A Kurdish village experience – Homestays in Yuvacalı
The small village of Yuvacalı, set amid bleached fields of wheat, lentils and chickpeas, huddles at the foot of a prominent settlement mound as ancient as nearby Göbekli Tepe, not far from the market town of Hilvan. Here you can stay in a Kurdish village home (€35 per day full-board), eat with the family, sleep beneath the stars on the flat-roof of the family home, and try your hand at milking sheep and baking unleavened village bread. You’ll also be introduced to Kurdish history and culture, taken on a 1hr 30min walk around the village and its ruins, and perhaps walk a part of the waymarked Abraham Path (wabrahampath.org), which starts here.
The homestay is part of a responsible tourism project set up by village-born Omer Tanık and his English wife Alison. The host families keep all the money they receive from guests, as do the drivers on the couple’s well-regarded Nomad Tours (t0533 747 1850, wnomadtoursturkey.com). Guests are asked to make a small donation to the project. The money goes straight into the local community and has, for example, helped to set up a pre-school in the village. Booking ahead is essential; accommodation can and does fill up.
To get to Yuvacalı, catch a bus from Urfa’s otogar to Hilvan (TL5), where, if you call Nomad Tours in advance, someone from the village will meet you. With your own transport follow the D-885 to Hilvan (the Siverek/Diyarbakır road) and turn right (signed Gölcuk) at the second set of lights. After a few kilometres, take the second left to Yuvacalı.
Göbekli Tepe
Set where the southern foothills of the Toros Mountains fade into the scorching flatlands of upper Mesopotamia, Göbekli Tepe (Hill of the Navel) ranks among Turkey’s most intriguing archeological sites. Here, on a hilltop 870m above sea level, stands a man-made mound some 300m in diameter and 15m high, containing a series of circular enclosures, carbon-dated to between 9500 and 7500 BC.
The enclosures have burnt-lime floors and are lined with stone benches, but most remarkably contain a series of T-shaped monoliths, the tallest of which are 5m high. Clearly anthropomorphic, many of the monoliths are liberally covered with incredible relief carvings of wild animals, from scorpions and snakes to lions and wild boar. The enclosures were almost certainly used for cult purposes and the site is much hyped as the “world’s first temple”.
Göbekli Tepe also appears to disprove the theory that only settled societies were capable of producing monumental buildings and sophisticated art. Most of the work here was done when man was still in the hunter-gatherer stage of development – no evidence has been found of human settlement. An unsightly protective roof was removed in 2011 and a new wooden walkway added, allowing visitors to walk right around the main enclosures.
Sira Gecelerı – a night out in Urfa
Sira geceleri (literally “nights by turn”) were originally informal gatherings of male friends at one of their homes, where a meal and conversation were accompanied by traditional live music. The idea was picked up by several Urfa restaurants (each invariably sited in an old courtyard house), and now “guests” pay for the experience, sitting cross-legged at a low sofra table and tucking into a banquet of speciality local dishes while being serenaded by a traditional band. Three of the best venues are listed here.
Cevahir Konak Evi
Selahhattin Eyyub Camii Karşısı t 0414 215 9377, w cevahirkonukevi.com. Probably the best, and certainly the dearest (TL50 for the set menu of eight different dishes). Wed, Fri & Sat from 8pm.
Gülizar Konuk Evi
Sarayönü Cad, İrfaniye Sok t 0414 215 0505. Lovely old mansion set below the towering Ulu Cami minaret, with TL35 set menu, and, usually, two sira geceleri each week. Wed & Sat from 8pm.
Yıldız Saray Konuk Evi
Yorgancı Sok t 0414 216 9494, w yildizsaraykonukevi.com. Courtyard mansion with a good reputation, TL35 for the set menu. Performances usually Wed, Fri & Sun from 8pm.