Location: Sanliurfa
Top Things to do in Sanliurfa
The 10 Best Things to Do in Sanliurfa, Turkey
Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa (pronounced [ʃanˈlɯuɾfa]; Arabic: الرها ar-Ruhā; Kurdish: Riha), and known in ancient times as Edessa, is a city with 561,465 inhabitants in south-eastern Turkey, and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is a multiethnic city with a Turkish, Kurdish, and Arab population. Urfa is situated on a plain about eighty kilometres east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters.
Restaurants in Sanliurfa
1. Sanliurfa Archeology and Mosaic Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 153 reviews
Reviewed By Nichola C - Mugla, Turkey
Absolutely must visit museum.
With artefacts from the Neolithic period from Göbeklitepe the oldest known archaeological site in the world and the oldest known statue to survive in tact as a main attraction you won't be disappointed.
There's more to come from Göbeklitepe so they'll be adding more in time and from the 15th July the site itself will be open to the public.
Most of the columns that form part of the tenple remain on site. Just one original is in the museum and the rest are imitation but at more six metres and very authentic looking it's all very impressive.
2. Potbelly Hill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 297 reviews
Reviewed By GreekProf - Boerne, Texas
Gobekli Tepe, also known as Potbelly Hill for the scores of stone figurines and carvings of wild pigs, is an awe-inspiring look into the earliest sacred communal worship site uncovered to date, ca. 9600 - 10,000 BCE. The massive stone monoliths with their decorated animals and human figurines is not to be missed.
NOTE: The site is scheduled for closure June 13- Dec 31 2016.
3. Balikligol
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 668 reviews
4. Cave of Abraham
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 191 reviews
Reviewed By GreekProf - Boerne, Texas
Tradition holds that the founder of the three great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam was born in the cave above which have stood synagoge, church, and mosque. Visit and peer into the cavern where the prophet is said to have been born. Enjoy the call of the muezzin and the faithful are summoned to prayer under the watchful eye of ancient Edessa's Citadel.
5. Gumruk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 151 reviews
Reviewed By gabcsi_11 - Budapest
This is the bazaar of Urfa which is very crowded and you can get anything that you like. You can also see some ancient workshops and craftsmen you cannot see in another place. When you are in Urfa you will definitely go there as it is located near the holy lake. It is worth visiting even if you dont want to buy anything. Merchants are not arrogant dont be afraid! Youi can also find a carvansaray in the centre. It is very nice and archaic. You will feel in the medieval times.
6. Halil Ul Rahman Mosque
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 74 reviews
Reviewed By Retinol13 - Berkeley, California
This is one of the several sites where it is said the Abraham (ancestor of the Jews and Arabs, aka the prophet Ibrahim in Islam) was born. The cave is a sacred site. This is also the site where it is said a spring of water protected Abraham from being burned by King Nimrod. There is a reflecting pool nearby where coi fish live, the are considered sacred by associtaion with the spring by which Abraham was protected.
7. Castle of Urfa
Overall Ratings
4 based on 141 reviews
Reviewed By Connoisseur-of-Life - Mississauga, Canada
It is quite a challenging ascent to the castle but there are numerous welcoming cafés en route which can slake your thirst and/or hunger. The historical twin pillars stand out but it is the city view which is outstanding. I found the site most impressive when viewed at ground level, particularly at night when it is lit up.
8. Rizvaniye Mosque
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By aguvenis - Istanbul, Turkey
Built in 1736, by the Governor of Sanliurfa Province, by Balıklı Göl, on a site previously believed to be occupied by a church.
The austere exterior with one minaret, complements the serenity of the site. The mosque is built in the middle of a garden surrounded by a madrasha on three sides. There is a pool and an open prayer area for summer in the well kept garden.There are 34 rooms , a domed mescid, a kitchenin the surrounding arched gallery
The remarkable antique wooden gate of the mosque with carved motifs on it , made by kundekari technique where no nails or glue used to put pieces together , worth a closer look. The three domed (one in the center being larger) rectangular interior is simple, the pulpit is a small balcony carved out of stone.The mosque's interior receives lots of lite through plenty of windows, yet there are air conditions, lite fixtures, cabintes, etc. to create visual pollution .
You can visit the mosque off prayer hours, where daytime prayers start at noon and twice in the afternoon. Ladies should cover headsa and bare arms. No shorts are allowed. The shoes must be taken off and can be kept on the shelfs inside the mosque.
9. Harran sit alani
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By Rod F - Royal Wootton Bassett, United Kingdom
We visited this as part of a tour from Goreme in 2009, but not this May because of the security situation it being close to the Syrian border. I just wanted to say that when the security situation returns to normal, I would say that it is well worth a visit. I want to share our previous experience with you. The famous beehive houses were in fact only built within the last 2 centuries. Each consists of a rectangular courtyard plan with a corbelled dome, and are constructed of mudbrick, about 1000 bricks being used in each room. The house we visited had 8 rooms with separate rooms for the men and women, an a communal area. We dressed in the beautiful Arab clothes for a picture. Harran is one of the oldest cities, dating back some 8000 years, and the home of the oldest Islamic university, although that was all destroyed long ago. Little now remains standing in the ancient city. An upsetting event did occur here when I wandered down to the kale. A young boy of about 10 years old threw a stone at me for not giving him money - he had a brand new bike! I informed the tour guide, who informed the village elder, and I hope that the boy was appropriately punished.
10. Golbasi Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
This is a lovely park recreating the story of Abraham being burned on a pyre by Nimrod, but God turned the fire to water, and the coals to fishes, and then Abraham flew through the air and landed in flowers. In fact what is , is a lovely park with trees, water and those "magic fishes"' where ordinary Kurdish Muslims go, both locals and loca pilgrims, to just relax with their families. It's a simple way to interact with local peoplehave a cup of tea, and just be some where, without rushing around "seeing things".
Reviewed By 982Patricia2014 - Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Cooled by jets of water in a sprinkler system and lit at night by coloured fairy lights this was a lovely tea garden. Very popular with large families taking up all the shady spaces at weekends.
