Urfa

Urfa or Şanlıurfa is a city in Southeastern Anatolia, with a population of 597,000 in 2022. Its main attraction is the holy pool and religious complex associated with the prophet Abraham, a UNESCO World Heritage Site drawing pilgrims and tourists.

Urfa stands at a point where the plains of Mesopotamia make an indent into the mountains of Anatolia. So it’s on a trade route and has been settled for thousands of years, with a long list of city names awarded by successive conquerors. Edessa was the name assigned in 303 BC by the Seleucids, meaning abundant water. In 1031 AD it was the last major capture by the declining Byzantines, and its fall in 1144 prompted the Second Crusade (a debacle in the east, though they gained Portugal.) It came under Ottoman control in 1517, by which time Urfa was the city’s usual name. It fell on hard times by 1700, and especially after the Suez Canal opened in 1869, when sea trade supplanted the plod of camels along overland routes.

The popular response to economic decline was to massacre the city’s ethnic minorities, so the Armenian population of 20,000 was slain or deported in a series of atrocities culminating in 1915. Their place was taken by ethnic Turks fleeing from Russian-occupied Armenia. When World War One ended with the defeat of the Ottomans, the initial peace treaty awarded Urfa to French-controlled Syria. A local militia chased out the French occupying forces on 11 April 1920 – that’s 11 Nisan in Turkish, a date commemorated in placenames. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne re-assigned Urfa to Turkey.

The city of Antep 150 km west was honoured as Gaziantep (Gazi = heroic) for its part in throwing off French occupation, and the citizens of Urfa felt they deserved similar kudos. Their petitioning succeeded in 1984 when it was renamed Şanlıurfa (Şanlı = glorious). So anything official uses that name, while locals still call it Urfa, and others hedge their bets by displaying it as Ş. Urfa. Tourism and pilgrimage centre on Urfa’s association with the prophet Abraham. The town otherwise makes a living from trades such as shoes and leatherwork, quarrying, and pistachios. It’s also been blighted by the wars in Syria, and has a large refugee population.

The climate in summer is baking hot and dry, routinely above 38°C, and the heat lasts through September. Winters are dreary but snow at the low plains doesn’t last. March and April have storms (kırkikindi) and rain. So May and October are the best times to visit.

Most transport websites recognise Urfa as the town name, but a minority insist on Şanlıurfa. The Ş character is seldom available on non-Turkish keyboards, so you have to cut-and-paste.

37.445538.90441 Şanlıurfa GAP Airport has several flights a day from Istanbul (both IST and SAW) and daily from Ankara and Izmir. It has the usual facilities including car hire. GAP stands for the southeastern Anatolia irrigation project, and the airport is 36 km north of city centre on D-885 / E99 towards Siverek.

Havaş bus meets all flights and runs downtown, 45 min. Outbound it leaves two hours before flights from opposite Nevali Hotel, 2 km north of Old Town (see Sleep).

Urfa is on Highway D-400, which traverses Turkey along the Mediterranean coast then onward to the border with Iran.

Buses from all parts of Turkey run to Gaziantep then continue for two hours to Urfa and then on east towards Diyarbakır and Mardin.

Bus lines are Metroturizm and Kamil Koç, now part of Flixbus.

37.186538.80452 Otogar is the bus station, 2 km north of city centre off Haliliye Blv. The lower deck is for local buses and the upper for long-distance. Exit west to find a dolmuş or taxi to the centre.

Most sights are in a compact walkable area. Dolmuşes ply the main streets.

Göbekli Tepe archaeological site is 20 km northeast of city centre. Take the hourly Bus 0 from the Archaeology Museum: this also calls at the airport bus stop by Nevali Hotel.

• 37.15361138.7816671 Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum, 2372nd Sk 74, ☏ +90 414 313 1588, sanliurfamuzesi@kultur.gov.tr. Daily 08:30-17:00. A large museum that needs a couple of hours to explore, covering the history of the region from the Paleolithic to the Ottoman period. Many exhibits are rescues from archaeological sites flooded by the GAP project. There are life-size reconstructions of Göbekli Tepe, which will help you decide whether to take the bus out to the site itself. An annex 100 m south of the main building is a display of mosaics. Adult €10.  (updated Oct 2026)
• Kızılkoyun Necropolis is east across Haleplibahçe Cd from the mosaic annex. Some 75 tombs were carved into the rock in Roman times, 3rd – 4th Century AD. The site was damaged from 1970 when it was a squatter village, until 2018 when the squatters were ejected. It’s free to view in daylight hours.

