Hasankeyf
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Insu
Icmeler, Türkiye761 contributions
June 2024 • Friends
Batman Province (or Batman ili in Turkish) is in southeastern Turkey. The area is characterized by a warm climate with hot summers and cozy winters. Here you can enjoy the beautiful nature and historical sights.
The total population of the province is 510,200.
Major cities and districts:
- Batman (administrative centre)
-Beshiri
- Gerjus
- Goat
-Sason
Hasankeyf
Batman Province lies in the fertile valley of the Tigris River, which was settled long before the beginning of historical times. It was home to the ancient city of Elehan, which was later conquered by the army of Alexander the Great. The area also served as an outpost on the Silk Road and was settled by Assyrian Christians, Greeks from Pontus, Jews and Armenians. The province later became a religious centre and part of the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuks and Artukids ruled the area in the 11th and 12th centuries, and in the 16th century the region became part of the Ottoman Empire.
The province has extensive road connections, a railway station and a domestic airport in Batman.
Agriculture is the main economic sector of the region, as well as food and textile industries, oil refining and tourism.
Among the main attractions in the area can be highlighted:
- Historic Hasankeyf Quarter
- Malabadi Bridge
- Old bridge in Hasankeyf
- River Tigris
The total population of the province is 510,200.
Major cities and districts:
- Batman (administrative centre)
-Beshiri
- Gerjus
- Goat
-Sason
Hasankeyf
Batman Province lies in the fertile valley of the Tigris River, which was settled long before the beginning of historical times. It was home to the ancient city of Elehan, which was later conquered by the army of Alexander the Great. The area also served as an outpost on the Silk Road and was settled by Assyrian Christians, Greeks from Pontus, Jews and Armenians. The province later became a religious centre and part of the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuks and Artukids ruled the area in the 11th and 12th centuries, and in the 16th century the region became part of the Ottoman Empire.
The province has extensive road connections, a railway station and a domestic airport in Batman.
Agriculture is the main economic sector of the region, as well as food and textile industries, oil refining and tourism.
Among the main attractions in the area can be highlighted:
- Historic Hasankeyf Quarter
- Malabadi Bridge
- Old bridge in Hasankeyf
- River Tigris
Automatically translated
Written 24 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rasim Yildiz
Istanbul, Türkiye100 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
After 30 years, I visited the Hasankeyf region again. Of course, the area has been changed a lot compared to my previous visit. Historical artifacts were carefully moved and placed in their new locations. The region has been restructured. In addition, many beautiful houses have been built for the people living in the region.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the construction of a fantastic area.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the construction of a fantastic area.
Written 19 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erhan Yildirim
Türkiye2,412 contributions
Mar 2021
HASANKEYF -CEPHENIA-HISN KEYFA
today, the historical hasankeyf district, which is connected to batman province, is accessible by minibus and buses from batman city center and midyat district.you can also take a boat tour on ilisi Dam Lake and again from the places where you can see the Tomb of zeynel bey, which was saved from the waters of Ilisu dam..I'd like to give you a brief history of the place .good reading….
Hasankeyf district, which is a wonder of nature and history with its 12 000-year history and more than 7000 caves, founded on the edge of the Tigris River, which is the source of life of Mesopotamia and fertile crescent lands.
The first inhabitants of the city were dominated by the Hurrians, then the Akkadians (naram -sin BC 2200-2300), Assyrians,urartians, Medes, Persians, Alexander the Great, Roman, Parthians, Sasanians and Islamic armies.
