Castabala, Archaeological site in Osmaniye Province, Turkey.
Castabala is an ancient city in Osmaniye Province featuring a long colonnaded street with decorated columns and a small theater carved into a hillside. The site also contains temple foundations and residential structures that reveal how people lived across different periods of occupation.
The city began as a Late Hittite settlement and later became an important Roman administrative center. After conflicts with pirates, it gained status as a client kingdom under Roman rule.
The Temple of Artemis Perasia housed priestesses who performed rituals by walking barefoot across hot embers without experiencing any physical discomfort.
The archaeological site is located near Osmaniye center and is easily accessible by car or taxi. The paths between ruins are manageable and flat, making it possible to explore everything in a few hours.
A fortified castle on a hilltop overlooks the ancient city, featuring a road carved directly into the stone that circles the entire structure. This combination of ancient and medieval elements in one location is quite unusual.
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