Private Daily Tour in Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe from Istanbul

Our tour guide pick you up from your hotel and drive to Istanbul Airport together. We suggest the TK 2246 flight from IST to Sanliurfa which takes off at 6.25AM. Driving takes around 1 hour. So, we must pick you up latest at 4.15AM.

Take flight to Sanlıurfa. Flight takes around 2 hours.

Karahantepe is believed to date back similar time with Gobeklitepe. Karahantepe has a special structure carved into the bedrock with a human head and phallic totem. It is thought to have a ritualistic function to be adult for a human.

We drive directly to Gobeklitepe where history started. This place is on-going archeological excavations at Gobeklitepe. Klaus Shmit who discovered Gobeklitepe gave this name to this hill which means abdomen hill. Although this site was not so widely known. But currently being undertaken anywhere in the world. It is thought that first humans was praying and thanking to mother nature for fertility. So They had built huge stones in T-shaped with animal figures on in tons of weights. It will be so exciting to be there and smell the oldest history on the hill. After having enough information there, we leave the area and drive to Karahantepe.

We have a lunch break in a local kebab restaurant. Sanliurfa is the home of Turkish Kebabs and is the city of Gastronomy in the world. Cevahirhan is the best restaurant to taste the local kebabs.

After than we visit Sanliurfa Archeology Museum and Halepli Bahce Mosaic Museum. They were closed for a year and reopened again in last January. Therefore, we include these worth to visit museums to our itinerary as we promised. We are going to see all findings from Göbeklitepe Hill and Karahantepe. And of course, Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum to see magnificent early Roman period floor mosaics of Roman Villas there.

Sanlıurfa is famous with its caves. It is believed Kızılkoyun caves are the oldest caves from Neolitic age. And It had been used during thelater periods too. Today we can see Roman tombs there.

Balikligol (means fish lake in English) has been considered sacred by Jews and Muslims. According to legend, this is where Abraham was thrown into a fire by Nimrod, but God turned the fire into water and the wood into fish. The pool is full of carb fish and not allowed to touch them. We walk around of pool.

Sanliurfa Historical Castle has a panoramic view of the city, Harran plain and Euphrates River. It had been built by the ancient kingdom of Osroene. It has two columns that are 33 meters high and are decorated with reliefs of animals and humans. They are believed to be symbols of the sun god Shamash and the moon god Sin. Also according to Islamic belief, These 2 columns were the Catapults where Abraham had been thrown away to fire. Castle is closed to visitors nowadays. So we walk around of it.

The Cave of Abraham in Sanliurfa is a sacred site for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham, who is considered the father of the three monotheistic religions.
According to legend, Abraham was born in a cave under the control of King Nimrod, who was a tyrant and an idolater. Nimrod had a dream that a boy would be born who would destroy his kingdom and spread a new faith. He ordered all the newborn boys to be killed, but Abraham’s mother managed to hide him in the cave for seven years. If we can have time left, we are going to visit here too.

The old bazaar of Sanliurfa is a treasure trove of history, culture, and art. It is a place where you can experience the rich heritage and diversity of this city, as well as find some unique souvenirs and gifts. It is a complex of narrow alleys and covered markets that sell a variety of goods, from traditional handicrafts and textiles to spices. It was very important marketing point on the Silk Road.

After completing our tour around 5.30-6.00PM we drive to Airport to catch our flight back to Istanbul.

We take TK2243 flight back to Istanbul which takes off at 20.15PM from Sanliurfa Airport. It takes 2 hours flight back to Istanbul.

Our driver will meet us at the airport to take us back to Hotel.