Best base for visiting Nemrut Dağı Population: 63,000
Old name: Kolik
***Kahta was damaged by the twin earthquakes of 2023. I have not been back since.***
The largely Kurdish settlement of Kahta may be the most obvious base for an excursion up Nemrut Dağı (Mt Nemrut) but unfortunately it’s a dusty town of very little interest. One of the few refuges from the oppressive main drag is the small park at the eastern end of town where men play backgammon beside a water feature with concrete rocks and a mock-up of the Roman Çendere Bridge.
On the outskirts, the huge Kahta Kalesi reopened to visitors after years’-long restoration in 2022. It probably dates back to the time of the Commagenians and Romans but was largely rebuilt by the Mamluks in the mid-13th century. I have heard nothing about its fate in the earthquakes.
Eating
There are several reasonable lokantas on Kahta high street but for a more atmospheric meal it’s best to take a Baraj dolmuş east to the Atatürk Lake (Atatürk Gölü, 5km).
Neşet’in Yeri
On the shores of the Atatürk Lake Neşet’in Yeri (Neşeti’s Place) makes the perfect spot to tuck into freshly grilled alabalık (trout) while watching the sun go down behind the lake. On Sundays local families gather here to grill their own fish and boil up limitless quantities of çay.
Sleeping
If you don’t want to sleep in Kahta there are a handful of business-class hotels in nearby Adiyaman (some of them damaged in the earthquakes) and a pension and a couple of hotels at and above Karadut on Nemrut Dağı itself.
Zeus Hotel Tel: 0416-725 5694
Nemrutur Hotel Tel: 0416-725 6881
Kommagene Hotel Tel: 0416-725 9726
Transport info
Kahta hoteliers can arrange transport to Nemrut Dağı and the associated sites.
Dolmuşes from the local bus terminal in the centre of Kahta run as far as the village of Karadut on the mountainside where there is a simple but atmospheric pension.
They also run to Gerger and to the landing stage for ferries to Siverek on the far side of Lake Atatürk.
Day trip destinations
Read more: http://www.turkeyfromtheinside.com/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=7&Itemid=218
