Batman, Turkey: cities, destinations and things to do

The province

Get to know Batman

Batman lies between the Batman River and the Tigris, south of the eastern Taurus Mountains. The capital grew in the 20th century with oil exploitation; for travelers, the interest is in the Tigris valley.

Hasankeyf, inhabited since the Neolithic, was an important city of the Artuqids and the Ayyubids, with a castle carved into the rock, a bridge over the Tigris and mosques. With the filling of the Ilısu Dam reservoir, much of the old town was submerged, and monuments such as the tomb of Zeynel Bey, covered in turquoise tile, the Artuqid bath, the zaviye of İmam Abdullah and the minaret of the Er-Rızk mosque were moved to a cultural park in the new Hasankeyf.

The Hasankeyf Museum, next to the park, houses finds from the rescue excavations carried out in the region. Boats leave the new town for trips on the lake, at the foot of the castle rock and past the sections of the old town that remain above water.

Hasankeyf is less than an hour from Midyat, in Mardin, and from the capital of Batman, which makes it easy to combine a visit with Mardin, Midyat and Siirt on the same trip through the southeast.

When to go

April, May, October and November are the most comfortable months. In summer it is very hot in the valley, and evening boat trips are cooler. Winter is mild, with rain.

Getting there

Batman Airport (BAL) is near the capital and receives domestic flights. Hasankeyf is about 40 km from the capital by road. Midyat, in Mardin, is less than an hour from Hasankeyf.

Your questions

Frequently asked questions about Batman

What can you see in Hasankeyf?

The cultural park with the relocated monuments, the Hasankeyf Museum and the castle rock, seen from the boats. The old town was largely submerged under the reservoir lake.

How do the boat trips in Hasankeyf work?

Boats depart from the quay of new Hasankeyf and circle the castle rock and the sections of the old town that remain above water. Schedules and duration vary by season; check at the quay.

How much time should you set aside for Hasankeyf?

Half a day for the park, the museum and the boat. Hasankeyf is usually a stop between Midyat and Batman or Siirt.

Batman or Midyat as a base for Hasankeyf?

Midyat has guesthouses in stone houses and pairs well with Mardin; Batman has an airport and city hotels.

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