By late afternoon the heat in Şanlıurfa has usually begun to ease, and people drift toward the park around the mosques, where the day's business gives way to cold drinks, tea and backgammon. The old town, the bazaar and the pool of the holy fish are all within reach of that park, so an evening here tends to be a slow, sociable stroll rather than a night on the town.
Şanlıurfa is a city of pilgrimage, and its religious character shapes what an evening looks like. Alcohol is near impossible to find in most of the city, and the standard night out is a cold non-alcoholic drink, tea, juice or a hookah, taken slowly in company. This suits visitors who want calm, conversation and local custom rather than bars and clubs; those looking for a conventional nightlife scene will find only a small pocket of it.
Where to go out in Şanlıurfa
1. The park around the mosques
This is the centre of an ordinary evening: you sit, order a cold non-alcoholic drink, and play backgammon or simply talk. It is also where you can wait out the midday heat earlier in the day, and where you can take a narghile (hookah) by the lake.
It suits a quiet, unhurried night and anyone travelling without a plan for the evening. Note that the park and its surroundings are the main evening option the sources describe, so treat this as the default rather than one choice among many.
2. Sarayonu Street
A few bars are found on Sarayonu St., near the park around the mosques. They are the exception in a city where alcohol is otherwise near impossible to get.
This suits visitors who specifically want a drink with their evening rather than tea or juice. The sources do not describe the bars in detail, so go without fixed expectations.
3. The area across the Karakoyun River
Just over the Karakoyun River there are a few small, simple bars, and Efes, the local Turkish beer, can be bought to take away from a very few small shops in that area. The bars are humble affairs, frequented by men and playing local Kurdish and Turkish music.
This suits a low-key, local-feeling drink rather than a polished night out. If you are a woman or a mixed group, it is worth knowing that the sources describe the clientele as male.
4. Gümrük Han
Here you can drink murra, a very strong coffee served in a half-teaspoon-sized cup. It is not overly pleasant, but it is a local experience.
This suits a short, deliberate stop as part of an evening walk rather than a place to settle in. If the murra does not appeal, menengiç coffee, made from a paste of coffee and wild pistachio beans, gives a cup with a sweet, nutty flavour.
5. Tea and juice, anywhere
Turkish or Arabian tea, which is sweeter or minted, and shakes or freshly squeezed juice are the everyday drinks of an evening here. They are what most people are having while they sit and talk.
This suits every kind of night, and is the simplest way to spend an evening in the city without looking for anything specific.
6. The pool of the holy fish
Feeding the fish at the pond is an evening activity locals join in, and there is a local belief that feeding one of the rare white fish will make a wish come true in a short time. Fish food is available from vendors around the pond and is regulated by the local environmental association; using anything other than the designated feed is highly discouraged.
This suits families and anyone wanting a gentle, participatory stop on a walk through the old town.
7. Abraham's Path
Şanlıurfa sits at the northern end of the international trekking route Abraham's Path, which links the city's sacred sites and follows the footsteps of the Patriarch Abraham through the Middle East. Walks from one to ten days in length are possible from the city.
This suits daytime rather than night, but it is worth knowing if you are shaping a stay around the city's sacred sites and want to end the day back in the park or the bazaar.
How a night out unfolds
Summer afternoons here are scorching, at 40 °C (104 °F) or above, and the day's activity is built around avoiding them: you wait in the park around the mosques for the heat to subside, then explore the old town, the bazaar or the mosques. The evening that follows is short in scope by the standards of a large city. You sit down, have a cold non-alcoholic drink and play backgammon or talk, and that is the extent of what the sources describe. Plan for an early, gentle evening rather than a late one, and note that the sources give no closing times or fixed hours for anything.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Republic Day Eve, a half-day, and Republic Day, in late October.
- Atatürk Commemoration Day, in November.
- New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, at the end of December and the start of January.
- Ramadan, beginning in early February, followed by the Ramadan Feast and its holidays in March.
- National Sovereignty and Children's Day, in April.
- Labor and Solidarity Day, on 1 May.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink alcohol in Şanlıurfa?
As a city of pilgrimage, beer and other alcoholic drinks are near impossible to get in most of the city. The exceptions the sources give are a few small bars on Sarayonu St. and a handful of small, simple bars just over the Karakoyun River, where Efes can also be bought to take away from a very few small shops.
What do people drink in the evening instead?
Shakes, freshly squeezed juice, and Turkish or Arabian tea, which is sweeter or minted. Murra in the Gümrük Han and menengiç coffee are the two local coffee experiences worth knowing about.
What is there to do in the evening besides sit and drink?
You can play backgammon, chat, take a narghile by the lake in the park near the mosques, or join locals in feeding the holy fish at the pond. Fish food is sold by vendors around the pond, and only the designated feed should be used.
How late does an evening here run?
The sources describe sitting, cold drinks, backgammon and conversation as the extent of the evening, and give no closing times. Given the summer heat and the quiet character of the city after dark, plan an early evening rather than a late night.
Decide before you go whether your evening is tea in the park or a drink across the Karakoyun River, and build the rest of your day around the heat.