Kâhta

Kâhta
Kâhta
Coordinates: 37°46′49″N 38°37′18″E / 37.78028°N 38.62167°E / 37.78028; 38.62167Coordinates: 37°46′49″N 38°37′18″E / 37.78028°N 38.62167°E / 37.78028; 38.62167
Country	Turkey
Province	Adıyaman
Government
• Mayor	Abdurrahman Toprak (AKP)
• Kaymakam	Ahmet Gazi KAYA
Area[1]
• District	1,358.82 km2 (524.64 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
• Urban	66,503
• District	117,794
• District density	87/km2 (220/sq mi)
Post code	02400
Website	www.kahtasonhaber.com

Kâhta (Kurdish: Kolîk, Syriac: ܓܟܬܝ/ Gakhti [kh = h], Ottoman Turkish: کولک / Kölük^[3]) is a large district of Adıyaman Province of Turkey. Population 63,216 (as of 2010).

Kâhta is a small town in attractive countryside at the foot of Mount Nemrut and has a thriving business providing food, accommodation and transport (in the form of shared taxis or minibuses) to people visiting the mountain. Most businesses in the town are small and welcoming. The food found here includes grilled carp and trout, sis kebab, Turkish pizza.

Despite a growing tourism industry, this area is still classified as a developing rural region. The winters are especially cold and hard in these mountains. Families' Socio-economic status are below the average of Turkey. Since the 1970s in the face of these conditions many families from Kâhta have migrated to the cities of western Turkey.

The population of Kâhta is mostly of Kurdish origin from Reshwan tribe (Alevi origin).

On 12 October 2018, cave drawings which date back to the Paleolithic era, were discovered in the Kâhta district, due to the decline of Atatürk Dam waters by 10-15 meters.^[4]

Places of interest

• Nemrut Dağı or Mount Nemrut - now a national park, famous for the antique statuary on the summit, dating back to the Commagene Kingdom.
• Karakuş Tumulus, with a large statue of an eagle.
• Kâhta castle
• Severan Bridge, a Roman bridge.

• 
  Mount Nemrut
• 
  Tumulus of Karakuş
• 
  Kahta castle
• 
  Severan Bridge

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kahta.