Hasankeyf
A town on the Tigris with over ten thousand years of history. In 2020 the Ilısu reservoir flooded much of the old town, and its monuments were moved to a new archaeological park, where visitors can take a boat past the remaining castle cliffs.
Hasankeyf lies on the Tigris in Batman Province. It has over ten thousand years of human habitation and was once the capital of the Artuqid dynasty and others. It is famous for its cliff castle, cave dwellings and medieval bridge piers. After the Ilısu Dam began filling in 2020, most of the old town was submerged. The government moved several monuments as whole structures, including the Zeynel Bey Tomb, the Eyyubi Mosque and city gates, to the Arkeopark archaeological park across the river, and built a new town and museum. Today visitors can see the relocated monuments, eat grilled fish by the lake in the new town, and take a boat to see the castle cliffs rising above the water. It is about 110 km from Mardin (roughly 1.5 to 2 hours by car) and is often visited on the same day as Midyat. Opinions about the site are divided, so it suits those with a strong interest in history.
Opening hours
Archaeological park open during the day
Nearby sights
- Midyat Old Town
- Mor Gabriel Monastery
- Savur
- Mar Jacob Church, Nusaybin
- Dara Ancient City
- Deyrulzafaran Monastery
- Sakıp Sabancı Mardin City Museum
- Şehidiye Mosque