A specific local reference for Kınalı is the Bayraklı–Horozköy–Ulucanlar–Kınalı–Yardımcı road connection: Kınalı lies along this route, which is 7 km long in total. Cultural sites in Eyyübiye include archaeological mounds, a monastery ruin with cisterns, and columns at Şanlıurfa Castle. The respective neighborhoods help distinguish the different destinations.

Sultantepe Höyük: large dimensions and written sources

Sultantepe Höyük is located in the Sultantepe (Haraptar) neighborhood of Eyyübiye district in Şanlıurfa. It covers approximately 63.2 hectares and is 42 m high, making it one of the largest mounds on the Harran Plain. Its significance goes beyond its size: it is considered one of the most important settlements of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in Anatolia, particularly because of the written sources found there. A large portion of the Sultantepe tablets is housed at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, while another portion is on display at the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum. If you would like to see the tablets, check in advance what is currently on display.

Soğmatar Höyük: cult history and different periods

Soğmatar Höyük is located in the Yağmurlu neighborhood of Eyyübiye district in Şanlıurfa. The mound extends 260 m from east to west and 190 m from north to south, and is about 25 m high. Remains of a defensive wall built from dressed stone blocks surround its conical section. Five cultural layers are described for the mound: from the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Iron Age, the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and the Islamic period. The periods and the fortification describe different aspects of the site: the wall specifically surrounds the conical section. In Roman times, the ancient city of Soğmatar was a cult center for moon and planetary deities in the Tektek Mountains. Excavations began in 2022 under the direction of the Şanlıurfa Museum Directorate and with scientific consultation from Süheyla İrem Mutlu of Harran University.

Deyr-Yakup in Yenice: monastery ruin and cisterns

Deyr-Yakup Monastery is located in the Yenice neighborhood of Eyyübiye district in Şanlıurfa and is now in ruins. About 20 m to its northwest are three pear-shaped cisterns, approximately 5.40 m deep. Water channels from different directions feed them. Thus, the monastery ruin and the cisterns with their channel system stand side by side as distinct architectural features of the site. If you are considering a visit, check beforehand whether access is available.

Monumental Columns at Şanlıurfa Castle

The Monumental Columns are located at Şanlıurfa Castle in Eyyübiye. Each of the two columns is 17.25 m high and has a circumference of 4.60 m; their Corinthian capitals are decorated with acanthus leaves. The castle itself can also be understood through its dimensions: it is about 400 m long from east to west and approximately 80 m wide at its widest point from north to south. Unlike the extensive mounds of Sultantepe and Soğmatar, here the focus is on the columns’ design details and the extent of the castle complex.

Discover more destinations: Harran, Siverek, Boztepe, Yukarıkarataş Köyü, Halfeti, Akçakale, Argıncık Köyü, Alpı

For the overall travel guide: Şanliurfa.