s town limits: they consist of more than 250 chambers, likewise carved by human hands into a tall limestone cliff. The two sites offer different points of interest for a cultural trip: multi-storey living spaces at one, and a large number of storage chambers at the other.

İncesu Cave is 9 kilometers south of Taşkale in Karaman Province and is 1,356 meters long. Its geological features include numerous stalactites, stalagmites, and travertine pools. The cave has lighting, an interior walkway, and an asphalt access road. The natural cave formations thus offer a different landscape and cultural theme from the man-made spaces of Taşkale.

Choose a holiday apartment to suit your travel focus

If the castle and medrese are the focus of the cultural part of your trip, search for a holiday apartment in Karaman: both buildings are in the city center. If you would rather focus on rock-cut spaces and caves, Taşkale and İncesu can guide your travel planning. First decide whether you mainly want to discover urban architecture, archaeological themes, or cave landscapes.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Alaçatı, Karaman, Koçaşlı, Ambar, Ermenek, Kazımkarabekir, Akçaşehir Belediyesi, Ayrancı.

For the main travel overview: Turkish Riviera.