The period with the most works(mosques,bath,bridges) left in the city was the period of Artuqids(diyar-i bekr and hısn keyfa artuqids) and Ayyubid .(AD 11-14 century).having inhabited areas since the paleotic period, the city owes its importance to the Tigris River, the river transport trade via the Tigris(diglat) River(port) and more than 7000 caves formed by human hands or natural means.the first sources with the city date to the new Assyrian period(7th-10th century BC).During the expeditions to the region during the period of II Asurbanipal(BC 9 century) the area in which the region is located is referred to as Kipani.Along with the region in Assyrian sources, the names kasyari region and izala mountains are used.after the Assyrians, the most obvious sources about the city date back to the AD 4th century.first, the struggle between the Parthians and the Romans in Mesopotamia (Euphrates-Tigris), which lasted for centuries, turns into a Sassanid Roman struggle after the fall of the Parthians.
the eastern border of Rome goes as far as the banks of the Tigris River.the region constantly changes hands between 2 Kingdoms.Rome built or fortified several forts in the border areas against Sassanid incursions.Dara,amida,zerzevan,Heysem,hısn keyfa castles some of them are.when Rome lost the city of nusaybin(nisibis), he built Hisn keyfa Castle so as not to lose any more land.built on a steep rock about 100 meters from the Tigris River, the castle was built during the reign of Konstantinos II ( AD 337-361).the walls of the city of amid, where Syriacs fleeing the Sassanids took refuge, and the size of the castle(diyarbakır fortress) were increased to 2 times due to the large number of refugees.
In medieval Islamic sources, the name “Hisn Keyfa” is commonly used for this place. The word” Hisn “is of Arabic origin and Means” Castle". The word” Keyfa "means" rock” It is presumed to derive from “kifo”of Syriac origin. Hence “Hisn Keyfa “means” kaya kale " in Turkish. A hundred meters from the castle in the city due to the fact that it is built on a large rock mass of cliff and monolithic in height it is presumed to have received the name.the city has changed hands continuously due to its large location and the advantages of Port transportation.This struggle continues until it is conquered by the armies of islam in the 7th century.it is home to the most important port of the river trade, starting from the city of amida(diyarbakir) and leading to cizre and from there to the city of Mosul.since ancient times, river transport(tigris) is an indispensable trade route for the Mesopotamian region.most of the 7,000 caves that have caused hasankeyf to be known all over the world are caves built by human hands, both as a natural refuge and for protection from natural and wild animals.the main reason for the easy construction of caves is that limestone caves have undergone karstic melting due to the influence of both underground and above-ground waters.
the city of hasankeyf consists of 3 zones built in separate times.called up to the castle town, or mint,residences,churches,jail ,cisterns of water, and where it is located 100 meters from the Tigris River from the upper part of the oldest caves in the castle established around the Roman century,when it served as a garrison Fortress AD 2 -7 century opposite sides of the river and the foot of the medieval Islamic period in the area into part of the settlement areas. many artifacts belonging to the Islamic period can be seen on 2 banks of the river,mosques,baths,shrines, bazaars. unfortunately, only the castle and the inner castle part of this historical city, which was buried in the waters of the ilisu dam about 2 years ago, can now be seen.many historical monuments were transported to the new hasankeyf by special vehicles before they were under the ilisu dam.in our day, you have the chance to visit the historical area with hasankeyft boat tours. one of the most important works carried is the Tomb of zeynel bey, which stands out with its decorations and architectural structure.Akkoyunlu Ruler Uzun Hasan, with the Ottoman Empire Battle of Otlukbeli (AD 1473) for his son Zeynel Bey who died Zeynel Bey mausoleum still exists in Hasankeyf as a memory of that period conservation..
today, the historical hasankeyf district, which is connected to batman province, is accessible by minibus and buses from batman city center and midyat district.you can also take a boat tour on ilisi Dam Lake and again from the places where you can see the Tomb of zeynel bey, which was saved from the waters of Ilisu dam..I'd like to give you a brief history of the place .good reading….
Hasankeyf district, which is a wonder of nature and history with its 12 000-year history and more than 7000 caves, founded on the edge of the Tigris River, which is the source of life of Mesopotamia and fertile crescent lands.
The first inhabitants of the city were dominated by the Hurrians, then the Akkadians (naram -sin BC 2200-2300), Assyrians,urartians, Medes, Persians, Alexander the Great, Roman, Parthians, Sasanians and Islamic armies.
