Samsat
General Information
District: Adiyaman, State: Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey
Area: 338 km²
Languages Spoken: Turkish
Long Distance Code: (+90) 0416
Best Time to Visit: May to August
International Access: Gaziantep Oguzeli International Airport (GZT)Description
Archaeological research on the hill of Sehremuz in Samsat has uncovered relics from the 7000 BC Paleolithic era; the 5000 BC Neolithic, 3000 BC Chalcolithic and 3000 to 1200 BC Bronze Ages. The ancient city of Ḫaḫḫum (Hittite: Ḫaḫḫa) was located nearby; it is recorded as a source of gold for ancient Sumeria. Samsat (Samosata) was later the walled capital of the Commagene kingdom founded in 69BC, the civilisation that built the statues on top of nearby Mount Nemrut. See Samosata for the ancient history of the town, which remained a regional centre in the Ottoman period. The old town of Samsat and all its history were flooded behind the Atatürk Dam in 1989. The new town was built beside the new waterline by the government to house the displaced residents.Location
Samsat is a small town in the Adiyaman Province of Turkey, situated on the upper Euphrates river.Climate
The Anti-Taurus Mountains cut through Adıyaman from west to east, creating completely different climates in the northern and southern regions of the province. The mountainous north has dry, cool summers and wet, cold winters, while the south enjoys dry, w