1-day Şanlıurfa & Göbekli Tepe tour

Göbekli Tepe has changed our picture of the Stone Age: the stone circles with their T-shaped pillars are about 12,000 years old – older than Stonehenge and the pyramids. We fly early in the morning from Istanbul to Şanlıurfa, drive out to the hill and then explore the city of Abraham with its museum, Balıklıgöl, the Mevlid-i Halil cave and the lively bazaar before you fly back in the evening.

Highlights

• Domestic flight Istanbul – Şanlıurfa and back, departing from IST or SAW
• Göbekli Tepe (UNESCO): stone circles about 12,000 years old with T-pillars and animal reliefs
• Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum with the "Urfa Man", one of the oldest life-size human statues
• Balıklıgöl, the pool of the sacred fish, and the tradition of Abraham
• Birth cave of Abraham (Mevlid-i Halil)
• Covered bazaar and the Ottoman caravanserai Gümrük Han

Full description

On a hill north-east of Şanlıurfa, hunter-gatherers built huge circular enclosures of limestone pillars, some more than five metres high. The central pillars have arms, hands and belts – they are stylised beings. Foxes, boars, snakes and vultures are carved into the stone. From the mid-1990s Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute excavated the site; today a roof protects it and walkways lead around the circles.

In the Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum we meet the "Urfa Man", a limestone figure about 11,000 years old, and finds from the whole region. In the old town we walk to Balıklıgöl: according to tradition Nimrod had Abraham thrown into the fire; God turned the fire into water and the logs into fish. Next to it lies the Mevlid-i Halil cave, where tradition says Abraham was born. We finish in the covered bazaar with a tea in the courtyard of Gümrük Han.

For you this means: you book everything in one step – flights, transfers and guiding – at one fixed total price.

What we see

We adapt order and selection to weekday, opening hours, weather and your wishes.

• 1 · Flight Istanbul – Şanlıurfa
  Early pick-up at your hotel, transfer to IST or SAW airport, flight to Şanlıurfa (GNY), drive to Göbekli Tepe.
• 2 · Göbekli Tepe
  Visitor centre and walk on the walkways around the enclosures with the T-pillars.
• 3 · Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum
  The "Urfa Man" and finds from the Neolithic to Ottoman times.
• 4 · Balıklıgöl and Mevlid-i Halil
  Pool of the sacred fish, mosques by the water and the birth cave of Abraham.
• 5 · Bazaar and Gümrük Han
  Covered bazaar with craftsmen and spice sellers, tea in the courtyard of the caravanserai.
• 6 · Flight back to Istanbul
  Drive to Şanlıurfa airport (GNY), evening flight, in Istanbul transfer back to your hotel.

Included

• Private, state-licensed tour guide in your language (Mehmet Humayunoğlu or an experienced colleague from his team)
• Domestic flight Istanbul (IST or SAW) – Şanlıurfa (GNY) and back
• Transfer hotel Istanbul – airport and back
• Vehicle with driver from and to Şanlıurfa airport (GNY) for the day programme
• Planning, coordination and time management of the day

Not included

• Entrance fees (among others Göbekli Tepe, Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum)
• Lunch, drinks
• Personal expenses, tips

Meeting point

We pick you up early in the morning at your hotel in Istanbul and bring you back there at the end of the tour. Departure airport is either Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW); destination airport is Şanlıurfa GAP (GNY).

You will recognise me by the sign “MeinReiseleiter.de” and the visibly worn guide licence. We confirm meeting point and time with your booking.

Important information

German, English, Turkish, French, Italian, Spanish – 25 more languages on request.

• Names as in your passport – We issue the flight tickets in the names you enter in the booking form. Please write them exactly as in your ID or passport.
• Bring your ID – All travellers need their passport or national ID card for the domestic flight.
• Flight times – We confirm the exact flight times and your hotel pick-up time with the booking.
• Long day – Early pick-up, back at the hotel late in the evening.
• Clothing – For mosques and the Mevlid-i Halil cave please cover shoulders and knees; women need a headscarf. Men and women enter the cave through separate entrances.
• Sun protection and water – In summer it gets very hot in Şanlıurfa; bring a hat, sun protection and water.