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Kahta is a scruffy
oilfield town set on the shore of
a vast artificial lake.
Outside the town center, oil pumps
nod and lift, bringing badly-needed
local petroleum to the surface to feed
Turkey's growing need for fuel.
The only reason to come here is to
use it as a base for visits to Nemrut
Dagi.
Kahta (kee-YAHH-tah, pop. 75,000)
is no beauty-spot, but it does have
tour operators running minibuses
to the summit of Nemrut
Dagi, stopping along the way at Karakus to
see the tumulus burial-place of the
royal ladies of the Roman-era
Kingdom of Commagene; at Eski Kahta (Kahta
Kalesi, Kocahisar) to see a Mameluke
fortress; and Arsameia,
the Roman-period city of King Antiochus.
From the parking lot, you must walk
to the temples.
Kahta's hotels are far from
fancy, but will do for a night—or
actually two, since you may roll into
town, stay the night, ascend Nemrut
Dagi the next day, stay another night
in Kahta, then head out of town.
Distances & Travel Times
Adana: 532
km (331 miles) SW, 7.5 hours
Adiyaman: 32
km (20 miles) W, 30 minutes
Ankara: 807
km (501 miles) W, 12 hours
Diyarbakir: 232
km (144 miles) SE, 3.5 hours
Erzurum: 646
km (401 miles) E, 9.5 hours
Gaziantep: 181
km (113 miles) S, 2.5 hours
Istanbul: 1252
km (778 miles) NW, 18 hours
Kahramanmaras: 200
km (124 miles) SW, 3 hours
Kayseri: 487
km (303 miles) W, 7 hours
Malatya: 225
km (140 miles) N, 3.5 hours
Nemrut
Dagi (Summit, South): 52
km (32 miles) N, 1.5 hours
Sanliurfa: 106
km (66 miles) S, 1.5 hours
Sivas: 446
km (277 miles) NW, 7 hours
Tatvan
(Lake Van): 385 km (239
miles) E, 6 hours
Eastern
Turkey
Where
to Go
Turkey
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