Kahta Yenikale Archaeological Sitevisitor guide.

Kahta New Castle is located 60 km from Adıyaman, 20 km north of Kâhta, near Kocahisar village (Old Kahta). Standing directly opposite the old castle on the Arsameia hill, it is situated on the route of Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, and Mount Nemrut. The castle attracts attention with its imposing appearance atop a steep and high mountain summit. While it is not definitively known when and by whom the castle was first built, its initial construction is thought to date back to the Commagene Kingdom period. It reached the present day through subsequent additions made during Roman, Artuqid, Seljuk, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras. Comprising two sections as inner palace and outer palace, the fortress houses a bazaar, mosque, dungeon, cistern, water conduits, pigeon loft remains, and inscriptions. The inscription over the castle gate mentions Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, that in the prayer hall mentions Malik al-Ashraf Salah al-Din Khalil, and that on the palace entrance gate mentions Malik al-Nasir. The pigeon house on the south slope can be reached by secret stairs. These pigeon coops were constructed to breed carrier pigeons providing the state communication network and postal service at that time, containing 32 roosting spots. Secret passages descending further down provided an escape route across the Kahta stream in times of peril. Partially repaired in the 1970s, the castle was restored through works launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2012. DOWNLOAD MUSEUM BROCHURE NEARBY MUSEUMS ARSAMEIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE MOUNT NEMRUT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ADIYAMAN MUSEUM PERRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE