Batman

Batman is a province in Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia region, centred on the modern oil city of the same name on the banks of the Batman River, a tributary of the Tigris. Pronounced "baat-maan" (not like the comic superhero, though the coincidence draws occasional visitors), the city is entirely modern — it grew explosively from the insignificant Kurdish village of Iluh after oil was discovered in the nearby Raman field in 1940 and the larger Batı Raman field from 1961. These remain Turkey's largest oilfields, and the petroleum industry has shaped every aspect of the province's character, from its rapid urbanisation to its diverse, migrant workforce.

Beyond the modern industrial city, Batman province encompasses some of Southeastern Anatolia's most dramatic landscapes and significant archaeological sites. The most celebrated is Hasankeyf, an ancient town on the Tigris with a history stretching back 12,000 years, where cave dwellings, medieval mosques, and a monumental bridge abutment once lined the river gorge. Much of Hasankeyf was submerged by the Ilısu Dam reservoir in 2020, though some structures were relocated to higher ground, and the story of what was lost has become a cause célèbre for heritage preservation in Turkey.

The province's interior districts — Sason in the mountains, Kozluk in the highlands, Beşiri and Gercüş in the rolling hills — offer a starkly different landscape from the oil city, with Kurdish villages, mountain pastures, and river valleys that remain largely untouched by tourism. Batman province is a place where Turkey's modern industrial reality meets one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited landscapes.

The best time to visit Batman is from March through May and September through November, when the Southeastern Anatolian climate is at its most comfortable. Spring (March–May) brings green hillsides and pleasant temperatures (18–28°C), while autumn offers warm days and clear skies. These shoulder seasons avoid the extreme heat of summer.

Summers (June–August) are very hot, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C in the city — outdoor sightseeing is best limited to early morning and evening. Winters are cool and occasionally rainy, with temperatures around 5–15°C in the lowlands; the mountainous Sason district can see snow. The Nevruz (Kurdish New Year) celebrations in late March are a significant cultural event across the province. The best time to visit Hasankeyf and the Ilısu Dam reservoir area is spring, when the surrounding hills are green and temperatures are moderate.

Batman city is the transport hub. Batman Airport (BAL) has two to three daily flights from Istanbul and daily services from Ankara and Izmir, taking about 2 hours from Istanbul. The airport is 8 km north of the centre; a bus shuttles downtown, or take a taxi. Intercity buses run daily from Istanbul (22 hours), Ankara (14 hours), and Diyarbakır (2 hours, 100 km west). The Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi train runs five days a week from Ankara (25 hours) via Malatya and Diyarbakır, continuing to Kurtalan.

Within the province, dolmuşes and minibuses connect Batman to all districts. Hasankeyf is 38 km southeast, Kozluk 35 km northeast, and Sason 65 km northeast in the mountains. A car is recommended for exploring the province's scattered sights, especially the mountainous interior. Roads are generally paved but can be narrow and winding in the highlands. Taxis are available in Batman city.

• Batman — the provincial capital, a modern oil city with an archaeological museum featuring finds from the Ilısu Dam excavations and the drowned village of Hasankeyf
• Kozluk — a highland district northeast of Batman with mountain scenery, traditional Kurdish villages, and a cooler climate
• Sason — a mountainous district in the southeast with dramatic valleys, forests, and some of the province's most remote and traditional Kurdish communities
• Beşiri — a district between Batman city and Hasankeyf with rolling hills and agricultural landscapes
• Gercuş — a district south of Batman with a traditional character and access to the Tigris valley
• Hasankeyf — the legendary ancient town on the Tigris, now largely submerged by the Ilısu Dam, where relocated monuments and the memory of 12,000 years of continuous habitation draw visitors

Batman's cuisine reflects the broader Southeastern Anatolian tradition, deeply influenced by Kurdish food culture. Signature dishes include meftune (a tangy meat and vegetable stew with verjuice), kaburga dolması (stuffed rib), and various kebabs — particularly çöp şiş (small skewers) and patlıcanlı kebab (eggplant kebab). Bulgur pilaf, prepared in dozens of variations, accompanies most meals. The region's proximity to Mesopotamia gives its food an ancient agricultural foundation.

Bread is central — flatbreads baked in stone ovens and lavash are served at every meal. İçli köfte (stuffed bulgur shells with spiced meat), lahmacun (thin flatbread with minced meat), and dürüm (wrapped kebabs) are popular street foods. Dairy products, particularly yoghurt and ayran, are staples. Turgut Özal Boulevard in Batman city is the main restaurant strip, with a wide range of casual eateries. Tea is the universal drink, served strong and sweet in every café and shop.

Batman's cultural life is shaped by its Kurdish majority population and its modern industrial heritage. Kurdish is widely spoken alongside Turkish, and Kurdish cultural traditions — music, dance, storytelling, and cuisine — are central to daily life. The province's rapid oil-driven growth created a melting pot of Kurdish, Turkish, and Arab communities.

Nevruz, the Kurdish New Year celebrated around March 21, is the province's most important cultural event, marked with bonfires, music, dancing, and traditional foods. The celebration of Newroz carries deep cultural and political significance for the Kurdish community. Wedding celebrations, featuring traditional Kurdish music (dengbêj oral poetry, the tembûr long-necked lute) and energetic circle dances, are major social events. The story of Hasankeyf — its 12,000-year history and its loss to the Ilısu Dam — has become a powerful cultural narrative about heritage preservation, displacement, and the tension between development and the past.

• Hasankeyf ruins and relocated monuments — visit the remains and relocated structures of one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited sites, exploring the cave dwellings, the El-Rızk Mosque's relocated minaret, and the story of the ancient town now beneath the Ilısu Dam reservoir
• Batman Museum archaeological collection — explore the three-hall museum featuring Paleolithic and Neolithic artefacts, Ilısu Dam excavation finds, and a dedicated hall preserving the memory of the drowned village of Hasankeyf
• Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi train journey — ride one of Turkey's most storied long-distance rail routes through the heart of Southeastern Anatolia, crossing dramatic landscapes from Diyarbakır to Batman and onward to Kurtalan
• Sason mountain villages — venture into the remote, forested mountains of the Sason district to experience traditional Kurdish highland life, with spectacular valley scenery and genuine hospitality far from any tourist infrastructure
• Batman River and Tigris confluence landscape — explore the river valleys where the Batman River meets the Tigris, a landscape of ancient irrigation, modern engineering, and the layered history of Mesopotamia's northern reaches