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Historical / Biblical sites. A different aspect to Turkey!
Con
Freezing in winter!
In a nutshell
city heritage showed to advantage
Schuelke Says: Beautiful and peaceful. The Ottoman-era Rızvanıze Mosque, built near the cave where the prophet Abraham was born, overlooks the pool where he was allegedly spared death. Known as Balıklıgöl (Pool of Sacred Fish), it is home to a thriving population of...
smirnofforiginal Says: This is the covered market which is in the centre of the bazaar. The bedesten was actually a caravanserai which sold silk.Right next to the bedesten is a beautifull courtyard which is the most wonderful place to chill away from the scorching sun and to grab a drink, meet up...
smirnofforiginal Says: For me this bazaar was much more fun than the Grand bazaar of Istanbul... the jumble of little streets, packed with more stalls and less neon lit shops.It was built in the 16th century and I hazard a guess that you could buy or acquire most items somewhere within the tangled...
smirnofforiginal Says: All around this area are parks, mosques and beautiful, mostly arcaded, courtyards.It is a peaceful place where people come to worship or spend quiet time with their families.The entire area is a photographers paradise and the people found to be nothing but friendly, gentle...
smirnofforiginal Says: Prophet Abraham's Brith Cave is a place of pilgrimage. There are separate sections for men and women and women must be fully covered (cloaks are available if you are inappropriately dressed). There is not really a lot to see... it is a cave and inside the cave there is...
smirnofforiginal Says: This is a beautiful, beautiful area... grounds, gardens, rose gardens and then the extremly long pools full of holy carp (fish). If you catch one you will go blind (legend has it) so you are much better settling for feeding them with the fish food that can be purchased for a...
traveloturc Says: Birecik and the hills of Birecik is the main stop of this birds.They are coming from Ethiopia and Madagascar also visible in Morocco and Algeria .They come here every year and they are trying to survive .The local people accept them with a lot of care and the last samples of...
suvanki Says: This large rectangular pool is known as Abadur Rahman Havuzu, and contains hundreds of 'sacred' carp.It is claimed to have dated back to Abraham, or to have been built by King Abhar 1X. Legend has it that anyone who eats the fish will go blind! This has resulted in an over...
suvanki Says: These attractively decorated domed ceilings, are typical examples of Islamic architecture, being symetrical in design. They cover the open walkways, surrounding the courtyard of the mosque. For me, they provided welcome relief from the heat.Stall holders were selling...
suvanki Says: Dergah is the area of Urfa south east of the sacred pools of Golbasi, which contains a complex of mosques and medreses This area is important for Muslim pilgrims, as the supposed birthplace of the prophet Ibrahim. Ibrahim or Abraham is an important figure in the Jewish and...
suvanki Says: I found the bazaar in Sanliurfa to be one of the most fascinating that I'd visited during my years of visiting Turkey.Parts of this bazaar seemed unchanged from how I'd imagined life in biblical times to be. I seemed to have entered a living museum! The covered bazaar...
17 Opinions
18 Opinions
Cevahir Konuk Evi: Cevahir Konuk Evi: One of the best in Urfa
MM212 Says: Located within the small hotel with the same name, Cevahir Konuk Evi is considered one of the best restaurants in Urfa all around. Not only does it serve excellent delicious local cuisine - such as a variety of Urfa Kebabs and the Urfa-style lahmajun (meat on flat bread) -...
Tea gardens and Lokantas in Golbasi
suvanki Says: The gardens surrounding Golbasi are a pleasant place to enjoy a cooling drink, during the heat of the day, or enjoy an evening meal. It's also good for people watching.During my daytime visits, i enjoyed glasses of hot sweet cay, which was quite refreshing. Cay is also the...
Helpfulness
Urfa didn't appear to have a lively nightlife culture- I think the main activity was eating, meeting with friends and family, and walking around Golbasi.
My favourite evening was spent in Golbasi- arriving at dusk, I was entranced by the illuminated pool area, where small groups were strolling around the area enjoying the cooler night air. The call to prayer echoed around the pool as men hurried to the nearby mosque.
I headed over one of the small stone bridges into the tea garden and lokanta area, where families were gathered eating, chatting and watching the videos playing under the moon lit sky.
