MAP
History
Mesopotamia invites you to the the one and only places of the history of civilization. This geography, where the same words such as "nan" (bread) and "kabab" have been used for at least 4000 years, offers a unique historical and cultural experience that has survived to the present day as a result of many civilizations chained to each other. From the world's oldest monumental temple to the lands where the first steps were taken in the agricultural revolution, from prehistory to the present, most of the places where we can trace our ancestors are here. As civilizations transform from villages to cities and to empires, you feel as if you are visiting a museum at every step while walking around these settlements, where they left many traces. In these legendary lands, where animals were domesticated for the first time and written civilization was adopted the first, there are trade routes that have existed for three thousand years in some places.
Trace the Commagene Kingdom in and around Mount Nemrut, the 8th wonder of the world, and explore the ancient city of Perre in Adıyaman.
Visit Göbeklitepe, the world's oldest temple built 12 thousand years ago in Şanlıurfa, stop time and meet warrior Amazon queens at Şuayib Ancient City and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum.
Make a journey to the past in Diyarbakır Suriçi where history is engraved in stone, and greet the Tigris from the king tombs in Eğil Castle.
Discover how the Hittites made sculptures in a stone workshop at the Yesemek Open Air Museum in Gaziantep.
In Mardin, visit Dara, one of the most important settlements of Upper Mesopotamia, the garrison city built by Eastern Rome to protect against the Sassanids.
In Kilis, visit Oylum Mound, which sheds light on the 5500-year-old history of the region, and Ravanda Castle, which has witnessed many battles.
In Hasankeyf, the ancient city of Batman, follow the traces of dozens of civilizations in the region's 10,000-year-old time tunnel.
Visit the tomb of Mem u Zin in Şırnak and think about how the legendary lovers gave their lives for the sake of truth, goodness and innocence, even though they remained weak and helpless throughout their lives.
Güzir Höyük, Türbe Höyük, Başur Höyük, Çattepe / Till (Tell Fafan) await you in the Botan Valley in Siirt.
Zerzevan Castle, which is located 13 km from Çınar district and served as an important border garrison during the Roman period, also dazzles with its archaeological ruins. The area where Zerzevan Castle is located was used for military settlement and road security purposes during the Assyrian and Persian periods to protect the ancient trade route. With its 21-meter-high watchtower and defense tower and 15-meter-high walls, excavations in the settlement with a glorious past also revealed the Temple of Mithras.
Claimed to be the twin of Göbeklitepe, full of T-columns just like it, Karahantepe constitutes an important new tourist destination for Şanlıurfa. The structures unearthed in the Karahantepe ruins are monumental and unique ruins that we know from Göbeklitepe, dating back to approximately 12 thousand years ago. Along with Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe is one of the settlements containing the best preserved archaeological remains of the Neolithic Age.