Zorkun Plateau: Osmaniye’s Summer Retreat in the Amanos

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1. What is Zorkun Plateau?
2. How do you get to Zorkun Plateau?
3. When is the best time to visit Zorkun Plateau?
4. What is the history of Zorkun Plateau?
5. What is Zorkun Plateau famous for?
6. What can you do at Zorkun Plateau?
7. Frequently asked questions about Zorkun Plateau
8. What do the official records say about Zorkun Plateau?

What is Zorkun Plateau?

Zorkun is the summer plateau of Osmaniye: a broad stretch of high ground on the slopes of the Amanos (Nur) Mountains where people from the plain have gone for generations to escape the heat. In July and August the Çukurova lowlands regularly pass 40°C, while Zorkun, at around 1,550–1,680 m, stays cool enough for a jacket in the evening.

The 2002 inventory describes it as spread over a very wide area among pine and juniper trees, with wooden plateau houses alongside villas in many different styles. It has grocers, restaurants, butchers, greengrocers and bakeries, and in summer a mobile health post and a gendarmerie station. In the season, together with the neighbouring plateaus, its population was said to reach 100,000. It remains the plateau most local people choose.

It is not a resort in the international sense. Zorkun is where Osmaniye families spend the summer, picnic at weekends and buy kömbe from local stalls. For visitors that is exactly its appeal.

How do you get to Zorkun Plateau?

Zorkun is about 26 km south-east of Osmaniye by a mountain road climbing through the forest, with smaller plateau settlements such as Olukbaşı along the way. Residents say the road has been improved in recent years. A car or taxi is the most reliable way up, especially outside the summer season.

Osmaniye is on the Adana–Gaziantep motorway and has regional trains to Adana. The nearest airports are Çukurova International Airport near Tarsus and Hatay Airport.

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When is the best time to visit Zorkun Plateau?

From late May to September, when the plateau is lived in and the shops and restaurants are open. Some families arrive in May and stay for about six months. Weekends are busiest. In winter the plateau is mostly empty and can get snow.

In June 2026 Zorkun hosted the first Amanos Ultra Trail, with about 1,100 runners from 81 provinces and six countries on courses from 5 km to 50 km, including a 16 km Zorkun trail.

What is the history of Zorkun Plateau?

Seasonal migration to the mountains is an old way of life in Çukurova. The inventory explains that because summer temperatures go above 40°C, people climb to the plateaus on the slopes of the Taurus and Amanos that face Çukurova, up to 2,100 m, “misty mountains” so rich in plants that they resemble a botanical garden.

Zorkun grew from a seasonal camp into a large summer settlement with permanent houses and services. The inventory singles it out as nationally important for plateau tourism.

What is Zorkun Plateau famous for?

• Cool summers. A refuge from the heat of the Çukurova plain.
• Pine and juniper forest. The setting of the whole plateau.
• Plateau life. Wooden houses, weekend picnics and family gatherings.
• Trail running. Since 2026, the Amanos Ultra Trail.

What can you do at Zorkun Plateau?

Walk in the forest. Paths lead through pine and juniper from the settlement; the Amanos Ultra Trail routes link Zorkun with the Karaçay waterfall and the castles of the area.

Picnic and eat. Local stalls sell kömbe and other snacks, and the plateau has restaurants in the season.

Join an event. The municipality uses the plateau for summer events such as the Amanos Ultra Trail; check Osmaniye Municipality’s announcements for dates.

Come prepared. Even in August, evenings at this height are much cooler than in Osmaniye, so bring a warm layer. The sun is strong at altitude, the forest roads are narrow and winding, and small stalls and bakeries often prefer cash.

Combine with history. Zorkun is an easy half-day from Osmaniye, so pair it with Toprakkale Castle on the plain or the Karatepe-Aslantaş Open-Air Museum north of the city.

Visit other plateaus. Maksutoğlu, about 45 km north of Kadirli, is surrounded by cedar and fir and lies in the country of Yaşar Kemal’s novel Memed, My Hawk.

Frequently asked questions about Zorkun Plateau

What do the official records say about Zorkun Plateau?

Zorkun Plateau, south-east of Osmaniye at the foot of Nur Mountain, is spread over a very wide area. On the plateau, set among pine and juniper trees, besides wooden plateau houses you can also find villas built in very different architectural styles.

On Zorkun, the plateau most preferred by local people, there are grocers, restaurants, butchers, greengrocers and bakeries to meet daily needs, and in the summer months a mobile health centre and a gendarmerie post are on duty. In the plateau season, the area’s population, together with the nearby plateaus, reaches 100,000, and it holds an important place in Türkiye for plateau tourism. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Osmaniye Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)