Must-see attractions in Southeastern Anatolia

  • Enclosure C at Göbekli Tepe.

    Göbeklitepe

    Şanlıurfa

    Around 11km northeast of Urfa, 'Pot Belly Hill' was first excavated in 1994 by a team led by Professor Klaus Schmidt. Their discovery of a ritual complex…

  • GAZIANTEP (ZEUGMA), TURKEY - APRIL 20, 2018: Zeugma Mosaic Museum; Shutterstock ID 1815031094; full: 65050; gl: 65050; netsuite: POI; your: Erin Lenczycki
1815031094

    Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum

    Gaziantep

    This museum does a stellar job of displaying one of the world's most important mosaic collections, most of which was unearthed at the Roman site of Belkıs…

  • Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum

    Şanlıurfa

    Şanlıurfa's spectacular archaeology museum is one of the best in Turkey. The region's cultural heritage is displayed across three levels covering a time…

  • Nemrut Dağı Summit

    Southeastern Anatolia

    Nemrut Dağı's famous statues sit on two terraces flanking Antiochus I's giant gravel-covered, mountaintop burial mound. Their 2m-high heads, toppled from…

  • Bazaar

    Şanlıurfa

    Dive into Urfa's bazaar alleys to find stalls selling everything from sheepskins and pigeons to jeans and handmade shoes. It was largely built by Süleyman…

  • Bazaar

    Mardin

    Mardin's rambling commercial hub parallels 1 Caddesi one block down the hill. It's packed with metalworkers, donkey-saddle repairers, woodworkers, stores…

  • Akdamar Kilisesi

    Southeastern Anatolia

    Perched on Akdamar Island, 3km out on Lake Van, Akdamar Kilisesi is one of the marvels of Armenian architecture. Built in 921 by the Armenian King of…

  • Arsameia

    Southeastern Anatolia

    Take the winding path from the road up the hillside to view the remnants of the ancient Commagene capital of Arsameia, passing stelae, stone reliefs and…

  • Gölbaşı

    Şanlıurfa

    Legend claims that the Prophet Abraham (father of the three major monotheistic religions) was confronted by Nimrod, the local Assyrian king, while…

  • Bakırcılar Çarşısı

    Gaziantep

    Gaziantep's labyrinthine bazaar stretches between Hamdi Kutler Caddesi and Kundaracılar Çarşısı Sokak. There are a couple of entrances so just dive in and…

  • Mardin Museum

    Mardin

    This superbly restored late-19th-century mansion was once Mardin's Syriac Catholic Patriarchate and sports carved pillars and elegant arcades on the upper…

  • Sultan İsa (Zinciriye) Medresesi

    Mardin

    Dating from 1385, this medrese (seminary) complex's highlight is the imposing recessed doorway, but make sure you wander through the pretty courtyards and…

  • Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum

    Mardin

    Housed in former army barracks, this superb museum showcases the fascinating history and culture of Mardin. Excellent English-language translations and…

  • City Walls & Gates

    Diyarbakır

    Diyarbakır's single most conspicuous feature is its great circuit of basalt walls, probably dating from Roman times, although the present walls, around…

  • Dengbêj Evi

    Diyarbakır

    The Dengbêj Evi (House of Dengbêj) showcases the Kurdish tradition of Dengbêj, storytelling by song. Kurdish elders gather together in informal groups and…

  • Deyrul Zafaran

    Mardin

    The magnificent Deyrul Zafaran stands about 6km along a good but narrow road in the rocky hills east of Mardin. The monastery was once the seat of the…

  • Arslantepe Höyüğü

    Southeastern Anatolia

    The settlement mound of Arslantepe (also called Aslantepe) rises 30m over the surrounding green fields of the tiny village of Orduzu, 5km northeast of…

  • Van Castle & Old Van

    Van

    About 4km west of the centre, Van Castle dominates the view of the city. Visit at sunset for great views across the lake. From the summit the foundations…

  • Dergah Complex

    Şanlıurfa

    Southeast of Gölbaşı is the Dergah mosque complex, Urfa's major pilgrimage destination. From the gate, you enter the colonnaded courtyard in front of the…

