Diyarbakır Province · Turkey
Where to stay in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is a city in Diyarbakır Province, Turkey, home to about 1,732,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May and October
- Nearest airport
- DIY4 km · Diyarbakır Airport
- Currency
- TRYTurkish lira
- Time zone
- Europe/Istanbul
- Language
- Turkish
About
About Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Diyarbakır sits on a plateau at an altitude of 675 m, with baking hot summers and bitter winters. It’s been inhabited since the Stone Age and its early history reflects its position on the frontiers of Mesopotamia. The Romans and Persians fought over it several times, and the iconic city walls were rebuilt by the Romans around 520 AD after they’d driven out a Persian occupation – but that didn’t stop recapture by the Persians in 602, who held the city for 26 years. In 639 AD the region was captured by the Muslim Arabs, and they called the city Diyar Bakr, the abode of the tribe of Bakr.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Diyarbakır
See
- Dağ Kapı
- Great Mosque
- Sülüklü Han
- Surp Giragos Armenian church
- Diyarbakır Fortress
- Diyarbakır Archaeological Museum
- Virgin Mary Church
- Mardin Kapı
- Gazi Kösk
- Ongözlü (Ten-Arched) Bridge
- Zerzevan Castle
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Diyarbakır to stay in
In summer pick a hotel with aircon, since Diyarbakir gets very hot. Suleyman Cd and Inönü Blv near Dağ Kapı are the budget accommodation strips. Modern mid-range hotels lie on the boulevards further out.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Diyarbakır
7 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Çifte Inn | 0.1 km | |
| Deliller Inn | 0.4 km | |
| Sülüklü Inn | 0.1 km | |
| Dies Hotel | 1.0 km | |
| New Garden Hotel | 1.0 km | |
| Prestige Hotel | 1.9 km | |
| Rempart Hotel | 2025 | 0.7 km |
All 7 hotels in Diyarbakır, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Diyarbakır
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Diyarbakır are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 39 °C; January is the wettest, with about 84 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Diyarbakır: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Diyarbakır Airport (DIY), about 3.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Batman Airport (BAL, 77 km) and Mardin Airport (MQM, 84 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Diyarbakır Airport (DIY) has daily flights from Istanbul (both IST and SAW), Ankara, Izmir and Antalya. The airport has the usual facilities including car hire. The airport perimeter is just west of city centre, but the passenger terminal is far side, so it’s 15 km to get downtown. From Ankara the simplest route is 1010 km: follow the toll motorway to Adana and Urfa then E99 to town. You could leave the motorway early at Harmandalı and follow the highway through Kayseri and Malatya, 910 km and a similar travel time of 11 hours. Buses from Istanbul take 20 hours via Adana, Gaziantep and Urfa.
Getting around
The Old Town is within a walkable area. Buses and dolmuses ply the main avenues.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
DIY · Diyarbakır Airport
BAL · Batman Airport
MQM · Mardin Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Diyarbakır
Eat
Local specialties include ciğer kebabı grilled lamb liver, ekşili etli dolma stuffed vine leaves, meftune and içli köfte meatballs, and mehir a mix of wheat grain, chick-peas and yoghurt. Kadayıf and künefe are sticky-sweet desserts.
Drink
Tap water may not be safe to drink, because of ancient pipework. It’s okay for washing and cleaning your teeth but for drinking, stick to bottled. There are many tea gardens along the city walls. Restaurants serve alcohol, there are no free-standing pubs.
Stay safe
There’s a rough edge to Diyarbakır. It’s safe enough in daylight in the tourist areas, but don’t be out at night alone. The city was badly damaged in 2016 by riots, and again in 2023 by the earthquake in Kahramanmaras. That epicentre was 350 km west yet the scale of disruption here revealed the shoddy nature of many of Diyarbakır’s buildings. Many survivors still live in makeshift dwellings and have lost their livelihood. There's a heavy police presence with frequent checkpoints – always carry your passport. The bonus is that this deters opportunistic crime against visitors.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Diyarbakır: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Diyarbakır?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Diyarbakır are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 39 °C; January is the wettest, with about 84 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Diyarbakır?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Diyarbakır Airport (DIY), about 3.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Batman Airport (BAL, 77 km) and Mardin Airport (MQM, 84 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Diyarbakır?
Turkish lira (TRY).
Nearby
Destinations near Diyarbakır
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.