Southeast Anatolia Region; Due to its thousands of years of history and the coexistence of different cultures, it has many beauties worth seeing. The region, which is located within the lands of Mesopotamia known as the fertile crescent, is among the first settlements of humanity. Ancient cities, monasteries, historical buildings, important religious centers that have hosted different cultures in the region are seen intensely. Some of the numerous places worth seeing are as follows:
1- Deyrulzafaran Monastery
Deyrulzafaran Monastery; It is one of the unique structures of Mardin province. Located 3 kilometers from the city center, the monastery is known as the Syriac masterpiece. There is an extremely interesting method for the construction of the monastery. It was built with a clamping system without any mortar between the stones placed on its ceiling. The monastery, which is a 3-storey structure, is thought to have been built in the 5th century. After this period, it became the patriarchate center of all Assyrians in the world for about 639 years.
2- Göbeklitepe Archaeological Site
Göbeklitepe; It is located near Örencik Village, 18 km northeast of Şanlıurfa city center. Found by chance by a farmer plowing his field. Gobeklitepe, It has features that will change the history of humanity. Studies carried out in Göbeklitepe have revealed that it has a history of 12 thousand years. For this reason, it is thought to be the oldest archaeological temple in the world. There are huge T-shaped rock blocks in the excavation area, with animal figures and reliefs on them.
3- Rumkale
Rumkale; It is located on the steep cliffs at the confluence of the Euphrates River and Merzimen Stream, 25 kilometers east of Gaziantep. Rumkale, which has survived from ancient times to the present, was originally built as a fortress city. There are many architectural works worth seeing in the city. The most important of these is the water well designed in a wide and cylindrical shape. At the same time, there are St. Nerses Church, Barşavma Monastery, water cisterns, ditches and many building remains in the castle.
4- Malabadi Bridge
Malabadi bridge; It is located on the Batman-Silvan highway, 23 km from Silvan. Located within the borders of Diyarbakır, the bridge was built in 1147 during the Artuqid period. Stone bridge; It is known as the stone arch bridge with the largest arch span in the world, with its pointed main arch with a span of 40.86 meters.
5- Balikligol
Balikligol; It is located in the southwest of Şanlıurfa city centre. According to the narrations about the lake, the Prophet Abraham was thrown into the fire there. The fire in which the Prophet Abraham was thrown turned into Balıklıgöl, and the burning wood turned into the fish in it. For this reason, the fish in the lake are considered sacred and protected.
6- Mount Nemrut
Nemrut Mountain; It is located near the Kahta district of Adıyaman. Mount Nemrut, with a height of 2150 meters, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. On the top of the mountain are huge statues of the Komagene Kingdom. Mount Nemrut, one of the most beautiful places to watch the sunrise and sunset, is among the popular places of Adıyaman. Apart from the gigantic statues seen on Mount Nemrut, it is said that there are endless tunnels inside the mountain.
7- Zeugma Ancient City and Museum
Zeugma Mosaic Museum; It is a museum that contains important works that shed light on Gaziantep’s history. The museum, which was opened to visitors in 2011, is the largest Mosaic Museum in the world. The world-famous “Gypsy Girl” mosaic is exhibited in the museum.
Zeugma Ancient City, on the other hand, is located on the hills, 10 kilometers east of Gaziantep’s Nizip district. Seleucus I Nikator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, founded the city in 300 BC. The city, which was founded with the name Selevkeia Euphrates, was built on the place where Alexander the Great crossed the Euphrates River. Later, a second city was founded opposite this city, named after his wife Apama. These two cities are connected to each other with the help of bridges. The name of the village, which was connected to Rome from 31 BC, was changed to “Zeugma”, which means “gate, bridge”.
8- Dara Ancient City
Dara Ancient City; It is located in the village of Oğuz, 30 kilometers southeast of Mardin. The history of the ancient city, which is considered to be the Ephesus of Mesopotamia, dates back to 530-570 BC. It was used as one of the most important settlements of Upper Mesopotamia in history. It was established as a military city in order to protect the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire against the Sassanids. The ancient city, which was carved into the rocks, spreads over a wide area. The perimeter of the city was protected by 4 kilometers of walls. There are ruins of churches, palaces, bazaars, dungeons, armory and dams inside. There are also historical houses carved into caves.
9- Diyarbakir Walls
Diyarbakir Walls; It is one of the most interesting buildings in the city. from the Great Wall of China It has the distinction of being the longest city walls in the world. The walls are 5.5 kilometers long and 7.8 meters high. There are inscriptions decorated with carved and relief motifs on the walls. There are also reliefs of a double-headed eagle, pilgrimage, bull, lion, sphinx and plants. The walls surrounding the old Diyarbakir were built for the first time in 3000 and 4000 BC, where the present citadel is located. The walls have 16 castles and 5 exit gates.
10- Harran Ruins
Harran Ruins; It is one of the most authentic areas of Şanlıurfa. The region, which carries traces of 5000 years of history, is referred to as the “Harran Plain”. There are houses, castle and city walls unique to Harran in the region. Known as one of the oldest settlements in Mesopotamia, Harran is known as the lands where the Prophet Abraham was born. It is said that the Harran ruins are the place mentioned as Haran in the Torah. Ibn Shaddad, one of the 13th century historians, It writes that Abraham lived in this city before he went to Palestine. For this reason, Harran is called the city of Prophet Abraham.