  • Morgabriel (Deyrul Umur) Monastery

    Southeastern Anatolia

    About 18km east of Midyat, Morgabriel (Deyrul Umur) Monastery is surrounded by gently rolling hills dotted with olive groves. Though much restored, the…

  • Karakuş Tümülüsü

    Southeastern Anatolia

    This large burial mound was built in 36 BC. It's ringed by a handful of remaining columns. An eagle tops a column at the car park, a headless bull tops…

  • Ulu Cami

    Southeastern Anatolia

    On first entering Battalgazi's 13th-century Ulu Cami, the low-ceilinged mosque will seem quite plain but the dome is decorated with a mesmerising spiral…

  • Seljuk Cemetery

    Southeastern Anatolia

    Ahlat's vast Seljuk cemetery, with stele-like headstones of lichen-covered grey or red volcanic tuff, is the third largest historic Muslim cemetery in the…

  • Cendere Bridge

    Southeastern Anatolia

    This magnificent humpback Roman bridge, spanning the Cendere River, was built in the 2nd century AD. The surviving Latin stelae state that the bridge was…

  • Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

    Şanlıurfa

    This domed structure protects the excellent Haleplibahçe (Aleppo Gardens) mosaics, part of a Roman villa complex discovered in 2006 when construction…

  • Dara

    Mardin

    About 30km southeast of Mardin is the village of Dara with its ancient Roman garrison city ruins dating back to the 6th century. Dara is where Mesopotamia…

  • Soğmatar

    Southeastern Anatolia

    About 18km north of Şuayb City, the isolated village of Soğmatar is very atmospheric and is home to the most interesting ruins in the area. Sacrifices…

  • Mevlid-i Halil Cave

    Şanlıurfa

    This small cave in the southern side of the Dergah Complex is one of Turkey's most important pilgrimage sites. It's believed by many Muslims to be the…

  • Gaziantep Archaeological Museum

    Gaziantep

    Gaziantep's archaeological museum houses a solid collection that sweeps from prehistoric fossils right up to the Byzantine era, but really comes alive in…

  • Old Post Office

    Mardin

    Turkey's most impressive post office was built in 1890 and was originally the home of the Şahtana family before becoming Mardin's post office in the 1950s…

  • Van Museum

    Van

    This gleaming glass structure at the foot of Van Castle, built after Van's original museum was damaged in the 2011 earthquakes, houses the world's pre…

  • Kurtuluş Cami

    Gaziantep

    Initially constructed as an Armenian cathedral in 1892, this impressive building features alternating black-and-white stone banding both on the facade and…

  • Abdüllatif Cami

    Mardin

    This gracious mosque was built in the 14th century and has been finely restored. Both the external grand gateway, bordered by fine stone carvings, and the…

  • Mor Yakop

    Southeastern Anatolia

    One of the most interesting churches of the Tür Abdin, the finely restored Mor Yakop (St Jacob's) dates from the 6th century and is the finest example of…

  • Kasımiye Medresesi

    Mardin

    Built in 1469, two domes stand over the tombs of Kasım Paşa and his sister at this old medrese (seminary) complex, but the highlights are the courtyard…

  • Adıyaman Museum

    Adıyaman

    Adıyaman's small museum may be dusty and old-fashioned, but it holds a good collection of small finds from local sites including from many salvage…

  • Ahlat Museum

    Southeastern Anatolia

    It's well worth sticking your head into this two-room museum, which houses well-curated exhibits of local archaeological finds. Displays include Urartian…

  • Meryemana

    Southeastern Anatolia

    The Meryemana (Virgin Mary) church sits at the entrance to Anıtli (Haxê) village, just before the large jandarma (army) building. The ornate, carved…

  • Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum

    Gaziantep

    This 200-year-old stone house features a central hayat (courtyard) patterned with light and dark stones. Rooms on the ground floor were for service; those…

  • Ancient Perre

    Adıyaman

    More than 200 rock tombs pockmark the hillside here, remnants of what was once one of the Commagene Kingdom's major centres. The site retained its…