Osmaniye

Understand

Osmaniye is in the southeast corner of the Cilician Plains, at the foot of the Nur Mountains. In the 12th century BC, after the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the area came under the rule of several polities collectively named "Neo-Hittites". In the Middle Ages, it was the seat of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, allies of the Crusaders, who established numerous castles. Turkish nomads arrived in the 11th century, and because the summers here are so hot and mosquito-ridden they moved seasonally between the mountains and plains. A market town grew hereabouts, named Kınık after one of the nomadic tribes. In the 1860s the American Civil War disrupted the global supply of cotton. The Cilician Plains were ideal for growing cotton but lacked a workforce, so willy-nilly the nomads were forced into a settled agricultural lifestyle. As a bonus, this also curbed their incessant rebellions. Kınık grew and was renamed Osmaniye, lest it slip anyone's mind which dynasty ruled Turkey. Since 1996 the city has been capital of a large province. Irrigation projects further east in Turkey drew cotton production away, so it's no longer as important for this region, which has switched to other crops such as peanuts and olives.

Getting there

By plane The most convenient airport is Çukurova (COV IATA) 130 km west, with frequent flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), and daily from Ankara, Izmir, other Turkish cities and Ercan in Northern Cyprus. In 2024 COV replaced Adana airport, which has closed. Others are Kahramanmaraş (KCM IATA) 112 km northeast, Gaziantep (GZT IATA) 160 km east, and Hatay (HTY IATA) 116 km south.

By train All trains are suspended because of major engineering works in southeast Turkey. A partial re-opening is expected in 2026 when the line to Adana, Tarsus and Mersin is rebuilt, with a spur to Çukurova airport. The larger project is a high-speed railway between Adana and Gaziantep: don't hold your breath. Osmaniye railway station (1 km north of city centre) is therefore a very quiet place.

By bus

Five buses a day are direct from Istanbul, taking 13-15 hours via Gebze, Izmit, Adapazari and Adana, or via Ankara. They continue to Gaziantep, another 90 min. From Ankara is 8 eight hours, with six per day. Bus lines are Metro Turizm and Flix Bus. From places within 100 km or so such as Adana, İskenderun and Gaziantep, look for a dolmuş or shared taxi. 1 Otogar is the inter-city bus station, 4 km north of downtown by the O-52 junction. Just because it's new, don't expect any facilities to be clean or functional. You need a dolmuş to get downtown: this may be included in your fare, enquire when booking.

By road From Ankara take O-21 toll motorway south then O-52 / E90 east. This bypasses Osmaniye to the north, exit onto D400. Highway D400 hugs the Mediterranean coast to Adana then strikes inland to Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and the borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran. It nowadays bypasses Osmaniye to the south while its old route traverses the city as Musa Şahin Blv.

Getting around

The city centre is flat and compact, so is very walkable. There is a fleet of city minibuses, but you are unlikely to use them. For the outlying sites, you need a car. The downtown area is on a strange one-way grid, with several streets in parallel with each other running southwards, but none in the other direction. Devise a workaround plan before setting out. Parking space is also hard to come by in this area.

See

1 City Museum (Kent Müzesi), Dr Ahmet Alkan Cd 6, ☏ +90 328 440 00 80. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Displays of city life in a faux-Seljuk building. Free. (updated Apr 2025) Central Park just north of the museum is a misnomer, it's more like a leafy plaza straddling Musa Şahin Blv. Zafer Mosque is 50 m east of the museum at Palalı Süleyman Cd 9. It's modern but attractive within, and serves as the city's main mosque until Enverül Hamit Mosque is repaired. 2 Enverül Hamit Mosque, Büyük Cami Sk 3. Closed. The central mosque was built in 1890. It was badly damaged in the 2023 earthquake and its reconstruction continues. (updated Apr 2025) The clock tower was 50 m south of Enverül Hamit Mosque. It collapsed in the earthquake and it's not known if it will be rebuilt.

Further out 3 Çardak Castle is a crumbling overgrown bastion in the hills east of town, reached by an unmarked 6 km trail from Çardak village. 4 Toprakkale Castle sits on a basalt outcrop 14 km west of Osmaniye, access via N817. It was built in the 8th century by the Abbasids, then held by the Byzantines, Cilician Armenians and Mamluks, falling to the Ottomans in 1490. Toprakkale is also the name of the town 3 km north, which you've no reason to visit. 5 Zorkun is a scattered settlement in the forested hills 25 km south of Osmaniye, where many city-dwellers have holiday cottages. 6 Castabala (Hieropolis), Kırmıtlı (16 km north). Daily 08:00-16:00. Ruins of a city founded by the Hittites, and later held by the Persians, Alexander the Great, and Romans. Most remains are Roman, such as the bathhouse, stretch of paved road, colonnaded street and amphitheatre. Bodrumkale is a Cilician Armenian castle perched atop a nearby hill. Much of the area is still under excavation or otherwise closed. Free. (updated Apr 2025)

7 Gökçedam is a village 24 northwest of Osmaniye on the Ceyhan River. There's the obligatory crumbling hilltop castle, built by the Cilician Armenians and held for a while by the Teutonic Knights; south edge of the castle outcrop is a faint relief of a Hittite warrior. Gökçedam was the home of Kurdish writer and activist Yaşar Kemal (1923-2015), who fictionalised it as "Hemite". He's best known for Memed, My Hawk (İnce Memed), its sequel They Burn the Thistles, and Teneke. 8 Karatepe-Aslantaş Open Air Museum (34 km north), ☏ +90 328 719 2417. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. This is the core of a national park, a peninsula in a reservoir lake with extensive Neo-Hittite remains, circa 8th century BC. Karatepe refers to the dark pine-clad hills, and Aslantaş to the lion motifs on the ancient stonework. The main

Do

Hamams are traditional Turkish baths. Yeni Hamam is at Kadir Çavuş Sk 4, west across the street from Grand Mosque, open daily 07:00-23:00. Football: Osmaniyespor play soccer in TFF 3. Lig, the fourth tier. They play at 7 Ocak (7 January) Stadyumu 500 m west of city centre. Masal Park is a fairground and theme park west end of Musa Şahin Blv near the junction with D400. It's open Tu-Su 13:00-21:00.

Buy

Osmaniye Park AVM is the most central shopping mall, opposite the museum and open M-Sa 08:30-20:30, Su 09:00-20:00. Several ATMs on the nearby streets.

Eat

Kömbe is the local cookie with a touch of clove and cinnamon, dipped in grape molasses prior to cooking. Local simit, Turkish bagel, also features molasses, but it tastes bland and neither sweet nor salty. Small eateries are everywhere downtown and along 5008th Sk by the mosque.

Drink & nightlife

Cafes may serve alcohol, but this is a conservative town.

Sleep

In 2025 those hotels surviving the earthquake are mostly providing temporary accommodation to workers and their families. 1 Osmaniye Hanedan Otel (Dynasty Hotel), Palalı Süleyman Cd 87, ☏ +90 328 814 1818. Central but basic, smells of tobacco. (updated Apr 2025) 2 Golden Çulcu Otel, Musa Şahin Blv, ☏ +90 328 404 0063. Clean and friendly but nothing works. (updated Apr 2025) Büyük Osmaniye Oteli is a big boxy place 8 km west of town off D400.

Go next

Adana the regional capital is west. İskenderun is a large port to the south, and the gateway to the rest of Hatay. Gaziantep is a major city to the east, with an extensive old town and mosaic museum.