Photo: Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Karaman was the capital of the principality of Karamanoğlu Mehmed Bey, who declared Turkish the official language on 13 May 1277, and is the ancient Laranda and the medieval Larende. The Byzantine churches of Binbirkilise on the slopes of Karadağ, the Seljuk- and Karamanid-era castle, the Hatuniye Madrasa and the Aktekke Mosque, where Mevlânâ's mother lies, the granaries carved into the rocks at Taşkale and the Manazan caves, and Divle obruk cheese are the symbols of the province.
Last updated:
11 places worth seeing in Karaman, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A castle on the mound in the city centre, its inner walls dated to the time of Kılıç Arslan II and its outer walls to that of Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I; in the Karamanid period it was the residence of the beys. Today its inner castle still stands.
View on map
Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A madrasa built in 1382 in the name of Nefise Sultan, wife of Karamanoğlu Alaeddin Bey; the muqarnas and geometric decoration of its marble portal is among the masterpieces of stonework from the principalities period.
View on mapA rock settlement near Taşkale, rising up to five storeys on a rocky slope overlooking the Göksu valley, its rooms linked by passages.
View on mapA madrasa at Ermenek, built in the time of Emir Musa of the Karamanids; it is one of the important buildings of Ermenek, the first seat of the principality.
View on map
Photo: Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Remains of many Byzantine-era churches, monasteries and chapels, concentrated in the villages of Madenşehri and Değle on the slopes of the extinct volcano Karadağ, about 30 km north of Karaman; they were documented by Gertrude Bell and W. M. Ramsay at the beginning of the 20th century.
View on map
Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A mosque built by Karamanoğlu Alaeddin Bey I in 1370–1371; in its graveyard lies the tomb of Mümine Hatun, mother of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî.
View on mapA complex of mosque, madrasa and tomb built by Karamanoğlu İbrahim Bey II in 1432–1433; its tiled mihrab and kündekâri (interlocking woodwork) doors reflect the art of the period.
View on mapThe tomb in Karaman, where Yunus Emre is said to be buried, and the mosque beside it; it is one of the graves in Anatolia attributed to Yunus Emre.
View on mapA museum behind the Hatuniye Madrasa displaying finds from the Canhasan mound, works from Binbirkilise and works of the Karamanid period.
View on mapA sinkhole (obruk) in the village of Divle in Ayrancı, 36 metres deep and 250 metres long, used as a natural cold store; the registered Divle cheese matures here.
View on map
Photo: Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source 352 granaries, some of them hundreds of years old, carved into the rocky slope above the village of Taşkale; the granaries, reached by rope and pulleys, are still in use today.
View on mapKaraman lies in the south of Central Anatolia, where the Konya Plain meets the Taurus Mountains; the province stretches from flat plains in the north to the steep Taurus valleys of Ermenek and Sarıveliler in the south. The ancient name of the city is Laranda; in the Middle Ages it was called Larende. It takes its present name from Karaman Bey, founder of the Karamanids (Karamanoğulları), the strongest and longest-lived of the Anatolian principalities, established in the region in the 13th century.
Karamanoğlu Mehmed Bey, the second ruler of the Karamanids, issued an edict in Konya on 13 May 1277 ordering that no language other than Turkish be used in the court, the lodge, the council and the market; for this reason 13 May is celebrated every year in Karaman as Turkish Language Day. The Hatuniye Madrasa (1382), the İbrahim Bey Imaret (1432–1433) and the Aktekke Mosque (Mader-i Mevlânâ), surviving from the principality period, make Karaman one of the important centres of post-Seljuk Anatolian architecture. The Karamanids became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1487.
On the slopes of the extinct volcano Karadağ, rising north of the city, lies Binbirkilise, where many churches and monasteries from the Byzantine period stand; the area became known at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of Gertrude Bell. According to tradition Yunus Emre lived in Karaman and was buried here; Evliya Çelebi also relates this tradition. Karaman became a province in 1989.