• 37.147738.78472 Gölbası is the complex of pools, mosques and shrines at the heart of Urfa, free to access 24 hours. It’s dedicated to the confrontation between Abraham / İbrahim / Rahman and the wicked king Nimrod, who are both entirely mythical, with numerous versions of their legend. Their crux is that Abraham preached of the one true God, denouncing idolatry and Nimrod’s own claim to be divine - this makes him a revered founder-figure of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the usual telling, Abraham grows up in Ur in Babylon, but local legend places him in Urfa. A furious Nimrod casts him into the fire but God turns the fire into water and the firewood into fish; Abraham is catapulted into the air but lands softly in a bed of roses. In later life Abraham journeys west from Ur through Harran to Hebron where he’s buried.
• Balıklıgöl (fish lake) is the centrepiece of Gölbası, a long rectangular pool stocked by carp, symbolising the firewood. Of course it’s dreadful bad luck to inconvenience the fish in any way. They gather at your approach, expecting to be fed, but they’re so bloated that the next morsel might cause them to explode, bad luck all round.
• Rizvaniye Mosque north flank of the pool was built in 1736, with an elegant facade.
• Halil-ur-rahman Mosque and medrese is south flank of the pool, built in 1819. It’s open 05:00-23:00.
• Ayn Zeliha Gölü is a smaller pool 30 m south of Balıklıgöl, supposedly created by the tears of Zeliha daughter of Nimrod as she watched Abraham’s plight.
• Mevlid-i Halil Mosque 50 m south of Balıklıgöl is richly decorated. It stands over the Cave of Abraham, where supposedly he was born and lived in hiding from Nimrod, whenever he wasn’t doing so in Ur. It’s open 24 hours.
• Hasan Padişah Mosque at the east end of the complex was built in 1460.
• 37.145438.7843 Şanlıurfa Castle. Closed. This has existed since at least the 2nd century BC, with newer walls from 814 AD. Not much within and it’s been closed for repairs for years. It’s worth walking up to the terrace below the entrance, especially at sundown as the colours of dusk flood the old town and the evening call to prayer echoes over the alleys.  (updated Oct 2026)
• Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) on Divanyolu Cd was built in the 12th century over the earlier Church of St Stephen. It’s been closed for reconstruction for years.
• 37.15138.79684 Bey Kapısı is the best preserved of the old city’s three gates, though it’s a 19th century rebuild.
• City Museum is set into a remnant of the city walls by Bey Kapısı at 970th Sk 43. It’s a smaller version of the Archaeological Museum, open Tu-Sa 08:00-17:00 and free.

• 37.121338.77485 Nimrod’s Throne (Nemrutun tahtı) is the ruin of Deyr Yakup Monastery, a viewpoint on a ridge southwest of the city. Yakup is the Biblical Job. Take great care scrambling here.
• 37.223138.92256 Göbekli Tepe, Örencik (Bus from museum), ☏ +90 414 313 1588, sanliurfamuzesi@ktb.gov.tr. Daily 08:30-17:00. Village from 9000 BCE, the world’s oldest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic when humans made the transition from hunter-gather to settled agriculture. Several megaliths appear to have had ritual use, which would make them the oldest known temple. The site is fairly small so an hour will see you back on the bus to city centre. Adult €21.  (updated Oct 2026)

• Hamams are traditional Turkish baths. There’s a dozen in city centre.
• Football: Şanlıurfaspor play soccer in TFF 2. Lig, the third tier, at 11 Nisan Stadyumu.
• Abraham Path is a plexus of hiking routes through sites associated with Abraham, including Urfa, Harran, Jerusalem and Hebron.

• Şanlıurfa Bazaar is the traditional covered marketplace, 200 m northeast of the Gölbası complex.
• AVM means a shopping mall. The closest to city centre is Piazza AVM, 200 m north of the museum on 11th Nisan Fuar Cd, open daily 10:00-22:00.
• Local specialties: Automatic weapons were formerly piled high on the market stalls of Urfa, to be smuggled south into conflict zones. The wind-down of the war in Syria and the closing of most border crossings have diminished this trade.

