The Savaşan minaret
A drowned village's minaret rising alone from the water, one of the most photographed sights in Turkey's south-east.
Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Qubated — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Argilli — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Buda2000 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A stone minaret standing alone in the water, with no mosque beneath it and no village around it: that is the picture people drive a hundred kilometres from Gaziantep to see. When the Birecik Dam filled the Euphrates valley in 1999-2000, most of old Halfeti and several villages upstream went under, and the townspeople moved to a 'new' Halfeti on the hill. What survives on the shoreline has turned from a town into a departure quay: a handful of stone houses, fish restaurants over the water, and boats waiting for passengers all day long. The whole excursion hinges on the boat. Shared boats leave the quay whenever they fill; fares start at roughly 300 TRY a head, cash, rise every season and vary by route, so agree the price before you board. Small children usually go free, while a private boat is negotiable and runs to a few thousand lira. The Rumkale run takes roughly an hour and a half to two hours (shorter trips only visit the sunken village): first past the drowned village of Savaşan and its famous minaret, then on to Rumkale, the fortress crouched on a rock spur where the Merzimen stream meets the Euphrates. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it was the seat of the Armenian Catholicos, until the Mamluks took it in 1292. Some boats tie up below the fortress and give you time to climb the steps; others simply circle it, so ask before you pay. As for the 'black rose' on every sign and fridge magnet: it is a very dark red rose, and the tragic love story attached to it is local marketing rather than history. Do not come for that. Come for the green water between the cliffs, a lunch of Euphrates fish, and the pace of a town that joined the Cittaslow network in 2013 and works hard to stay that way. From Gaziantep it is about 105 km via Nizip and Birecik, an hour and a half by car, and driving is by far the easiest option; public transport means a bus to Birecik and then a minibus, which is not a family-friendly day. Day tours from Gaziantep hotels are plentiful, and many pair Halfeti with the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the same day. In July and August temperatures pass 40°C and an open boat gives no mercy, so book an early-morning departure and bring hats and water; April to June and September to October are ideal. The quay is level and fine for pushchairs, but the step down into the boat is a wobbly one; life jackets are on board.
A drowned village's minaret rising alone from the water, one of the most photographed sights in Turkey's south-east.
A fortress on a rock spur where the Merzimen meets the Euphrates, seat of the Armenian Catholicos until the Mamluks took it in 1292.
The quayside fish restaurants serve Euphrates fish, and the table on the water is half the day's pleasure.
Old Halfeti waterfront on the Euphrates, Şanlıurfa Province
Yes if you have a full day and will take the boat; the town itself is half an hour, the boat is the trip. With only one day in Gaziantep, stay in the city and see Zeugma instead.
It is over 40°C and the boat is open; take the first boat of the morning and avoid the afternoon. Small children usually tire before the two hours are up, so pick a shorter run to the sunken village only, or a private boat that turns back when you say.