2 Day Gaziantep, Gobeklitepe & Sanliurfa Tour

Highlights of the Gaziantep, Gobeklitepe & Sanliurfa Tour

Step back to the very dawn of civilisation on this intensive two-day expedition across Gaziantep and Sanliurfa, two of the most remarkable cities in Turkiye's deep south-east. In just two days, and with a professional English-speaking guide, you travel from the celebrated mosaics of ancient Zeugma to the 12,000-year-old sanctuary of Gobeklitepe — the oldest temple ever discovered — taking in the flooded village of Halfeti, the sacred pools of Urfa and the beehive houses of Harran along the way.

Your first day is devoted to Gaziantep, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy famed for its cuisine and craftsmanship. You visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world and home to the haunting "Gypsy Girl", then wander the historic heart of the city — Antep Castle, the Zincirli Bedesten and the Old Coppersmiths' Bazaar, the Gumruk Han and the centuries-old Tahmis coffee house. After lunch of famous Antep specialities you continue to Halfeti, where a gentle boat trip glides past the half-submerged minaret and the cliffs of Rumkale before you transfer to Sanliurfa for a traditional Sira Night of music and local food.

The second day explores Sanliurfa, the "City of Prophets". You discover the tranquil complex of Balikligol, the Pool of Sacred Fish, with the Halil-ur Rahman and Rizvaniye mosques and the Cave of Abraham, then dive into the colourful Sipahi and Kazzaz bazaars and the Grand Mosque. The Sanliurfa Archaeology Museum and the vast Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum set the scene before the highlight of the tour: Gobeklitepe, the Stone-Age temple that rewrote the history of humanity. A final stop at the mud-brick beehive houses of Harran, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited places, completes this unforgettable journey through the cradle of civilisation.