Karaman Castle (named ‘Iç Kale’ = Inner Castle) was the citadel of the medieval city. It is built on a slightly elevated hill (maybe a ‘höyük’ = artificial mound, result of long-term human settlement). According to the scarce historical sources, it seems to have been built around the early 12th century (Seljuk era). It has nine towers (four circular and five square ones). Like most fortresses, it has been repaired many times –recent restorations took place in 1961, 1975 and from 2010 on. During Karamanoğlu rule, a double set of city walls were erected: ‘Orta Kale’ (Middle Castle) had two gates and 40 towers and encircled an area with Iç Kale in its very centre. One of those gates (Pazar Kapısı = Market Gate) survived and has been restored. The second city walls ‘Dış Kale’ (Outer Castle) were grand, stretching about 5 km; Evliya Çelebi (1611-1682), the famous Turkish writer/traveller, described them in 1648 as having “140 towers and 9 city gates”. Alas, almost nothing of these remains.

Source: ‘Karaman (Tarihi ve Kültürü)’ (Ilhan Temizsoy & M. Vehbi Uysal) – Konya 1981 .