Sanliurfa and Göbekli tepe (11,000 years old!)

This guide to Sanliurfa (commonly called Urfa) and Göbekli tepe includes why visit, how to get there, where to stay, what to do, and where to eat, and where to go next.

Why to go to Sanliurfa and Göbekli tepe?

If you like to learn other cultures and religions, are interested in the Neolithic, Greek, Roman and Islamic history and monuments, are willing to try new exotic food, and be in the company of some of the nicest people in Turkey, then Sanliurfa is the place for you.

Birthplace of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic), which is a pilgrimage site in Islam. Closest city to Gőbeklitepe, a Neolithic excavation site which might be 11,000 years old (that would be older than the Eqyptian pyramids or Stonehenge in the U.K.). One of the best museums in Turkey preparing well for the Gőbeklitepe tour. An exquisitely-designed Balikligöl park with the impressive mosques. Delicious local food (e.g., refreshing limonata from the street hawkers, ciger / liver kebab, gargantuan sun-ripened watermelons, apricots and cherries for under $1 per kilo). Urfa people, who will invite you to cay / tea tens of times a day, even when you bought a limonata which is cheaper than tea served so, technically, a loss for the seller.

I went to Urfa to see the Göbekli tepe (who doesn’t want to one of the oldest human settlements in history as described by CNN?), but extended my stay for the city, its sites, food and people. In other words, an excellent destination. Sanliurfa is conservative: modest clothing for both men and women (no shorts) and there is no alcohol (at least officially) available.

A word of caution, Urfa gets VERY hot in the summer with the regular 40C+ (104F+) temperatures.

How to get to Sanliurfa and Göbekli tepe?

How to get to Sanliurfa?

Sanliurfa is well connected. You can travel to Diyarbakir, Mardin, Gaziantep every 15-30 minutes with many coaches to Istanbul and Ankara. Nevsehir (for Cappadoccia and Göreme) is available direct on Neveshir Seyahat or Cizre Nuh coach lines four times a day. From Kahta there are minibuses (dolmus) directly to Urfa or Siverek, and then taking another dolmus to Urfa.

Unfortunately, the main long-distance bus station (“otogar”) is located in the new city part of Urfa, and getting to the city buses is not well signed. When arriving on a long-distance coach, you will probably come to the arrival lower level. Please take the escalator up to the upper-level departures and exit the station through the main doors. You will see a large parking with many yellow taxis, which you want to cross to the other side and climb the stairs (similar to many other passengers). You will get to the road with a bus stop immediately to your right.

Unfortunately, this is the wrong bus stop (as I might have learned) going further to the new city and all the high-rise residential buildings. You want to cross the road to the bus stop on the other side, which will take you to the city center. There are many buses going there including bus 35, please ask the driver for “Balikligöl”, which is located in the city center. You might arrive at the city bus station, which is approximately 20 minutes away (walking distance) from the city center and 30 minutes from the historic Balikligöl park. Alternatively, you can take another city bus to your hotel or another destination. As of September 2022, the city bus ticket was TRY5 ($0.30). The city buses accept credit cards and the Urfa card, which is a city transportation card.

How to get to Göbekli tepe?

Taking a public bus is by far the best option. Otherwise you would have to negotiate with a taxi driver to take you there, wait for 1-2 hours (or whatever time you want to spend there), and the ride back. I was quoted the initial prices of $50 when I gave up on the taxi.

The public bus to Göbekli tepe departs from the Sanliurfa Archeological museum. If you are facing the museum main entrance, the stop is in on the other side of the building to your right.

The bus departs from this stop at 09:45, 12:45 and 15:45.

It waits at Göbekli tepe for 2 hours and returns from the site at 12:00, 15:00 and 17:30.

Effectively, you have 2 hours for the small museum, visitor center and the site itself. Given the excavation site is small, it is sufficient.

Do NOT be late for your departure, otherwise you will have to wait another 2.5-3 hours. There are no taxis waiting at the archeological site.

Where to stay in Sanliurfa?

Given many Turkish tourists, Sanliurfa has many hotels across the price spectrum. The budget choice popular with the Western backpackers is the Ugur Hotel located on the main road next to the Harran hotel (a large venue with the wedding business booming on weekends). It has single/double/triple rooms with shared and private bathrooms with high ceilings and air conditioning. The owner, Mr Mustafa, is fluent in English and will help with ANY question related to the transportation, sites, local restaurants, etc. There is a lovely terrace where guests tend to congregate, sip tea and share stories in the evenings, a positive vibe always present.

What to do in Sanliurfa?

Where to start, where to start?

(1) Guide to Sanliurfa: Göbekli tepe

https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=SGT01&distId=SGT

Most Western tourists (including truly yours) are coming to Sanliurfa, because of the newly-discovered (1994) Göbekli tepe archeological site. It is a full attraction including the Göbekli tepe visitor center and the archeological site covered by an interesting canopy offering well-appreciated sun protection. In addition, there is excellent exhibition in the Sanliurfa museum 15 minutes from city center, the bazaar and Balikligöl. The site is one of many in south-eastern Turkey, but has been extensively developed and marketed.

It has not been used as a settlement but served as a temple. Located on the top of the mountain with expansive views, only a small part of the site has been excavated, and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018, which is relatively recent. The tourist numbers have been increasing but are probably still low in comparison with the expected volumes 3/5/10 years from now. Yes, there is a visitor center with the tourist coaches coming in but probably nothing to compare with in a few years time. In other words, if you are into history and the most recent discoveries (and who isn’t?), this might be the time to go there, before the site is completely full.

