10 Best Things to Do in Diyarbakir

By All Over InformationUpdated August 10, 20268 min read

Diyarbakir is one of Turkey’s most underrated cities, a place where six thousand years of history sit within walking distance of each other. Its black basalt walls, the longest surviving medieval fortifications in the world after the Great Wall of China, wrap a living old city of mosques, bazaars, and stone houses. The Tigris River runs below the walls, and the food is among the best in the country.

Most visitors give the city a day or two, and this list of ten essential experiences is designed to fit that window. It covers the monuments, the neighborhoods, the food, and the river, in roughly the order you could tackle them on foot.

1. Walk the City Walls

The walls of Diyarbakir are the reason the city is called the fortress of the southeast, and walking them is the single best experience here. The black basalt fortifications stretch for roughly five and a half kilometers around the old city, studded with towers and pierced by monumental gates. They were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2015, together with the gardens below.

The best route runs along the top of the walls between the Urfa Gate and the Mardin Gate. From the towers you look down over the old city on one side and the Hevsel Gardens and the Tigris on the other. The contrast of black stone, green fields, and river water is unforgettable.

Allow two hours, wear good shoes, and go in the morning or late afternoon. The stone holds the heat of the day, and the light on the basalt is at its most dramatic when the sun is low. Bring water and a camera.

2. Stroll Through the Hevsel Gardens

Below the eastern walls, the Hevsel Gardens spread across the floodplain of the Tigris in a patchwork of fields and orchards that have been cultivated for thousands of years. They are a working agricultural landscape rather than an ornamental park, and they still feed the city as they fed its medieval inhabitants.

A path descends from the walls into the gardens, and an hour among the vegetable plots is a peaceful counterpoint to the stone of the old city. Farmers tend onions, peppers, and melons by hand, and in season you can buy produce at the garden gates. The green corridor along the river is a haven for birds.

The gardens are best in spring, when they are at their greenest, and at sunrise and sunset, when the light is soft. Together with the walls they form the UNESCO listing that recognized the cultural landscape of Diyarbakir in 2015.

Diyarbakir, Turkey — Photo by Fotografikarabulut on Pixabay

3. Visit Ulu Cami

Ulu Cami, the Grand Mosque of Diyarbakir, was built in the eleventh century and is one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia. Its vast courtyard, ringed by arcades and centered on a fountain, is one of the most beautiful spaces in the city, and its architecture blends the stone building traditions of the region with influences from Damascus.

The mosque is open to visitors outside prayer times, and modest dress is required. The courtyard is the highlight, but the interior, with its rows of columns and carved stonework, deserves a slow look. The western facade carries inscriptions that date back centuries.

Time your visit carefully, because the mosque closes during the five daily prayers. The early afternoon prayer is the one most likely to disrupt a visit. A short detour from the mosque takes you to the four-legged minaret, which you can see next.

4. See the Four-Legged Minaret

The four-legged minaret is one of the most curious monuments in Turkish architecture, and it is unique to Diyarbakir. A square tower stands on four thick stone pillars, leaving a passage open at street level beneath it. The structure dates from the sixteenth century and has survived earthquakes and centuries of traffic passing beneath it.

The minaret belongs to the Sheikh Mutahhar Mosque, and the story of its unusual design is a favorite of local guides: the architect, so the tale goes, was challenged to build a minaret that would not block the street, and this was the answer. Whatever the truth, the engineering has proven itself for four centuries.

It is one of the most photographed sights in the city, and it is at its best in the late afternoon, when the low sun throws the pillars into sharp relief. The minaret is in the Sur district, an easy walk from Ulu Cami.

5. Explore Hasan Pasha Han

Hasan Pasha Han is a seventeenth-century caravanserai in the heart of the bazaar quarter, built to house merchants and their caravans on the trade routes of the southeast. Restored in recent years, it is now a courtyard of tea gardens, shops, and small restaurants, and it is the best place in the city to pause.

Sit in the courtyard with a glass of tea and watch the life of the old city pass by. The arcaded galleries, two stories high, follow the classic Anatolian pattern of a trading inn, with rooms for travelers above and storage for goods below. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the prices are reasonable.

The han is a good meeting point and an easy place to orient yourself in the bazaar. From its doors, the covered market streets run in every direction, which brings us to the next item on the list.

