I was taking a rest outside the citadel, which was closed, when a garden worker kindly warned me that the major was visiting the citadel, together with a foreign delegation. So the gate would be opened. I just joined the group, took some pictures and had a short chat with the major, after I told a Dutch representative that in my guidebook there was a reference to medieval houses surrounding the citadel: they had obviously disappeared. Yes, the major explained, they had been demolished 20 years ago (the guidebook is very thorough, but indeed stems from the late 80’s). But he promised that the area near the citadel would be landscaped anew, giving it a more pleasant aspect.

Karaman Castle (named ‘Iç Kale’ = Inner Castle) was the citadel of the medieval city. It is built on a slightly elevated hill (maybe a ‘höyük’ = artificial mound, result of long-term human settlement). According to the scarce historical sources, it seems to have been built around the early 12th century (Seljuk era). It has nine towers (four circular and five square ones). Like most fortresses, it has been repaired many times –recent restorations took place in 1961, 1975 and from 2010 on.

During Karamanoğlu rule, a double set of city walls were erected: ‘Orta Kale’ (Middle Castle) had two gates and 40 towers and encircled an area with Iç Kale in its very centre. One of those gates (Pazar Kapısı = Market Gate) survived and has been restored. The second city walls ‘Dış Kale’ (Outer Castle) were grand, stretching about 5 km; Evliya Çelebi (1611-1682), the famous Turkish writer/traveller, described them in 1648 as having “140 towers and 9 city gates”. Alas, almost nothing of these remains.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: ‘Karaman (Tarihi ve Kültürü)’ (Ilhan Temizsoy & M. Vehbi Uysal) – Konya 1981 .