On the mountain pastures, villagers produce excellent Kasar cheese and delicious honey. Impressive fortified walls still encircle the ruins of numerous churches, mosques and caravanserais. A 16th - century castle built by Sultan Selim the Grim, one of the most stately citadels in Turkey with 14 towers and a span of 745 meters, stands in the old part of the city. The scenic area around the lake provides a habitat for a fascinating variety of birds. Lake to the northeast, not surprisingly has plenty of fish restaurants serving local delicacies.
Thermal springs bubble up all over the area.
Ishak Pasha, Ottoman governor of the province, constructed the palace in the 17th-century in a mixture of architectural styles. Malatya is a busy city situated on a fertile plain at the foot of the Anti-Taurus Mountains. Next to the city museum, you can shop in the bazaar where an entire passageway of shops is given over to copper wares. In Malatya, the apricot-growing center of Turkey, it is possible to sample many delicious apricot confections as well as other fresh and dried fruits. At the latter stand the ruins of a Byzantine enclosure, and in the center of town the 13th-century Ulu Mosque is an excellent example of Seljuk architecture.