Kahramanmaraş is a city of roughly 550,000 people in southeastern Turkey, perched between the Taurus Mountains and the upper Euphrates plain. Famous throughout Turkey and the world for its uniquely stretchy dondurma (ice cream) and fiery Maraş pepper, the city pairs a proud culinary identity with a rich layered history — Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, Dulkadirli, and Ottoman — visible in its hilltop castle and archaeology museum. The city was at the epicentre of the devastating February 2023 earthquakes and has undergone significant reconstruction; visitors today witness both historic resilience and ambitious rebuilding alongside remaining ancient monuments.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Kahramanmaraş.
-
1
Kahramanmaraş Castle
This fortress sits on a hill directly above the old city center, with origins going back to the Roman and Byzantine periods before later use under the Dulkadir principality and the Ottomans. Its walls and towers were built to command the approach into the Maraş plain, and today the hill functions as the city's historic high point rather than a fully restored monument. Walking the grounds gives a clear sense of why this site, not the modern downtown, was the original settlement.
-
2
Kahramanmaraş Archaeology Museum
This museum holds artifacts recovered from the wider Kahramanmaraş region, including material from Neo-Hittite and later Anatolian settlements that once controlled this stretch of the upper Ceyhan and Euphrates basin. Stone reliefs, inscriptions, and small finds trace the area's role as a border zone between Hittite, Assyrian, and later Roman spheres of influence. It gives context for the region's history that the castle alone doesn't provide.
-
3
Dondurma Street
Kahramanmaraş is the origin point of Maraş dondurma, the dense, stretchy ice cream made with salep and mastic gum that is sold across Turkey under this city's name. This street concentrates the shops that make and serve it locally, where it's traditionally cut with a knife and eaten with a fork rather than a spoon because of its thick, chewy texture. It's the place to try the product where it actually comes from, made by shops that have specialized in it for generations.
-
4
Kapalı Çarşı
-
5
Ahır Mountain
Ahır Dağı rises directly behind Kahramanmaraş and is the mountain most associated with the city's outdoor life, used for hiking and paragliding launches with views back down over the city and the plain. Its slopes and plateaus (yaylas) have traditionally been used for summer grazing and cooler-weather escape from the heat of the city below. It's less developed for mass tourism than some other Turkish mountain destinations, so the experience is closer to actual local recreation than a resort setup.
-
6
Maraş Pepper Market
This market centers on Maraş biber, the coarse, oily red pepper flake native to this region that is used across Turkish cuisine and exported internationally as a milder alternative to some other chili flakes. Vendors here sell it alongside other local dried goods, and the pepper is typically sun-dried and processed using methods particular to this area's climate and soil. It's a genuine look at a product this city is specifically known for producing, not a general spice bazaar.
-
7
Copper Crafts Quarter
-
8
Maraş Ethnography Museum
-
9
Berit Mountain
Berit Dağı is a range in the Anti-Taurus system rising above the Elbistan plain, its upper slopes turning into open highland pasture once the snow clears. Local herding families have long moved flocks up to these yaylas for the summer, and the mountain is now also a starting point for trekking and plateau tourism out of Elbistan. The appeal is the open highland landscape itself rather than any single built sight.
-
10
Dulkadiroğlu Hamam
Attractions by category
Explore by your interests.
Items
Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
- Items
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Visit popular attractions early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid crowds and harsh midday light.
Book tickets online in advance for major attractions to skip long queues and sometimes save money.
Many cities offer multi-attraction passes that include public transport. Calculate whether they save you money based on your itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kahramanmaraş safe to visit after the 2023 earthquake?
Yes. The main tourist areas — the castle, museum, dondurma street, and bazaars — were assessed and reopened. Reconstruction is ongoing in some residential areas but does not affect visitor attractions.
How much does Maraş dondurma cost?
A single-scoop cone costs 30–50 TRY (~$0.91–1.52 USD). The vendor's theatrical performance (stretching and teasing) is free — tip 10–20 TRY.
Where can visitors buy authentic Maraş pepper?
The covered bazaar and the morning pepper market (Biber Pazarı) on Yeni Hal Mahallesi both sell genuine Maraş biber; vacuum-packed bags of 200–500 g cost 100–300 TRY (~$3–9 USD).