The period with the most works(mosques,bath,bridges) left in the city was the period of Artuqids(diyar-i bekr and hısn keyfa artuqids) and Ayyubid .(AD 11-14 century).having inhabited areas since the paleotic period, the city owes its importance to the Tigris River, the river transport trade via the Tigris(diglat) River(port) and more than 7000 caves formed by human hands or natural means.the first sources with the city date to the new Assyrian period(7th-10th century BC).During the expeditions to the region during the period of II Asurbanipal(BC 9 century) the area in which the region is located is referred to as Kipani.Along with the region in Assyrian sources, the names kasyari region and izala mountains are used.after the Assyrians, the most obvious sources about the city date back to the AD 4th century.first, the struggle between the Parthians and the Romans in Mesopotamia (Euphrates-Tigris), which lasted for centuries, turns into a Sassanid Roman struggle after the fall of the Parthians.
the eastern border of Rome goes as far as the banks of the Tigris River.the region constantly changes hands between 2 Kingdoms.Rome built or fortified several forts in the border areas against Sassanid incursions.Dara,amida,zerzevan,Heysem,hısn keyfa castles some of them are.when Rome lost the city of nusaybin(nisibis), he built Hisn keyfa Castle so as not to lose any more land.built on a steep rock about 100 meters from the Tigris River, the castle was built during the reign of Konstantinos II ( AD 337-361).the walls of the city of amid, where Syriacs fleeing the Sassanids took refuge, and the size of the castle(diyarbakır fortress) were increased to 2 times due to the large number of refugees.
In medieval Islamic sources, the name “Hisn Keyfa” is commonly used for this place. The word” Hisn “is of Arabic origin and Means” Castle". The word” Keyfa "means" rock” It is presumed to derive from “kifo”of Syriac origin. Hence “Hisn Keyfa “means” kaya kale " in Turkish. A hundred meters from the castle in the city due to the fact that it is built on a large rock mass of cliff and monolithic in height it is presumed to have received the name.the city has changed hands continuously due to its large location and the advantages of Port transportation.This struggle continues until it is conquered by the armies of islam in the 7th century.it is home to the most important port of the river trade, starting from the city of amida(diyarbakir) and leading to cizre and from there to the city of Mosul.since ancient times, river transport(tigris) is an indispensable trade route for the Mesopotamian region.most of the 7,000 caves that have caused hasankeyf to be known all over the world are caves built by human hands, both as a natural refuge and for protection from natural and wild animals.the main reason for the easy construction of caves is that limestone caves have undergone karstic melting due to the influence of both underground and above-ground waters.
the city of hasankeyf consists of 3 zones built in separate times.called up to the castle town, or mint,residences,churches,jail ,cisterns of water, and where it is located 100 meters from the Tigris River from the upper part of the oldest caves in the castle established around the Roman century,when it served as a garrison Fortress AD 2 -7 century opposite sides of the river and the foot of the medieval Islamic period in the area into part of the settlement areas. many artifacts belonging to the Islamic period can be seen on 2 banks of the river,mosques,baths,shrines, bazaars. unfortunately, only the castle and the inner castle part of this historical city, which was buried in the waters of the ilisu dam about 2 years ago, can now be seen.many historical monuments were transported to the new hasankeyf by special vehicles before they were under the ilisu dam.in our day, you have the chance to visit the historical area with hasankeyft boat tours. one of the most important works carried is the Tomb of zeynel bey, which stands out with its decorations and architectural structure.Akkoyunlu Ruler Uzun Hasan, with the Ottoman Empire Battle of Otlukbeli (AD 1473) for his son Zeynel Bey who died Zeynel Bey mausoleum still exists in Hasankeyf as a memory of that period conservation..
Written 22 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
buciIstanbul
Urla, Türkiye199 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
I had visited Hasankeyf 8 years ago and it was fantastic. Now that the dam is going to collect water and Hasankeyf will be below the water level, it is no longer possible to get closer or go up to the castle and the old town. You can only have a distant view of what is left and it is not much. There is construction going on and the place is a mess.
We were both disappointed and sorry to see the loss of this fantastic ancient town.
We were both disappointed and sorry to see the loss of this fantastic ancient town.
