Let’s Explore An Underrated Turkish City! Sanliurfa, Turkey Travel Guide
Sure as is said in the previous post I went to Sanliurfa for the proximity to Gobeklitepe but once I really dove into the history of this very underrated city (in my opinion) I knew there was so much more to it than just its location.
Situated in the southeastern part of Anatolia this city is vastly different than Istanbul and brings with it a different look into the culture of Turkey. This may be because a large portion of the population here are Kurdish (and not Turkish if you talk to them) or it could just be because of its history, geography, and landscape.
Either way, it is a place I highly recommend you take a little time out to visit Sanliurfa if you are exploring Turkey.
Sanliurfa — A Quick Look At Its History
Though like many cities in the world Sanliurfa has gone by many names (it even still as you might hear people call it Sanliurfa as well as Urfa) the modern name has a beautiful meaning.
The name Sanliurfa was given the city only bach in the id 80s and when broken down means “Urfa the Glorious”. This was done as a way for the Turkish government to recognize the resistance that the city formed during the Turkish War of Independence.
But Urfa has a much longer history. One that if you are a religious person or just someone who loves to study religious history you will be making a mistake by not including this city in your plans for Turkey. Sanliurfa is the birthplace of Abraham and is mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible.
It has been conquered and free several times by multiple empires including the Greeks, Romans, the Mongols, the Kurdish Zeng dynasty, and the Ottomans. On top of all that there is a ton of pre-monotheistic religion and neolithic sites in the region making it a must for anyone into history period.
Now that you know a bit of the history behind this amazing city let's talk about what there is to do and see!
Things to See…
I by no means saw everything there was to see I and around Sanliurfa aye one of the biggest regrets I will have about this trip is that I didn’t make my way out to see Mount Nemrut (if you want to know more about this iconic historic site check out this website) and didn't make my way up to Urfa Castle. But I did get to see a couple of museums and a pretty epic park (also known as the mosque complex).
Archaeological Museum
The Sanliurfa Archaeological Museum is a great place to visit along with your trip to Gobeklitepe. They have a large replica of what the stone circles would have looked like and a wide range of other archaeological finds for the region.
It's a decent-sized museum and once you have paid for the admission they give you a map that is easy to follow. The museum is set up with a clear path that guides you through time. The museum is located nicely as well and is easy to reach from the city center.
Make sure to check the hours of operation because in the winter months they are open for a shorter period of time. when it comes to admission right now (2022) the entrance fee is 25TL, but your can head to their website for more up-to-date info. This includes admission to the mosaic museum just up the tree-lined walkway as your headed to Golbasi Park.
For those that want an audio guide, you can get one of these as well. But in order to get this, you will have to turn over your ID or passport to the museum employee behind the counter. )You will get it back when you return the audio guide). Honestly, the museum is pretty well laid out and the signage is easy to read as it is in English as well so the audio guide might not be necessary.
As for how long you need for the museum that depends on you I will say that I am a huge history nerd (as I have said before) and I took just about an hour inside. That included me taking pictures and video (which are permitted as long as you don't use a flash).
Mosaic Museum
Since you have already paid for the admission I say why not check the Mosaic Museum out. It is a small museum and will take no more than 30 minutes for sure. (One word of note if you are not good with walking on glass walkways you might struggle with the museum.)
Just like with the archaeological museum if you want an audio guide you will have to hand over your identification to the museum employee. I would suggest the audio guide at this museum as the info displayed is not as informative as the main museum.
That being said be warned the numbers on the guide don't always match up with the numbers on the stations. So you might have to play a bit of a guessing game to get to the right number.
Golbasi Park
Golbasi park is in the center of the city and is home to a whole wealth of things to see. From the Cave of Abraham to the multiple mosques you might think this is a simple historic complex but you would be mistaken.
Inside this park, there are tons of restaurants and some pretty scenic restings spots that include several coy ponds. You could easily walk around this park for hours and still not see everything. On top of that, it is at the base of the plateu where the Urfa castle sits. Then as you leave the park you are greeted by a typical Turkish bazaar. It was the perfect way to finish my adventure in Sanliurfa.
So, that’s it for Sanliurfa and from there we will be off to Izmir next (with a quick pit stop in Ankara which I didn’t really explore thanks to the lovely winter weather!)! I really enjoyed my time in Sanliurfa and met some pretty cool people too. The friendly people and amazing history of this city are why I think you shouldn't overlook Sanliurfa. It is so much more than you would expect!
So until the next post Shadows, I wish you safe journeys. And if you'd like to see my vlog for this city and many others make sure to check out my YouTube channel too!