6. Shop the Bazaar Quarter

The covered bazaar of Diyarbakir is the working heart of the old city, and it is one of the great market experiences in Turkey. Coppersmiths hammer trays and teapots in open workshops, fabric sellers hang bolts of cloth from their doorways, and the spice stalls stack pyramids of sumac, cumin, and dried mint.

The best streets are the ones that specialize: a coppersmiths’ street, a textile street, and a spice market, each with its own atmosphere. Unlike the tourist bazaars of the west, this is a market where locals actually do their shopping, and the prices reflect it.

Bargaining is expected, though gently, and a glass of tea is part of the transaction. Copperware and kilims make the best souvenirs. Plan a couple of hours, and go in the morning when the workshops are busiest.

7. Cross the Dicle Bridge

The Dicle Bridge, also called the Tigris Bridge, is one of the finest old stone bridges in Turkey. Built in the twelfth century under the Artuqid rulers, it spans the river with a series of pointed arches, and it carried caravans and armies for centuries before the modern roads bypassed it.

The bridge is best visited on foot. Walk across it and look back at the walls rising on the city side, then down at the green water of the Tigris sliding between the arches. The setting, with the river and the low hills beyond, is one of the classic views of the region.

Sunset is the ideal time, when the stone turns warm in the last light and the river catches the color of the sky. The bridge is a short walk or taxi ride from the old city, and locals gather there in the evenings to sit and watch the light fade.

8. Taste Kaburga Dolmasi

The signature dish of Diyarbakir is kaburga dolmasi, lamb ribs stuffed with rice, almonds, and spices, then baked slowly until the meat falls from the bone. It is a feast dish, made for celebrations, and it is done nowhere in Turkey better than here. One portion is enough to share.

The dish appears on the menus of the better restaurants in the old city and the modern districts, and it is worth asking for, because not every lokanta makes it daily. Order it with the local flatbread and a yogurt drink, and save room for the regional sweets.

The food of Diyarbakir deserves more than one meal. Breakfast spreads, grilled meats, stuffed vegetables, and the famous local watermelon all reward exploration, but kaburga dolmasi is the dish that defines the city.

9. Climb the Mardin Gate

The Mardin Gate is the grand southern entrance to the old city, named for the road that once led toward the town of Mardin. Its massive towers and high arch are among the most impressive pieces of the fortifications, and the gate is the starting point for the best views over the Sur district.

Climb the tower for the panorama across the rooftops, with the walls curving away on both sides and the minarets of the old city rising above the houses. The gate area has been restored, and the towers are open to visitors. The view is best in the morning, when the sun is behind you.

The gate is also the natural southern anchor for a walls walk. Start here, follow the walls north, and you pass the Urfa Gate before reaching the New Gate near the bazaar quarter.

10. Watch Sunset from the Tigris

End your visit where the city began, on the banks of the Tigris. The river runs along the western side of the walls, and the evening promenade between the old bridge and the modern bridges fills with families, tea gardens, and strollers as the light fades. It is the most relaxed hour of the day in Diyarbakir.

Find a seat at one of the riverside tea gardens and order tea or a fresh pomegranate juice. The walls glow amber in the last light, the water slides past, and the call to prayer drifts across the city. It is a simple, perfect ending to a day in Diyarbakir.

The riverside is also where you will get the best photographs of the walls at sunset, with the reflections in the water. Bring your camera, and stay until the lights come on.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I need for Diyarbakir?

Two days is the right amount for the ten experiences on this list. Day one covers the walls, the Hevsel Gardens, and the old city monuments, and day two takes in the bazaar, the bridge, and the riverside. Travelers with three days can add day trips to nearby towns and sites in the wider region.

What is Diyarbakir best known for?

Diyarbakir is best known for its black basalt city walls, the longest surviving medieval fortifications in the world after the Great Wall of China, listed by UNESCO in 2015 along with the Hevsel Gardens. It is also famous for its ancient mosques, its food, and its position on the Tigris River.

When is the best time to do these activities?

Spring, from April to June, is ideal: mild days, green gardens, and comfortable walking weather on the walls. September and October are equally pleasant. Summer is very hot, so plan outdoor activities for early morning and evening. Winter is cold but quiet, with fewer visitors and lower prices.

All Over Information

The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.