Kayseri Castle PLACE GUIDE Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0
📍 Kayseri, Kayseri Province, Türkiye

Kayseri Castle: Black Walls below Mount Erciyes

HISTORICAL 1 min read by Siddiq Nangarath Updated

A castle of black basalt in central Kayseri, first mentioned on a coin of Gordian III (238–244 AD) and rebuilt by Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans, with 18 towers.

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WhereKayseri, Türkiye
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Best timeApril to October
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Time needed1 hour
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EntryFree

Dark stone walls and towers rise in the middle of the modern city, and behind them, on clear days, the snowy cone of Mount Erciyes fills the sky.

The castle

Kayseri Castle was built in antiquity and is first mentioned on a coin from the rule of Gordian III, between 238 and 244 AD. It grew through additions by the Romans, Byzantines, Danishmends, Seljuks, Dulkadirids, Karamanids and Ottomans. It has an inner and an outer section, with 18 towers in all.

The walls of Kayseri.
The walls of Kayseri. Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0

Seljuk Kayseri

Kayseri was the second capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum (1178–1243), and the city is full of their monuments, among them the Hunat Hatun Complex, the Grand Mosque, the Sahabiye Medresesi and the twin Çifte Medrese. Mount Erciyes, a dormant volcano of 3,917 metres, rises above the city.

  • Castle walls Black basalt with 18 towers.
  • Hunat Hatun Complex Seljuk mosque and hamam.
  • Grand Mosque Begun by the Danishmends.
💡 TipCombine the castle with the Seljuk monuments nearby on foot.
Kayseri Castle.
Kayseri Castle. Photo: Boubacar Amadou Cisse · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Directions

Near Kayseri Castle

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Siddiq Nangarath
Siddiq Nangarath

Rider and founder of WaTrips. Places checked on the map; text drafted with AI help and edited by hand. How we make our guides