2-Days Private Tour to Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe from Istanbul

For the discerning tourists who love history and archeology, learning about forgotten cultures, how society evolved and a curiosity of the rich knowledge that lies beneath the ground... this is a trip you simply have to do! Our guide Mehmet Ali of Gobekli Tours ensured every question was answered and offered insights and background history before us even asking. He quickly understood we love history and added an additional stop to Haran (15km from Syrian border) as a suprise. Our day started with Kharanthepe 9400 BCE only discovered 7 years ago - we stood in awe amongst archeologists and their spades carefully uncovering history, with statues and rooms that were breathtaking in detail. Then on to Gobeklitepe where the incredibly preserved site of a structured society 9600 BCE years ago commands a respect and reverence of the detailed statues and organized hierarchy so clearly evident of this settlement. After a superb lunch (even found me local Vegan options which were supeb) we visited the museum (wow!!) to see additional scultures from both of the above sites, including the Urfa Man (oldest human scale man figure in history!) plus mind blowing artifacts from the other 10 neolithic sites we hadnt managed to get to (next trip!!) After a taste of seeing probably 40% of the museum (due to our limited time) we drove to the ancient city of biblical Haran with the beehive buildings and old city walls and after a traditional Mirra coffee silently took in the majestic sun setting on our return leaving us humbled in awe of 12 000 years of history over almost 12 hours. Our day finished at Abraham's pond with twinkling lights and knowing that across all beliefs and societies that we can all truly co-exist. Dinner at Hanehan is a must to end your perfect day. Our only regret.. we should have stayed longer...

I had an spectacular 2-day tour with Taha of Gobekli Tours. I was finishing up a tour of Malta when I made a last-minute decision to visit Sanliurfa to see Gobekli Tepe before heading back to the US. I searched a few travel sites for a tour guide & very luckily got connected with Taha. My Malta tour guides also knew Taha and said I would be in good hands with Gobekli Tours. Taha booked my flights, arranged my car service to/from the airport (my driver Mehmet is also an amazing guide for Gobekli Tours). Taha took me to all the sites I wanted to see and introduced me to a few places I never heard of - I even had private access to a few places! All in all, it was a complete 5 star experience. Taha is very knowledgeable about Sanliurfa and the ancient sites and I had the most amazing 2 day. I can't wait to go back to Turkiye and tour more places with Gobekli Tours. Highly recommended!

The tour from start to finish was extremely well organized. Taha ensured that the driver was there to pick me up at the allocated time on the dot. I wanted a customized tour covering the ufo/ alien theme around gobeklitepe. I stood in awe of the wonder that awaited me when I visited the ancient site. Taha even managed to take a picture with me and a ufo in it at Halil Ur-rahman lake, close to where the prophet abraham was born( Which was the entire point of the trip) I stood there in disbelief gaping at the photo. Bucket list checked! We visited Karahantepe which had an even more mystical feeling to it. Harbetsuvan had a calming effect as not many tourists know how to get there. I saw ancient statues of beings that looked suspiciously like NHI at the Archaeology museum of sanliufa. The hotel was also amazing as its a building with 500 years of history and transported me back to mesopotamian period or assassin’s creed vibes:) I had great banter with the receptionist who made me feel welcomed! Above all and all, I really recommend you book tours with Taha in this area as a lot of the staff know him as he is a familiar face in the area. I wouldn’t have seen some ancient sites not yet accessible to the public if not for him. Will definitely come back as my journey with this area is not done yet and will reach out to Taha in future!

I got amazing service with great high intelligence guide who tell me so many information that I need few days to structure everything and we got very interesting conversation on history and archeology. I would recommend everyone to visit this amazing place

Taha arranged a private tour for a very short visit to Sanliurfa. We were picked up at airport and began our tour to Karahantepe. Then, to our hotel for dinner and a good night sleep. We were met in morning with big smiles by Mehmet and Mark. Mehmet shared a lot about Abraham, Isaac and Ishmail enroute to Gobeklitepe. We then experienced the cave of Abraham and the pond and the museum. Then, back to airport. So grateful to Mehmet, our tour guide, Mark our driver and Taha for organizing. I will be back. Thank you! Susan

We were blown away by what we saw on the tour. It changed my conception of neolithic man. Guide Taha was very knowledgeable, prompt, and courteous. We were able to adjust the itinerary to our needs and interest. Driver was also excellent. Car was a comfortable new Mercedes van. We are hoping to go back and see more! Would definitely use Taha as a guide again.

Truly amazing tour. Taha did a fantastic job arranging all the details and everything went smoothly throughout. Mehmet, my guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and enjoyable to spend the time with. The sites are out of this world and not to be missed!!! Can’t recommend highly enough.

My wife and I had dreamed of visiting Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe ever since Klaus Schmidt published his groundbreaking book in 2006. Taha made that dream unforgettable. His background in history and his personal connections to the teams working on both sites gave us an insider perspective that no guidebook could ever offer. Beyond his impressive knowledge, Taha is simply a wonderful human being — warm, patient and genuinely passionate about these extraordinary places. If you are serious about understanding what you are seeing, Taha is your guide.

This experience is beyond compare! The sights and history shared by our guide, Taha, have us wanting to return immediately for more time and fascinating adventures with he and his team. The more time spent with him, the better, as more mysteries and questions are seen and experienced. Make sure to take every advantage offered and enjoy the rich history and fun professionalism as the action packed and educational days unfold!

We spent a brief but highly impactful time in Sunliurfa taking a guided private tour. Taha, the owner of the tour company and our tour guide for one of the days, was a professional, very intelligent and responsible man. Both him and our other guide, Sadik, studied anthropology and history and they made the tour very educational and memorable. Their deep knowledge of the history and culture of the region was very impressive and invaluable. It is hard to describe the feeling of traveling through the parts of Mesopotamia, the birthplace of humanity. The archeological site of Gobekli Tepe is very well preserved and realizing that there are so many more unique sites to see, we are determined to return to learn more about these truly ancient cultures and kingdoms. At the time of writing this review, there were concerns about safety in the Middle-East, but as always we felt extremely safe in Türkiye, this was our fifth time in this country. This area has been known for its agricultural products and indeed the fresh produce and delicious cuisine complemented the experience perfectly. Our driver, Mark, was a calm, experienced professional who handled the mountainous road and busy city equally well. In short, Taha and his team was a reliable, caring and professional group of people that we would recommend warmly and without reservations.