The combination of heat, poor food hygiene and raw meat are a sure recipe for Travellers' diarrhea. When reviewers say the çiğ köfte raw mincemeat kebabs are to die for, they’re dead right.

Eating places are generally open daily from early morning to 22:00 or later. Well-liked places include:

- Zahter Kahvaltı Salonu, corner of Atatürk Blv and 10th Sk,

- Gülizar Konuk at Divanyolu Cd 20,

- Çardaklı Köşk on Balıklıgöl Cd by the fish pool,

- and the cluster of tea-houses around the pool.

Tap water is not safe to drink, stick to bottled.

As Urfa is a city of pilgrimage, few places sell alcohol in any form. Stick to juice or tea / coffee.

Menengiç is a local version of coffee blended with pistachio beans, with a sweet, nutty flavour.

• Aslan Guest House, 1351th Sk 10, ☏ +90 542 397 5789. Friendly guesthouse in a 19th century house, with private rooms and dorm (all with a/c) around a pleasant courtyard. B&B double 3000 TL. (updated Oct 2026)
• Beyzade Otel, 916th Sk 14, ☏ +90 414 216 3535. In a historic mansion, but this basic place is seldom clean. B&B double 2000 TL. (updated Oct 2026)

• Hotel Bakay, 11th Nisan Fuar Cd 30, ☏ +90 414 215 2689. Simple place, acceptable for the price. (updated Oct 2026)
• Hotel Harran is on Atatürk Blv at the corner of 10th Sk.
• Ipek Palas is nearby at Kule Cd 2.
• 37.159838.78671 Dedeman, Meteoroloji Cd 19, ☏ +90 414 318 2500. Business-type chain hotel. B&B double 4000 TL.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 37.155238.7792 Hilton Garden Inn, 11th Nisan Fuar Cd 54, ☏ +90 414 318 5000. Clean efficient chain hotel near the main sights, with parking. B&B double 4000 TL.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 37.16638.7963 Nevali Hotel, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Blv 2, ☏ +90 414 318 8000. Business hotel in the north city. The airport bus picks up and drops off here. B&B double 10,000 TL.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 37.181438.80654 Doubletree by Hilton, Vatan Cd 6, ☏ +90 414 290 6666. Smart chain hotel north edge of city, handy for motorists. B&B double 8000 TL.  (updated Oct 2026)

Beware traffic, safeguard valuables and avoid low-life, same as anywhere else.

As of Oct 2026, Urfa has 5G from all Turkish carriers, with 4G on the approach roads.

• Harran 45 km south is an ancient settlement with beehive huts huddled around a fortress. That highway continues to Akçakale on the Syrian border, but there's nowadays no crossing point.
• Mardin 200 km east has fine Ottoman architecture and Syriac Orthodox churches.
• Atatürk Dam is 66 km northwest along D-875 the highway to Adıyaman and Malatya. Completed in 1990, it dams the Euphrates to form a great barrage lake and irrigate previously arid areas of Anatolia.
• Kâhta is the best base for driving up Mount Nemrut, where statues of gods litter the summit. Nemrut is the same fellow as Nimrod, and the king who commissioned the statues had similar divine pretensions. Kâhta is 150 km north by road, as you have to circle the barrage lake.
• Diyarbakır 180 km northeast is the largest city of the region, with an old town sheltered behind stout basalt walls.
• Batman further east is an overlooked spiritual descendant of Abraham. It's named for Batı (meaning west) Raman mountains and oilfield, and Raman refers to the prophet.
• Halfeti 120 km west is a surreal sight, a town half-submerged by a barrage lake.
• Gaziantep 150 km west has a museum with Roman mosaics rescued from the rising lake waters.

Gaziantep ← Nizip ←	W  E	→ Concurrent with
Gaziantep ← Nizip ←	W  E	→ Kızıltepe ( N) → Nusaybin → Habur
Diyarbakır ← Hilvan ←	N  S	→ Akçakale/Tell Abyad → Becomes Route 712 → Raqqa