Written 8 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erhan Yildirim
Türkiye2,412 contributions
July 2019 • Business
Hasankeyf, which is nowadays located within the borders of Batman in South
Eastern Region of Turkey, has a history going back to pre-historic age. Yet the name
of the city is first mentioned in Assyrian cuneiform texts. In a later period,
Hasankeyf turned to be an area of conflict between Rome and Iran, and so often
changed hands between these two nations. In the course of these struggles, Byzantian
Empirer, II. Konstantinos founded a castle at this place in order to protect his
territories from the attacks of Sassanids. It could be said that, having been a frontier
castle, its strategical importance increased. Hasankeyf, which had been conquered by
Islamic armies, was respectively ruled by Hulefa-i Rasidin, Umayyids and Abbasids.
Afterwards, it came under the sovereignty of Hamdanids and Merwanids and during
this period it did not flourish well. However, from the last quarter of the 11th century
when the Turkish rule was established, it began to prosper. During the rule of
Artuqids and Ayyubids, it lived the most splendid period. Having been especially
inflicted from the invasions of Ilhanids and then Qaraqoyunids and Aqqoyunids, the
rule of Aqqoyunids lasted for twenty years starting from 1462. Later on, the city was
again taken by the dynasty of Ayyubids and in the meantime Safawids and Ottomans
strove to increase their influence on this city. Eventually Hasankeyf was captured by
the Ottomans in 1516.
Eastern Region of Turkey, has a history going back to pre-historic age. Yet the name
of the city is first mentioned in Assyrian cuneiform texts. In a later period,
Hasankeyf turned to be an area of conflict between Rome and Iran, and so often
changed hands between these two nations. In the course of these struggles, Byzantian
Empirer, II. Konstantinos founded a castle at this place in order to protect his
territories from the attacks of Sassanids. It could be said that, having been a frontier
castle, its strategical importance increased. Hasankeyf, which had been conquered by
Islamic armies, was respectively ruled by Hulefa-i Rasidin, Umayyids and Abbasids.
Afterwards, it came under the sovereignty of Hamdanids and Merwanids and during
this period it did not flourish well. However, from the last quarter of the 11th century
when the Turkish rule was established, it began to prosper. During the rule of
Artuqids and Ayyubids, it lived the most splendid period. Having been especially
inflicted from the invasions of Ilhanids and then Qaraqoyunids and Aqqoyunids, the
rule of Aqqoyunids lasted for twenty years starting from 1462. Later on, the city was
again taken by the dynasty of Ayyubids and in the meantime Safawids and Ottomans
strove to increase their influence on this city. Eventually Hasankeyf was captured by
the Ottomans in 1516.
Written 19 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hasret S
Ordu, Türkiye55 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
Hasankeyf has an amazing view. It is historical. I am sure that you cannot see anywhere looks like it. There is a small bazzaar in there. You should visit, maybe you want to buy some local gifts. Mardin anda Hasankeyf are the best choice to take an historical trip.
Written 22 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Enise G
Kyrenia, Cyprus54 contributions
June 2023 • Family
That was an amazing experience to discover hasankeyf and it is a very small area to travell and you should take a boat trip around the lake
Written 7 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MarkC8888
Rouse Hill, Australia332 contributions
Oct 2019 • Solo
Apparently in danger from a down stream dam, so massive earthworks are underway to raise a levee. Very impressive. If needed the entire local community will flooded along with hundreds of former residential caves. Ah progress.
Written 8 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gokhan A
20 contributions
Dec 2017 • Solo
A beautiful oasis of the thousands years of history. Definitely a must see before vanishing. Regretfully, the beautiful canyon, cave houses and the castle on the top of the rock are closed to public due to the barrage construction site. It's a pity! Wish we could protect our history and present.
Written 25 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nur K
1 contribution
Feb 2024 • Family
Our history cannot be oppressed like this! I also saw it before it was submerged, there were other problems then, but most importantly, it smelled of history. Because people were happier, their sincerity was passed on to us. When I saw the final version, I observed that all this had disappeared. It has turned into an empty ghost town. What a pity!
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, does anyone have info what is the best option to reach Hasankeyf from Diyarbakir?
Written 22 July 2023
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