🏺Off The Beaten Track - Göbekli Tepe
From Old Towns to Ancient Temples: Our Unforgettable Trip to Göbekli Tepe
If you know me, you’ll know I’ve got a soft spot (okay, obsession) for archaeology and “old towns.” It’s become a bit of a running joke whenever we travel—no matter where we go, I’ll find an old part of town to wander through. But our recent trip to Göbekli Tepe? That one blew all the others out of the water.
This wasn’t just another old town—it was a journey to the oldest known temple complex in the world, and an unforgettable adventure that started as a surprise Christmas present.
✈️ Getting There: From Manchester to Mesopotamia
As part of a festive swap, we decided to book surprise trips for each other. My gift? A flight from Manchester to Antalya, followed by a quick overnight stay before catching a dawn flight to Şanlıurfa—just 30 miles from the Syrian border. Yep, it felt a bit off the usual tourist trail.
Şanlıurfa Airport is small, with just a handful of flights a day, so arriving felt like we were stepping into somewhere truly unique. We hopped in a taxi and headed to our hotel, Babil Antique, located—you guessed it—in the old town of Şanlıurfa.
🕌 First Impressions of Şanlıurfa
Şanlıurfa (also known simply as Urfa) had a vibe that reminded me of Marrakech, but stripped back—less touristy, more local, and totally authentic. English wasn’t widely spoken, so Google Translate became our trusty sidekick. But despite the language barrier, navigating the city felt like an adventure in itself.
We chose Babil Antique for its location, and it did not disappoint. We were within walking distance of:
Balıklıgöl (the sacred pool of fish)
The Urfa Caves
Urfa Castle
And the incredible Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum
🏛️ Discovering Göbekli Tepe
Before heading to the site itself, we spent time at the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (about £8 per person)—and we’d 100% recommend doing the same. It’s actually the largest museum in Türkiye and home to an incredible collection of artefacts from Göbekli Tepe, including carvings, statues, and tools. Fun fact: the Urfa Man, the world’s oldest known life-sized human statue, is also here!
To get to Göbekli Tepe, we caught the Number 0 public bus from right outside the museum. We'd seen mixed reports online about how often it runs, but our driver confirmed it’s every hour, with the last return bus at 5PM. Tickets? Just 24p per person each way—an absolute steal for a 40-minute trip into history.
⛩️ Göbekli Tepe: Rewriting History
Entrance to the site was around £17.50 per person (cheaper for locals). There’s a small visitor centre near the entrance, but honestly, the museum in town gave us a much deeper foundation. You can also grab an audio guide on-site to walk you through the history as you explore.
Standing among those T-shaped limestone pillars, some over 5 metres tall and weighing up to 10 tonnes, I couldn’t help but feel awestruck. These stones were carved and erected more than 11,000 years ago—by hunter-gatherers, without metal tools or the wheel. Let that sink in.
It raises so many questions about what we think we know about the beginnings of civilization. Were religion and monumental architecture a cause of settlement, rather than a result? Were we wrong about the timeline of complex societies? It's mind-blowing.
We caught the return bus at 4PM from the main car park, thoroughly buzzing from the whole experience.
🐟 Balıklıgöl, Sacred Legends, and Caves at Sunset
Back in Şanlıurfa, we made time to visit Balıklıgöl, a serene pool surrounded by gardens and steeped in legend. According to Islamic tradition, this is the spot where Abraham was thrown into the fire by King Nimrod, only for God to turn the flames into water and the burning logs into fish. Today, you can feed the sacred carp that now live there—just grab some fish food from local vendors.
We visited a few nearby restaurants (timing meals around Ramadan, as many spots didn’t serve food until after sunset), and we loved the local flavours.
One evening, we spotted the Urfa Caves all lit up and returned the next day to explore. These ancient caves, once used as a Roman-era necropolis, were free to enter and seriously atmospheric.
🛍️ Local Finds and Final Thoughts
Shopping in Şanlıurfa was fun and refreshingly unpolished. There were lots of independent shops, and yes—a fair few stalls selling fakes (mainly geared toward men and children), but they were way cheaper than what we saw in Antalya.
🧭 Final Thoughts from The Holiday Hackers
If you’re a history buff, a lover of ancient mysteries, or just someone who’s up for something a little different, Göbekli Tepe and Şanlıurfa need to be on your list. This wasn’t just a trip—it was a window into a completely different world.
It reminded us why we love travelling: not just to tick places off a list, but to challenge what we know, step out of our comfort zones, and maybe—just maybe—rewrite the way we see the past.
📍 Useful Info:
Museum Ticket: ~£8
Göbekli Tepe Entry: ~£17.50
Bus Fare: 24p each way
Return Bus Time: 5PM from Göbekli Tepe main car park
Best Tip: Visit the Şanlıurfa Museum before Göbekli Tepe!
