An inscription on the southern wall dates the castle: it was built in 1152 on the order of the Saltukid sultan Melik İzzeddin, by his vizier Firuz Akay. Attacks and wars damaged it repeatedly through its history, and it has been repaired many times.
The plan is a rectangle running east to west. Inside are a masjid, a tomb, dormitories, barracks, an arsenal and a cistern, and the outer walls carry three great gates.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Kars as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -10.7 °C in January to 17.9 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in July and August; rainfall is heaviest in May (83 mm) and lightest in January (23 mm). Long-term means for 1931-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
Visiting hours
- Hours
- 08:00 - 17:00, closed Monday
