Kahta

Kahta's medieval centre lay at the fortified settlement now called Old Kahta. Its Yeni Kale retained the form given to it under the Mamluks and continued in use under the Ottomans. Inscriptions at its gateways and mosque carried the names of Mamluk rulers, making the fortress a visible record of successive sovereign patrons.

Ottoman rule began in 1516 under Selim I. Kahta was first attached to the Dulkadir administration and, under Süleyman, to Samsat within the province centred on Maraş. The castle combined military and domestic facilities: a mosque, prison, baths and cisterns stood within its defences, while a concealed water passage descended towards the Kahta stream. A tower housed messenger pigeons. These arrangements supplied water, communication and accommodation to a stronghold whose local importance outlasted the change from Mamluk to Ottoman sovereignty.