Osmaniye

Osmaniye is in the southeast corner of the Cilician Plains, at the foot of the Nur Mountains. In the 12th century BC, after the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the area came under the rule of several polities collectively named "Neo-Hittites". In the Middle Ages, it was the seat of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, allies of the Crusaders, who established numerous castles. Turkish nomads arrived in the 11th century, and because the summers here are so hot and mosquito-ridden they moved seasonally between the mountains and plains. A market town grew hereabouts, named Kınık after one of the nomadic tribes.

In the 1860s the American Civil War disrupted the global supply of cotton. The Cilician Plains were ideal for growing cotton but lacked a workforce, so willy-nilly the nomads were forced into a settled agricultural lifestyle. As a bonus, this also curbed their incessant rebellions. Kınık grew and was renamed Osmaniye, lest it slip anyone's mind which dynasty ruled Turkey. Since 1996 the city has been capital of a large province.

Irrigation projects further east in Turkey drew cotton production away, so it's no longer as important for this region, which has switched to other crops such as peanuts and olives.

By plane:

The most convenient airport is Çukurova (COV IATA) 130 km west, with frequent flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), and daily from Ankara, Izmir, other Turkish cities and Ercan in Northern Cyprus. In 2024 COV replaced Adana airport, which has closed.

Others are Kahramanmaraş (KCM IATA) 112 km northeast, Gaziantep (GZT IATA) 160 km east, and Hatay (HTY IATA) 116 km south.

By train:

All trains are suspended because of major engineering works in southeast Turkey.

A partial re-opening is expected in 2026 when the line to Adana, Tarsus and Mersin is rebuilt, with a spur to Çukurova airport. The larger project is a high-speed railway between Adana and Gaziantep: don't hold your breath.

Osmaniye railway station (1 km north of city centre) is therefore a very quiet place.

By bus:

Five buses a day are direct from Istanbul, taking 13-15 hours via Gebze, Izmit, Adapazari and Adana, or via Ankara. They continue to Gaziantep, another 90 min. From Ankara is 8 eight hours, with six per day.

Bus lines are Metro Turizm and Flix Bus. From places within 100 km or so such as Adana, İskenderun and Gaziantep, look for a dolmuş or shared taxi.

1 Otogar is the inter-city bus station, 4 km north of downtown by the O-52 junction. Just because it's new, don't expect any facilities to be clean or functional. You need a dolmuş to get downtown: this may be included in your fare, enquire when booking.

By road:

From Ankara take O-21 toll motorway south then O-52 / E90 east. This bypasses Osmaniye to the north, exit onto D400.

Highway D400 hugs the Mediterranean coast to Adana then strikes inland to Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and the borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran. It nowadays bypasses Osmaniye to the south while its old route traverses the city as Musa Şahin Blv.