Favourite son: Yaşar Kemal (novelist)
Midway between Osmaniye and Kadirli the village of Gökcedam (Hamite) was the birthplace of Turkey’s prize-winning novelist, Yaşar Kemal (author of Mehmed my Hawk), in whose memory a rather dejected waterside park has been laid. The visitor centre was locked when I visited.
It’s a short walk from the main road to the village which is a short distance away from the banks of the Hamite river. It is dominated by the ruins of Hamite (Amuda) Kalesi, a castle atop a steep rock. Although little is known about its history, there may have been fortifications on the hill since Hittite times, and there are said to be Roman remains inside the castle – which once had 20 towers – although I didn’t climb up to check.
At the back of the rock facing the local cemetery a huge gash appears to be the entrance to a tunnel running down from to the castle.
Transport info
Minibuses from Osmaniye to Kadirli will drop you at the bridge over the Hamite river where you can inspect a huge colony of nesting white egrets before walking to the castle via the Yaşar Kemal Park. If the gates are locked you’ll have to climb over the wall to get out and continue along the road.
