Hasankeyf

The main castle, its monumental gates, the greater and lesser palaces, and the great mosque are all perched atop a 100 metre cliff over the river and look down on the current town. Many of Hasankeyf’s greatest attractions are here in what was a museum above where the flood waters will reach. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns this has been closed to visitors. To make the best of this climb the hill next to it to the ruined church where you will get the best possible view. Entry is 2TL though the kids may drive a hard bargain trying to sell you a pigeon.

While only the minaret remains of this 600-year-old structure it is a marvelous piece of engineering and Ayyubid architecture. The ornate calligraphy and reliefs are topped with a stork’s nest. Look for it near the foot of the bridge towards the castle.

A Byzantine church converted into a mosque by Ayyubid Sultan Suleyman in 1407 the complex is now mostly in ruins though a number of the domes stand and the minaret is in fine condition other than its missing top. The complex is backed by cliffs full of caves and cave houses as well as many other ruined structures on the eastern side of the historic town.

Life here has changed little over the years and for all the visitors that have passed through here the village is very authentic with only a small portion selling tourist trinkets. The town slowly seems to give way to ruins with little to no distinction between abandoned and inhabited neighborhoods. Make sure to take some time to explore this wonderful place.

This Mausoleum is a true historical rarity. It is the only structure of its kind in Anatolia built in a true Central Asian style and the only remaining structure built by the Akkoyunlus. This mausoleum was built in the mid 1400’s for the son of Akkoyunlu Ruler Hasan Uzun’s son who died fighting the Ottomans. The geometrical blue tile work on the exterior is calligraphy showing the names of various Islamic figures. In order to save this structure from the floodwaters it has been moved to the new town where fake ruins are being built around it in mimicry of the mausoleum’s original site.

View of South bank caves and cliff stairs

From the original site of the mausoleum of Zeynel Bey, near the old hamam, there is a great view of the cliffs with its many caves and zig-zagging stairs. The spot also gives a glimpse of the original fortress and some of the cliff edge buildings.

To the east of the bridge on the north bank there are a large number of caves and cave homes overlooking the river. Some of these appear to be in use by squatters or as stables and much of it is open to be explored. There is also a cave church with numerous crosses carved into the walls. Throughout the area of Hasankeyf there is believed to be over 5000 caves in total.

Spanning the Tigris and connecting the historic village with the north bank was the massive stone bridge of Hasankeyf. While there were certainly previous bridges crossing the river at Hasankeyf, the current structure was built by the Artuqids around 1100 AD and later destroyed by the Mongols. The bridge at Hasankeyf was one of the largest of its time and testament to the importance and wealth of the city. Confusingly, there are restoration efforts going into strengthening the remaining pieces before they disappear underwater.