I chose a family lokanta- more relaxing for a lone female traveller!, and enjoyed a delicious meal (see my restaurant tip for more details)
Although I felt quite safe wandering about by myself, I did get a taxi back to my hotel.
Dress Code: Travelling around SE Turkey by myself, I felt more comfortable wearing lose cotton clothing that covered me i.e trousers or skirt and long sleeved blouse.
Urfa is considered to be a holy city, with many pilgrims visiting the area.
So, probably best to keep your skimpy shorts and tops for the beach resorts.
Mossie repellent is a must too!
Written Aug 27, 2005
Address: Golbasi, Sanliurfa.
suvanki Says: On foot is one of the best ways to see and experience Sanliurfa.The main sights are all located within easy reach in the old town. Walking is often the only way to get around the sites. On your way to 'the sights' you might see lots of things that you'd miss if you were in a...
MalenaN Says: I took a night bus from Sanliurfa when I was going to Göreme. It was the bus going to Ankara so it dropped me in Aksaray. I had prepared for some hours wait but after 20 minutes I got a ride with a bus going to Sivas, past Göreme. I got the front site, next to the driver. It...
Helpfulness
In every Turkish city, town and most villages, you'll encounter at least one Shoe Shine man or boy.
I used to avoid them, until a few years ago in Istanbul, when I finally succumbed. A young boy patiently worked away on a pair of my leather sandals that had served me well over the years, and although as comfy as a pair of slippers, they were well past their sell by date, and heading for the bin at the end of my holiday.
However, this boy coaxed them back to life by painstakingly rubbing the polish in by hand, then buffing with a brush, then repeating the process twice more. I was very impressed by the effort and skill that he employed, with my sandals looking better than when I first bought them. He asked a very modest fee, and even when I gave him the same again as a tip, it was still only less than £1!
This man was quite a character, every time I passed by, he wanted to chat, or tell me the places I should be visiting. While he was polishing my shoes, he sent out for cay for me, and then wouldn't take any money!
He seemed to know everyone that was passing by!
Although his shoe cleaning kit wasn't as fancy as some (Some are very elaborate) he'd made an effort, by fixing artificial flowers and the Turkish flag to his!
So - take a seat, get Your shoes polished, have a chat, learn more about the country/ culture etc, and contribute a bit to the local economy
Updated Jan 18, 2008
hispanicimpressions Says: We knew Urfa was conservative, but it was surprisingly so. Despite dressing in an appropriate manner for the ME (long skirts, loose tops with long sleeves), we (two reasonably pretty girls, early 20s) were stared at by the men A LOT (most of the time). With occasional...
MalenaN Says: The big stone heads on Nemrut Dagi has fallen of huge sitting statues of gods and king Antiochus I. Antiochus ruled the kingdom of Commagene between 64 - 38 BC and thought of himself as a god-king. At the top of Nemrut Dagi he ordered the construction of temples and an...
MalenaN Says: Atatürk Dam is one of the largest dams in the world. The run-off from the hugh reservoir that's been created generates a lot of energy and several irrigation tunnels distributes water for the plains to the south.I went on a tour from Sanliurfa to Nemrut Dagi. On the way we...
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Sanliurfa was one of my favourite experiences during my travels in 1993. My 3 days here were spent exploring the town (The bazaar, Golbasi (the complex of mosques, tea gardens and sacred pool),...
Sanliurfa is a large city with more than 800 000 inhabitants in southeastern Turkey. In Turkey it is often called Urfa, as “Sanli” (meaning glorious) was added as recently as the 1980s. For many...
Sanli Urfa was the first town I visited in Turkey. It was also the only town that i was planning to visit, during a short unexpected holiday from my language school in Syria, until my "itinerary" was...
biblical and holy city....with a touch of orient
one of the oldest cities over world and history! abraham,job,st george stayed here. later "edesse" was occupied by seleucides,byzantines,persians,turks,arabs,crusaders moreover, a holy city,where......
A long, long way from Istanbul; Chadors, bazaars, spices... you have reached the Middle East. Sanliurfa was one of my favourite spots in Turkey; a place where the exotic and the beautiful offered...
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