Afyon Castle

The rock at Afyonkarahisar is a volcanic plug rising abruptly about two hundred metres out of the plain, black against the town, and it has been fortified since the Hittites - the name Karahisar means black fortress, and Afyon means opium, for the poppies grown across the surrounding plain. The walls on top are largely Byzantine and Seljuk with Ottoman repairs, and the enclosure holds cisterns, foundations and a small mosque, with the whole city and the plain laid out below. Getting up means climbing a stairway of around seven hundred steps cut and built up the rock face - there is no road and no lift, and it is a genuine effort, best done early or late. Below the rock is the old town, with timber Ottoman houses on steep lanes, the Ulu Cami of 1272, another wooden hypostyle mosque with carved columns, and the town's other famous product: Afyon kaymak, a very rich clotted cream eaten with honey.

What you actually see

• The black rock - the volcanic plug over the town.
• The stairway - around seven hundred steps to the summit.
• The walls and cisterns - Byzantine and Seljuk work on top.
• The plain view - the poppy country spread below.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Early morning or late afternoon - the climb is punishing in heat and the steps are exposed the whole way.

Honest expectations

Seven hundred steps with no alternative access, and no shade or water on the way. Not suitable for limited mobility. The summit is windy and edges are unfenced in places.

Nearby

The Ulu Cami and old town are at the foot of the rock; Aizanoi is north-west and the thermal spas are around the city.