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Malatya, Eastern Turkey

Last Updated on April 18, 2019

If you like apricots, you’ll love Malatya, the apricot capital of Turkey.

Malatya’s farmers produce huge harvests of excellent apricots and cherries which, fresh or dried, are shipped throughout the world. The city, on the north side of Nemrut Dağı (map), is a base for visiting the mountain (although some prefer the south approach from Kahta).

There has been a town here for at least 3000 years, known in Hittite times as Milidia, in Roman times as Melitene, today as Malatya (mah-LAHT-yah, alt. 964 m, 3163 ft.; pop. 400,000).

Ismet Inönü, Kemal Atatürk‘s comrade-in-arms and second president of the Turkish Republic, was born in Malatya.

Good hotels include the Anemon Hotel Malatya and the Grand Hotel Sinan.

If use Malatya as a base for your ascent of Nemrut Dağı(instead of Adıyaman or Kahta), it will take you longer to reach the top, but you can stay overnight in a hotel and thus easily witness both sunset and sunrise at the summit.

Turkish Airlines flies daily nonstop between Malatya, Ankara and Istanbul, which is a lot more air service than to Adıyaman, so if you need to fly in and fly out quickly, Malatya is a better choice.

You could conceivably fly from Istanbul or Ankara to Malatya, rent a car, drive up Nemrut Dağı, explore the summit, drive back down, and be back in Istanbul or Ankara the next day.

Daily express trains connect Malatya with AnkaraIstanbulKayseriSivas, Elazığ and Diyarbakır, but the bus is faster and usually more comfortable.

You can walk from the north (Malatya) side of the summit to the south (Kahta) side, or vice-versa, but there is no scheduled transportation from either side. Have all your luggage with you (which is a hassle), walk to the other side and ask to see if there’s an empty seatin a car or minibus descending that side.


Distances & Travel Times

Adıyaman: 185 km (115 miles), 3 hours

Diyarbakır: 252 km (157 miles), 4 hours

Erzurum: 421 km (262 miles), 7 hours

Gaziantep: 247 km (154 miles), 3.75 hours

Istanbul: 1124 km (698 miles), 18 hours

Kahramanmaraş: 223 miles (139 miles), 4 hours

Kahta: 225 km (140 miles) N, 3.5 hours

Kayseri: 354 km (220 miles), 6 hours

Nemrut Dağı (Summit, North): 72 km (45 miles), 3.5 hours

Sivas: 247 km (154 miles), 3.75 hours

Tatvan: 263 km (163 miles), 4.5 hours

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