The castle was built by the Byzantines in the tenth century and appears in Islamic sources under the name Berber Kalesi. It ringed old Malazgirt completely, and both in the early Islamic period and under Byzantine rule it saw a great deal of fighting. It is built of hard black stone bound with Horasan mortar, the lime and brick-dust mix used across the region, and it is the main bastion, along with the others set around the circuit, that holds the eye today.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Muş as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -6.8 °C in January to 25.1 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in June and September; rainfall is heaviest in March (109 mm) and lightest in August (6 mm). Long-term means for 1964-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
Visiting hours
- Hours
- 08:00 - 17:00, closed Monday