So what is the reason for this sudden explosion of interest? Göbekli tepe contains megaliths which weigh 7-10 tons, are approximately 18ft in height, and are located in small elliptical areas. Its reason for the recent fame is that the carbon dating determined their age at approximately 11,000-12,000 years, which is approximately 7,000 years older than Stonehenge in the U.K. In comparison, the Egyptian pyramids of Giza are relatively young at 4,500 years old. Göbekli tepe was abandoned at approximately 8,000 BC and has not been used for similar religious purposes.

Please do not skip the visitor center. For an additional TRY10 ($0.60), there is a small interesting exhibition with a video beamed onto the walls and floor depicting an artist’s impression of potential religious rites at the site. Good quality and hypnotic music is well worth the extra cost and a few minutes.

(2) Guide to Sanliurfa: Sanliurfa Archeological Museum

https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?sectionId=SUM02&distId=SUM

Probably the best preparation for Göbekli tepe is the Sanliurfa Archeological Museum located in the city center. For TRY40 ($2.40) you will visit an excellent museum, which was opened in 2015. Its design is similar to the other outstanding museums in Gaziantep (Zeugma mosaics) or Hatay. All are a new wave of modern, expansive, multi-sensory museums in Turkey with artistic touches and excellent air-conditioning (appreciated in June!).

Some of the exhibits are impressive and well-displayed for maximum surprise effect such as the Göbekli man. He will be starting at you intently when you enter his dark room.

A recreation of the main Göbekli tepe area is excellent. Arrive at the museum opening time of 8:00AM, and you might be there all by yourself.

After the prehistoric exhibits you will flow with time and see the Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite, and Roman artifacts. For some Western tourists, those non-Greek and non-Roman might be very interesting and pretty exotic, few similar items in the museums in Paris, London or New York.

In terms of the order, I would suggest starting with the museum, which will make the following visit to Göbekli tepe much more informative and enjoyable. When in Göbekli tepe, please do not skip the visitor center. Most tour groups do, so you will be able to enjoy it almost by yourself.

(3) Guide to Sanliurfa: Mosaics Museum

There is also an impressive mosaic museum next to the Sanliurfa Archeological Museum. During the same day you can use the Archeological Museum’s ticket to gain free entry to the Mosaic Museum. In other words, it is a free option five minutes away. The mosaics are impressive and well-laid in a huge building. You will be walking on modern glass walkways on top of the original mosaics. Many mosaics are in an excellent condition and have escaped the looters over the centuries. They are a great introduction into the Roman and Byzantine mosaics with the Gaziantep’s Zeugma and Hatay museum on par with Bardo in Tunisia.

(4) Guide to Sanliurfa: Balikligöl Park

No guide to Sanliurfa would be complete without the Balikligöl Park. A major pilgrimage site in Islam as the birthplace of prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). It is located in an impressive mosque with the cave well-lit and behind a protective glass. There is water for purification when entering this religious site.

There are a few open-air cafes with comfortable sofas and chairs under the trees around the small pond and fountain. A relief providing much-needed shade and breeze in the hot summer weather.

Balikligöl is a sacred lake with thousands of sacred carp and the corresponding religious stories. According to the Islamic and Jewish tradition, Abraham (Ibrahim) was born and raised in Urfa. He was the target of the wrath of king Nimrod when he declared a war on idolatry. The king sentenced Abraham to death and a huge pyre was constructed in the city center. When Abraham was thrown into the fire, miraculously the flames were transformed into water and the burning logs into fish.

Since then, the pool and its carp are considered sacred, and are strictly forbidden from being eaten. You will see many local tourists looking and taking pictures of the sacred fish and the delightful buildings around.

The mosques in the Balikligöl are impressive with the inside mosaics, external ablution wells and the paved courtyards. You might see the local weddings with their lavish traditional dresses.

Where to eat in Sanliurfa?

The Urfa bazaar is next to Balikligöl making it a convenient stop to try the local specialty ciger (liver) kebab. The liver kebab cubes are smaller in Urfa than in Diyarbakir, another contender for the best liver kebab in Anatolia.

No guide to Sanliurfa would be complete without mentioning the “kahvalti”. When in Urfa, please try the traditional breakfast (“kahvalti” pronounced “kah-vahl-tuh”). It is a sumptuous affair with usually well over 10 differerent components. Savoury such as various cheeses, olives and börek. Sweet such as honey, baklava or fruits. A hot dish such as menemen (excellent Turkish-style scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sausage, etc.). A breakfast for a king, a feast also for the eyes. Stunning when all those individual plates are being put in front of you in neat rows of delicacies. Coming back home to the usual bagel, muffin or oatmeal/porridge will be difficult. And the whole feast is a only few US dollars. It will be one of you most memorable meals in Turkey. There are many kahvalti restaurants next to the main road.

Lunch and dinner options include excellent Urfa lahmacun (thin-crust Turkish pizza) and Urfa kebab with the usual fresh vegetables and ayran (Turkish yoghurt). There seems to be a fierce competition among the Anatolian cities for the crown of the best kebab. The Urfa version is smaller but a bit more fatty and juicy, recommended.

Where to go next?

Within a few hours bus ride from Sanliurfa, Anatolia offers other interesting historical sites:

• unique ancient Greek monuments in Nemrut Dagi (Guide to Nemrut Dagi, Turkey (2022))
• Mardin, a well-preserved Silk Road town (Mardin: ancient Silk Road town)

and outstanding large cities:

• Diyarbakir with the best breakfast in Turkey
• Gaziantep with the best food in Turkey and best Roman mosaics
• Hatay with a distinct Arabic influence (Hatay: kunefe desert and Greek mosaics)