Kangal Castle
Castle ruins on the hill above the district centre, dating from the Seljuk period. Excavations at the foot of the castle have found pottery fragments from various periods.
View on map11 places to visit in the Kangal district of Sivas: Kangal Balıklı Hot Springs, Kangal Dog Farm and Kangal Castle. Plan your trip to Kangal with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Kangal is a district of Sivas province with an area of 3,342 km² and an elevation of 1,524 m. To the north are the Sivas Merkez, Hafik, Zara and Ulaş districts; to the south, Gürün and the Kuluncak and Hekimhan districts of Malatya; to the east, Divriği; and to the west, Altınyayla and the Pınarbaşı district of Kayseri.
History
Remains and settlements from a Hittite city have been identified at Karaseki and Akçakale village. Kangal appears as a subdistrict (kaza) in the 1302 Sivas Salname and became a district in 1902.
Kangal Balıklı Hot Springs
Also known as Balıklı Hot Springs, the site lies 13 km from the Kangal district centre. It has a rare feature among thermal springs in Türkiye and the world: fish and, in small numbers, water snakes live in the water. The water temperature is 36–37 °C, and the total flow of the pools is 130 l/s. The hot spring is used as an alternative method in treating skin diseases, especially psoriasis.
Kalkım Creek and Natural Springs
Along the fault line that runs beside Kalkım Creek near Kalkım village, two natural pools have formed at water outlets in alluvium. The fish living here are of the same species as those in Kangal Balıklı Hot Springs, and the water is said to be similar to the water of Kangal Balıklı Hot Springs.
History and Culture
Remains and settlements from the Hittite period have been found in Kangal. Kangal became a district in 1902, and its first district governor was Ahmet Muammer Bey. The Kangal Shepherd Dog was registered in 2002 at the request of the Kangal District Governorship. The women’s association branch in Kangal served behind the front in the War of Independence. The district’s population stayed between 12,000 and 14,000, and the district has continuously lost people through emigration.
Highlights
The Kangal district lies where the Central Anatolian plateau meets the Eastern Anatolian highlands. After the Battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) in 1071, the first Turkish tribes to arrive in Anatolia seized settlements of the Eastern Roman Empire and settled in Humarlı village, which lies close to the district centre. Kangal Dog: its homeland is Türkiye, and it originates from Central Anatolia. It is found mainly in Sivas province, especially in Kangal district, and varieties of the Kangal dog can be seen both in provinces near Sivas and across the region from Thrace to Kars.
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