Türkiye

Things to do in Şanlıurfa

18 places18 stories2 routes

Sightlore has 18 places to explore in Şanlıurfa, and 18 of them come with a 60-second story in 5 languages. Point your camera at a landmark to learn its name and story, and earn points and badges at the places you actually visit.

Şanlıurfa's must-sees

The city's most important places. In the app you see how many you've visited and earn a badge when you've seen them all.

  1. 1
    Balıklıgöl

    Balıklıgöl

    Balıklıgöl (or Pool of Abraham, Halil-Ür Rahman Lake), is a pool in the southwest of the city center of Şanlıurfa, Turkey known in Jewish and Islamic legends as the place where Nimrod threw Abraham into a fire.

  2. 2
    Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum

    Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum

    Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museums or Şanlıurfa Museum are located in the south-eastern city of Şanlıurfa (also known as Urfa), Turkey.

  3. 3
    Göbekli Tepe

    Göbekli Tepe

    Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic archaeological site in Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira) in modern-day Turkey. The settlement was inhabited from around 9500 BCE to at least 8000 BCE, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

    Read its story →
  4. 4
    Karahan Tepe

    Karahan Tepe

    Karahan Tepe is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, Turkey.

  5. 5
    Ulu Camii

    Ulu Camii

    The 12th-century Grand Mosque of Urfa is a congregational mosque in Urfa, Turkey. It was probably built on the site of an earlier Christian church, in this case possibly one dedicated to St. Stephen.

  6. 6
    Şanlıurfa Castle

    Şanlıurfa Castle

    Şanlıurfa Castle, or Urfa Castle in short, is a castle overlooking the city center of Şanlıurfa (previously Edessa), Turkey. The castle was built by the Osroene in antiquity and the current walls were constructed by the Abbasids in 814 AD.

  7. 7
    Carrhae

    Carrhae

    Harran is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, whose ruins might be in the city of Harran, which lie within present-day Turkey.

  8. 8
    Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

    Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

    The Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum protects Roman villa mosaics found on site, including the famous Amazon queens and Achilles mosaics, next to the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.

5 hidden gems

Little-known places that aren't on any route. They unlock when you've explored half the city in person with the app.

Discovery routes in Şanlıurfa

Visit the stops in any order and tap "Check in" at each one; finish the route to earn points and its own badge.

  • Balıklıgöl and Old Urfa

    A walk from the Archaeology and Haleplibahçe Mosaic museums to Balıklıgöl with its sacred fish, Urfa Castle and the Great Mosque.

    Walking · 3 h · 3 km · 5 stops

  • The Stone Hills

    A drive 12,000 years back in time: the megaliths of Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe, then the beehive houses of Harran.

    By car · 7 h · 160 km · 3 stops

Places to visit

Historic sites

  • Balıklıgöl

    Balıklıgöl

    Balıklıgöl (or Pool of Abraham, Halil-Ür Rahman Lake), is a pool in the southwest of the city center of Şanlıurfa, Turkey known in Jewish and Islamic legends as the place where Nimrod threw Abraham into a fire.

    Has a story

  • Şanlıurfa Castle

    Şanlıurfa Castle

    Şanlıurfa Castle, or Urfa Castle in short, is a castle overlooking the city center of Şanlıurfa (previously Edessa), Turkey. The castle was built by the Osroene in antiquity and the current walls were constructed by the Abbasids in 814 AD.

    Has a story

  • Göbekli Tepe

    Göbekli Tepe

    Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic archaeological site in Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira) in modern-day Turkey. The settlement was inhabited from around 9500 BCE to at least 8000 BCE, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

    Has a story

  • Karahan Tepe

    Karahan Tepe

    Karahan Tepe is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, Turkey.

    Has a story

  • Carrhae

    Carrhae

    Harran is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, whose ruins might be in the city of Harran, which lie within present-day Turkey.

    Has a story

  • Apamea on the Euphrates

    Apamea on the Euphrates

    Apamea or Apameia was a Hellenistic city on the left (viz., the eastern) bank of the Euphrates, opposite the famous city of Zeugma, at the end of a bridge of boats connecting the two, founded by Seleucus I Nicator (Pliny, v. 21).

    Has a story

  • Birecik Kalesi

    Birecik Kalesi

    Birecik Castle stands on a white limestone hill above the Euphrates, which is why it is also called the White Castle.

    Has a story

  • Birecik Bridge

    Birecik Bridge

    The Birecik Bridge is a 695 m (2,280 ft) long deck arch bridge carrying the D.400 across the Euphrates in Birecik, Turkey.

    Has a story

  • Hacınebi mound

    Hacınebi mound

    Hacınebi is a mound 5 km north of Birecik on a bend of the Euphrates. Excavations revealed a settlement with links to Uruk-period Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC.

    Has a story

  • Halfeti

    Halfeti

    Halfeti is a historic town on the Euphrates, partly submerged by the Birecik Dam reservoir. Boat trips visit the sunken houses and Rumkale; it is famous for its black rose.

    Has a story

  • Harbetsuvan Tepesi

    Harbetsuvan Tepesi

    Harbetsuvan Tepesi is a Neolithic site in Eyyübiye with T-shaped pillars like those of Göbeklitepe, part of the Taş Tepeler (Stone Hills) project.

    Has a story

  • Sayburç site

    Sayburç site

    Sayburç is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (9th millennium BCE) archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. The site is in the same geographical region as Göbekli Tepe.

    Has a story

  • Sefer Tepe

    Sefer Tepe

    Sefer Tepe is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A archaeological site in the Urfa region of Turkey. It participates to the T-shaped pillar tradition seen at Göbekli Tepe. It is part of the Taş Tepeler culture.

    Has a story

  • Sumatar Harabesi

    Sumatar Harabesi

    Sumatar Harabesi (also, Sumatar Ruins or simply, Sumatar or Soğmatar) was an ancient watering place for semi-nomadic peoples located in the Tektek Mountains, 60 kilometers (37 mi) southeast of Urfa (Edessa, Mesopotamia) and 40 kilometers (25 mi) northeast of Harran, in…

    Has a story

  • Sultantepe

    Sultantepe

    Sultantepe (Huzirina?), a tell with a temple complex from the Late Assyrian, an archeological site at the edge of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, now in Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey.

    Has a story

Museums

  • Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum

    Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum

    Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museums or Şanlıurfa Museum are located in the south-eastern city of Şanlıurfa (also known as Urfa), Turkey.

    Has a story

  • Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

    Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum

    The Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum protects Roman villa mosaics found on site, including the famous Amazon queens and Achilles mosaics, next to the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.

    Has a story

Places of worship

  • Ulu Camii

    Ulu Camii

    The 12th-century Grand Mosque of Urfa is a congregational mosque in Urfa, Turkey. It was probably built on the site of an earlier Christian church, in this case possibly one dedicated to St. Stephen.

    Has a story

Explore Şanlıurfa with your camera

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