Batman

Batman is a city in Southeastern Anatolia, with a population of 492,000 in 2023. It's the chief city of an oil-producing area and is entirely modern. It's pronounced baat-maan, not like the name of the superhero, and in Kurdish is known by its older name of Iluh.

This was the insignificant Kurdish village of Iluh until oil was discovered nearby: first the Raman field from 1940, then the larger Batı (meaning west) Raman field from 1961. They’re Turkey’s largest oilfield and remain in production, with decades of proven reserves. This quickly led to sprawling industry, immigration of labour and a rash of shoddy ill-planned buildings. It also made the new city a focus of ethnic tensions: Turkish central government sought a tight grip on a place too lucrative to be trusted to the Kurds. For starters, that Kurdish placename would have to change. The river which flows a few km west to join the Tigris is called Batman from a contraction of Batı Raman, and in 1957 the city adopted that name.

In 1939 a similarly lucrative resource was tapped into when Bob Kane and Bill Finger created the comic character Batman. He’s still going strong approaching a century later, and occasional tourists are drawn by the name to the city of Batman. In 2008 the mayor Hüseyin Kalkan proclaimed that he was going to sue Warner Bros for use of the city name in The Dark Knight: no such suit followed and it was laughed off as a publicity stunt. But it was as much about publicising his own imprisonment for promoting Kurdish self-identity, tantamount to terrorism in Turkish state eyes. His predecessor and successor mayors were likewise imprisoned, until by 2020 the central government tired of the charade of democracy and put its own placemen in control.

37°53′24″N 41°7′48″E

Map of Batman

37.94641.12091 Batman Airport (BAL  ^IATA) has two or three flights a day from Istanbul (IST), taking 2 hours, and daily from Istanbul (SAW), Izmir and Ankara. It’s a small modern airport with the usual facilities including car rental, and is adequate for its limited footfall.

(Shame really, but IATA code BAT is for Barretos in Brazil, and MAN is for Manchester in England.)

The airport is at the north edge of town, but the terminal is on its north perimeter 8 km from city centre off D955. A bus shuttles downtown, otherwise take a taxi.

Batman is 100 km east of Diyarbakır on Highway D-370. This continues east eventually to join D-400 to the borders of Syria and Iran. From Istanbul (1533 km) or Ankara follow the toll motorways O-21 and O-52 past Adana and Gaziantep to Diyarbakır.

Buses from Istanbul run daily and take 22 hours via Gebze, Ankara, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Urfa and Diyarbakır.

One bus a day is from Konya via Adana, Gaziantep, Urfa and Diyarbakır, continuing to Bitlis and Van. The main bus lines are Metro Turizm and Kamil Koç, now part of Flixbus.

37.906741.11112 Batman Otogar is the bus terminal, at the north edge of the city off D-370. Take a taxi or dolmus downtown.

Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi runs five days a week from Ankara, taking 25 hours via Malatya and Diyarbakır. It arrives around 12:30 (often way late) then continues for another 1 hr 40 min to Kurtalan. This train is horribly overcrowded in early August as seasonal farm workers head west for the Anatolian harvest.

37.878441.12293 Batman Garı is the railway station. There’s a spasm of activity and the ticket office might be open when the westbound train comes through at 11:00 then the eastbound. It’s otherwise a very quiet place with no facilities, but it’s central, exit north for city amenities.

Buses, dolmuşes and taxis ply the main streets of this sprawling town.

• 37.898641.14111 Batman Museum, Barış Blv, ☏ +90 488 214 1051. Tu-Su 08:00-17:00. Archaeological museum with three halls: one for the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, a second with items from the Ilısu Dam excavations and a third for the drowned village of Hasankeyf.  (updated May 2026)
• Ulu Cami or Grand Mosque is by the railway station on 715th Sk. It was built from 1956 and is fairly plain.
• Yıldız Cami Kebir is a modern-style building, unusual for a Turkish mosque. It's 500 m northeast of the railway station at Atatürk Blv 81.
• Batman Atatürk Parki. Built on the remains of an outdoor cinema, with play areas and a landmark pyramid—like monument. (updated May 2023)

• Photograph the "Batman" town sign, preferably at a point on the highway where it's safe to stop.
• Football: Batman Petrolspor were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in TFF 1. Lig, the second tier. Their stadium (capacity 15,000) is south edge of the city.
• Hamams are traditional Turkish baths. There's half a dozen round city centre.

Batman Park AVM is the main shopping centre, by the junction of Turgut Özal Blv and Ahmet Necdet Sezer Blv. It's open daily 10:00-22:00.

• Turgut Özal Blv north from the railway station has the main strip. Along here are Cuma Usta, Çömçe Et, Diyar Et, Black Cafe, Mehmet Usta, Arturkbey Cafe, Sun Brothers Pizza, Gurme Kokoreç, Ciğerci Koçer, Saraygülü, Ali Usta, Heyran Gap and Amor Lounge.
• Ziyade Et Lokantası, 3240th Sk (off Firat Cd), ☏ +90 488 221 3434. Spacious canteen with trad dishes. (updated May 2026)

Most cafes and restaurants serve alcohol.

• Grand White Hotel, Cumhuriyet Blv 21 (by railway station), ☏ +90 488 213 9153. Clean central hotel. B&B double €100. (updated May 2026)
• Batman Otel Sason is a simple guesthouse opposite the railway station at Mehmed Sincar Cd 16.
• 37.885941.1381 Mesa Hotel, Ahmed Arif Blv 141, ☏ +90 488 213 3639. Modern hotel in a quiet area.  (updated May 2026)
• Buyuk Gecit Hotel is across the street from Mesa at Ahmed Arif Blv 148. The original Gecit Hotel facing gets rotten reviews.
• Hasankeyf Grand Hotel, Atatürk Blv 155, ☏ +90 488 212 4566. Comfy place at Dörtyol the main city roundabout. B&B double €100. (updated May 2026)
• Hotel Gapel is a basic place just south of Dörtyol at Yaşar Kemal Cd 25.
• Atlıhan Park Otel is 100 m south of Dörtyol at Atatürk Blv 143.
• Ancient Mesopotamia Hotel, Turgut Özal Blv 170 (100 m north of Dörtyol), ☏ +90 488 212 2434. Good scores for comfort, cleanliness and food. B&B double €100. (updated May 2026)
• Hotel Izgi Turhan is by the park at Turgut Özal Blv 260.
• 37.896641.13082 Hotel Bozooğulları, Turgut Özal Blv, ☏ +90 488 215 0444. Reasonably modern and comfy.  (updated May 2026)
• Siya Boutique Hotel is a block north of Bozooğulları at Şehit Fethi Sekin Sk 15.
• Real Konak Hotel is north side of town at 2519th Sk 98.
• 37.946141.14123 Ramada Plaza, Demokrasi Blv 68, ☏ +90 444 8172. Comfy business hotel near the airport turn-off. B&B double €130.  (updated May 2026)

As of May 2026, Batman city centre has 5G from all Turkish carriers, and the approach roads have 4G.

• Hasankeyf 38 km southeast is a drowned village on the banks of the Tigris. Some of its antiquities have been moved to a new village on higher ground.
• Diyarbakır 100 km west has suffered much from earthquakes and property developers but retains an old centre behind black basalt walls.
• Tatvan 155 km northeast is on the shores of Lake Van. Continue round the lake to Van, for its ancient castle.

END ← Diyarbakır ←	W  E	→ Siirt → Ends at in Şırnak (W E)
END ←	N  S	→ Hasankeyf → Mardin