Taşkale, Karaman

Taşkale (formerly: Kızıllar) is a village in Karaman District, Karaman Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. Its population is 484 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde).

Geography
Taşkale is on the northern slopes of the Toros Mountains. It lies to the east of Karaman, about 45 km by road. In the older part of the village there is a series of caves which are used presently as cereal silos. The modern part of the village is in the plains just to the north of the older part.

History and people
The town was used by early Christians who used the caves as effective shelter against the Roman authorities. The Mamazan Monastery just at the west of the town is also a cave monastery. After Christianity was legalized, the town probably lost its importance. But in the 13th century the town regained its importance as a hideaway. During Mongol expansion, a Turkmen tribe named Kızıl from the valley of along Atrek River (modern Turkmenistan) migrated to Taşkale. According to an unverified claim, the paternal side of Atatürk (founder of modern Turkey) was also a member of the Kızıl tribe.

Economy
The main economic activity is the production of hand-made rugs. There are over 200 handlooms and the rugs produced in Taşkale are known as Kızıllar rugs (or sometimes Kızıllar ladiği).