Historical Mengücek Capital Kemah Castle and Sultan Melik Gazi Tomb Complex

History and General Information / Local Legends and Folklore Historical Kemah Castle, built on a steep and steep natural rock plateau carved by the Karasu River, has been one of the most impregnable defensive castles of Eastern Anatolia since ancient times. Founded in the Urartu and Persian periods in the 3rd century BC, and made the capital by Mengücek Gazi, the founder of the Mengücekoğulları Principality, and his son Melik Gazi, after the 1071 Malazgirt Victory, following Roman, Byzantine and Danishmend domination, Kemah is the cradle of Anatolian Turkish principality architecture. Mengücek tomb, located on the southern skirts of the castle and known among the public as 'Melik Gazi Tomb', is a masterpiece of Seljuk tomb art with its octagonal brick dome architecture, the lower floor of which is a mummy (funeral chamber). Evliya Çelebi described Kemah Castle as 'a unique wall of Iskender on steep rocks'; He wrote with admiration about the hidden water tunnels, ovens and mosques in the castle. Geographical Structure, Altitude and Natural Features It is located on a limestone rocky hill with an altitude of 1,053 meters overlooking the Karasu (Fırat) River with 120 meters vertical cliffs. The meanders of the Karasu Canyon, the historical Kemah salt pans and the northern slopes of the Munzur Mountains can be viewed from the castle. Visiting Hours, Days and Entrance Fees