Taşkale takes its name from the castle-like granaries carved into the tuff rock inside the town; the name was given in 1952. Before that the town was called Kızıllar, a pure Turkish name belonging to one of the Turkish tribes. The Kızıllar were nomadic Türkmen Yörük who settled here six or seven centuries ago under the Ottoman settlement policy, and their speech is classed as the fourth branch of Hakas Turkish.
The ruined ancient settlements around the town, Manazan, Miske, Zanzana, Yarmasar and Purçu, have yielded finds that show Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman traces at Taşkale.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Karaman as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 0.7 °C in January to 23.5 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in December (47 mm) and lightest in August (6 mm). Long-term means for 1951-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
