Osman’s Town Population: 252,200
Old name: Kınık
Favourite son: Devlet Bahçeli (politician, leader of the MHP)
***Osmaniye was devastated by the earthquakes of 2023. I have not been back to see the extent of the damage yet.***
West of Gaziantep, Osmaniye lies on a crucial strategic route through the Nur Dağları linking Anatolia and the Middle East which means that it has always punched above its weight politically. On a map it looks like the most obvious kicking-off point for exploring the Hittite ruins at Karatepe-Aslantaş and the Roman site at Herapolis-Castabala. Unfortunately it’s hardly a prepossessing town, its only formal attraction, the Kent Müzesi (City Museum, closed Mondays), housed in a faux Selçuk caravanserai overlooking the central Karaoğlanoğlu Park.
The ground-floor of the museum contains a set of dioramas of old shops and Turkish rituals which are passingly interesting although most of the mannequins have been set up at very odd angles. Upstairs the sections on local history are more interesting but are only labelled in Turkish.
A small Bela Bartok Memorial Museum commemorates the visit of the Hungarian composer to the area in the 1930s when he was researching Turkish folk music. Unfortunately it was damaged during the earthquakes of February, 2023, and is currently closed.
The town’s biggest problem for visitors is the dearth of decent places to stay.
Sleeping
Büyük Osmaniye Otel The town’s best is way out of the centre which is not great if you don’t have a car. Nor would it win any prizes for architectural sensitivity. Tel: 0328-777 0000
Çınar Oteli Clean but very basic hotel near the petrol station on the main drag. Prices don’t include breakfast. Tel: 0328-814 3814
Transport info
The nearest airport is Hatay Airport, near Antakya, roughly 50 miles south of Osmaniye.
Osmaniye’s bus station is on the outskirts of town at the start of the road to Kadirli. To get there you need to catch a blue bus from the town centre – they run roughly every 15 minutes.
There are frequent minibuses to Osmaniye from Adana‘s Yüreğir Otogar. Frequent minibuses also link Osmaniye with Kadirli, İskenderun and Antakya.
Taxi drivers waiting at the Osmaniye bus station and near the central park will quote a price inclusive of waiting time for the trip to Karatepe-Aslantaş and Hierapolis-Castabala.
Minibuses run from Osmaniye to the oil and gas transporting town of Ceyhan where onward connections to Yumurtalık leave from the separate Yumurtalık bus station rather than Ceyhan Otogar.
Day trip destinations
Duziçi