Karaman has a continental climate: summers are hot and dry, winters cold and snowy. Averages for 1951–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.7 °C | −3.6 °C | 42 mm | 10 |
| February | 7.4 °C | −2.6 °C | 34 mm | 9 |
| March | 12.6 °C | 0.6 °C | 37 mm | 9 |
| April | 18.3 °C | 5.1 °C | 35 mm | 8 |
| May | 23.3 °C | 9.0 °C | 35 mm | 9 |
| June | 27.8 °C | 12.7 °C | 24 mm | 5 |
| July | 31.1 °C | 15.3 °C | 7 mm | 1 |
| August | 31.1 °C | 14.8 °C | 6 mm | 1 |
| September | 27.2 °C | 10.5 °C | 9 mm | 2 |
| October | 20.8 °C | 5.9 °C | 27 mm | 6 |
| November | 13.8 °C | 1.3 °C | 33 mm | 6 |
| December | 7.8 °C | −1.5 °C | 47 mm | 10 |
The best times are April to June and September to October. 13 May, Turkish Language Day, is the city’s most important event. Summer days are hot and nights cool; as there is little shade at Karadağ and Binbirkilise, choose the morning hours. Because Ermenek and Taşkale are higher, roads there may be closed by snow in winter.
By train: Since 8 January 2022 Karaman has been linked to the high-speed train network, with direct services to Ankara and Istanbul via Konya. The city is also on the Konya–Adana railway.
By air: There is no airport in the province; the nearest is Konya Airport, about 115 km to the north.
By road: Karaman is on the Konya–Karaman–Mersin road, about 115 km from Konya and about 200 km from Mersin. Ermenek is reached by a mountain road across the Taurus.
Day 1 – The city centre: Karaman Castle, the portal of the Hatuniye Madrasa and Karaman Museum; then the Aktekke Mosque and the Yunus Emre Tomb. Karaman mayalısı or tahini pide for lunch.
Day 2 – Binbirkilise: The church ruins in the villages of Madenşehri and Değle on the slopes of Karadağ; a view of the craters on the way back.
Day 3 – Taşkale and Manazan: Taşkale’s granaries carved into the rocks and the carpet-weaving workshops in the village; the storeys of the Manazan caves.
Karaman cuisine combines the produce of Central Anatolia and the Taurus highlands. The best-known product of the province is Karaman Divle obruğu tulum peyniri (Divle sinkhole tulum cheese), matured in the 36-metre-deep sinkhole in the village of Divle in Ayrancı, pressed into lamb and kid skins, and taking on its reddish colour in about five months.
Other delicacies with registered geographical indications are Karaman mayalısı, Karaman tahinli pide, Karaman kırma böreği, Karaman şebit pilavı, Karaman ilisıra dolması, Karaman guymak tatlısı, Karaman hacı lokuru, Ermenek helvası, Ermenek batırması, Başyayla karın kaymağı, Karaman ekşikara üzümü and Kazımkarabekir kabak çekirdeği.
The Taşkale carpet, woven by women in Taşkale, and the local costume of Sarıveliler, unique to the Taurus villages, have registered geographical indications.
Karaman province has 6 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A yeasted pastry with a registered geographical indication.
A tahini pide with a registered geographical indication.
A börek with a registered geographical indication.
A pilaf with a registered geographical indication.
A halva with a registered geographical indication.
The main stops are Binbirkilise, Karaman Castle, the Hatuniye Madrasa, Karaman Museum, the Aktekke Mosque, the İbrahim Bey Imaret, the Yunus Emre Tomb, the Taşkale granaries and the Manazan caves.
Because Karamanoğlu Mehmed Bey declared Turkish the official language by an edict issued on 13 May 1277.
It lies on the slopes of Karadağ, about 30 km north of Karaman, in the villages of Madenşehri and Değle.
It is a tulum cheese with a registered geographical indication, matured for about five months in the sinkhole in the village of Divle in Ayrancı.
Yes. There have been direct services to Ankara via Konya since 8 January 2022 and to Istanbul since March 2022.
April to June and September to October are the best times; the period around Turkish Language Day on 13 May is lively.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 7 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.