Photo: Zorka Sojka (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Bitlis brings together the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery, the world's largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery with 8,200 gravestones; Nemrut, Türkiye's largest crater lake; Mount Süphan, the third-highest peak in Anatolia; the tombs of Ahlat; and Bitlis Castle, with 2,800 metres of walls above the city in the valley. Büryan kebabı and Ahlat walking sticks are registered.
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11 places worth seeing in Bitlis, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
Photo: Zorka Sojka (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source The world's largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery, with about 8,200 gravestones over 210 decares; it has tombstones up to 3.5 metres tall, decorated on all four sides, and underground burial chambers. It dates back 1,000 years and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
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Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source The largest Seljuk tomb in Ahlat; with its cylindrical body and cut-stone decoration, it is the most monumental example of Ahlat tomb architecture.
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Photo: Volker Höhfeld (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A monumental tomb built in 1481 for the Aq Qoyunlu lord Emir Bayındır by his wife Şah Selime Hatun, also called the 'Parmaklıklı Kümbet' (Railed Tomb) because of its upper storey with a colonnaded portico; a masjid stands beside it.
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Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source A castle built on steep rocks between two streams in the city centre, with 2,800 metres of walls and 670 crenellations; tradition attributes its construction to Badlis, a commander of Alexander the Great (312 BC). It has been restored in stages since 2004.
View on mapA madrasa built by the Seljuks in 1216 and repaired by Şeref Han in 1589; the tombs of the Şerefhan family lie in its garden, and today it is used as the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.
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Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source Ahlat's castle on the lakeshore and the ruins of the old city; it offers views over Lake Van at sunset.
View on mapAccording to its inscription, the mosque was built in 1153 by the Marwanid Ebu'l-Muzaffer Muhammed; it was damaged during the Russian occupation and underwent extensive repairs in 1985.
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Photo: Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Source One of the city's important historic mosques, built by the Şerefhans (Sharafkhans) in the period of the Bitlis Emirate.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source Opened in a new building in 2018, the museum displays Urartian steles, Seljuk gravestones, manuscripts and works relating to the urban memory of Ahlat in its archaeology, urban memory and garden sections.
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Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Source In the caldera of the Nemrut stratovolcano between Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak, at 2,247 metres, this is Türkiye's largest crater lake; its deepest point is 155 metres. The caldera has five lakes and hot springs, and the volcano last erupted lava in 1441.
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Photo: EvgenyGenkin (CC BY 2.5) · Source A stratovolcano north of Lake Van and the third-highest peak in Türkiye after Mount Ağrı and the Cilo mountains; June–September is the right time to climb, and permission must be obtained from Adilcevaz.
View on mapBitlis is a province stretching from the western and north-western shore of Lake Van into the deep valleys of the Southeastern Taurus. The city centre lies in a narrow, steep valley where two streams meet, which is why it is called “the beautiful city in the valley”. Tradition links the city’s name to Badlis, one of the commanders of Alexander the Great, and says he had the castle built in 312 BC.
Bitlis’s greatest treasure is Ahlat: capital of the Ahlatshah Principality in the Seljuk era, the town was one of the assembly points for the raids into Anatolia before and after Manzikert (Malazgirt, 1071). The Seljuk Cemetery at Ahlat is the world’s largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery, with about 8,200 gravestones over 210 decares, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. With monumental tombs such as the Ulu Kümbet, the Çifte Kümbet and the Emir Bayındır Tomb, the town resembles an open-air museum.
In the 16th century Bitlis was the centre of the Bitlis Emirate; the Şerefname, completed by Şeref Han in 1597, is regarded as the first comprehensive work of Kurdish history. The city spent five months under Russian occupation in 1916 and was retaken on 8 August 1916 on the attack order of Mustafa Kemal, commander of the 16th Corps.
Bitlis has long, snowy and very wet winters and short, mild summers. Averages for 2011–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (Bitlis centre):
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.3 °C | −7.9 °C | 147 mm | 15 |
| February | 1.0 °C | −7.2 °C | 107 mm | 12 |
| March | 5.3 °C | −2.7 °C | 196 mm | 16 |
| April | 12.6 °C | 3.0 °C | 127 mm | 14 |
| May | 17.7 °C | 7.2 °C | 111 mm | 15 |
| June | 24.4 °C | 11.7 °C | 16 mm | 5 |
| July | 29.1 °C | 15.9 °C | 9 mm | 3 |
| August | 29.8 °C | 16.2 °C | 7 mm | 2 |
| September | 24.6 °C | 11.6 °C | 25 mm | 3 |
| October | 16.7 °C | 6.3 °C | 91 mm | 10 |
| November | 9.0 °C | 0.7 °C | 87 mm | 10 |
| December | 2.4 °C | −4.8 °C | 128 mm | 13 |
The best time to visit is June to September. The road up to Nemrut Crater Lake is usually open only in the summer months; in winter the caldera is buried under snow. June–September is also recommended for climbing Mount Süphan. Events marking the anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert (Malazgirt Victory) are held in Ahlat every August.
By air: There is no airport in Bitlis. For Tatvan and Ahlat, use Van Ferit Melen and Muş Sultan Alparslan airports.
By train: The Lake Van Express (Van Gölü Ekspresi) runs from Ankara to Tatvan twice a week (about 26 hours); regional Elazığ–Tatvan trains also reach Tatvan station. From Tatvan you can cross to Van on the Lake Van ferries.
By road: The city centre of Bitlis is about 25 km from Tatvan on the Diyarbakır–Van road.
Day 1 – Ahlat: In the morning walk among the monumental gravestones of the Seljuk Cemetery and visit Ahlat Museum; in the afternoon see the Ulu Kümbet, the Çifte Kümbet and the Emir Bayındır Tomb. Watch the sunset on the shore of Lake Van in the early evening.
Day 2 – Nemrut and Bitlis: In summer, head up from Tatvan to the Nemrut Caldera in the morning to see the crater lake and the hot springs; in the afternoon visit the castle, the Grand Mosque and the İhlasiye Madrasa in the city centre of Bitlis, and have büryan kebabı.
Bitlis’s most famous speciality is the registered Bitlis büryan kebabı (pit-roasted lamb), hung and cooked in a well tandır oven. Other delicacies with geographical indications are Bitlis avşor çorbası, ciğer taplaması (liver taplama), çorti taplaması, Bitlis içli köftesi (stuffed bulgur shells), katıklı dolma and Bitlis balı (Bitlis honey). Among handicrafts, the Ahlat walking stick (Ahlat bastonu) and the Adilcevaz walking stick (Adilcevaz bastonu) are registered. Bitlis has also historically been known for its tobacco.
Bitlis province has 7 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A lamb kebab with a registered geographical indication, hung and cooked in a well tandır oven.
A soup with a registered geographical indication.
Stuffed köfte (içli köfte) with a registered geographical indication.
Dolma with a registered geographical indication.
A Bitlis dish with a registered geographical indication.
The main stops are the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery, the tombs of Ahlat (Ulu Kümbet, Çifte Kümbet, Emir Bayındır), Ahlat Museum, Nemrut Crater Lake, Mount Süphan, Bitlis Castle, the Grand Mosque, the Şerefiye Mosque and the İhlasiye Madrasa.
The road up to the caldera is usually open only in the summer months; the best time is June–September.
With about 8,200 gravestones it is the world's largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery, and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Yes. The Lake Van Express runs from Ankara to Tatvan twice a week; the journey takes about 26 hours.
Its registered büryan kebabı, avşor soup, içli köfte, katıklı dolma and Bitlis honey, as well as the Ahlat and Adilcevaz walking sticks.
Tradition links the city's name to Badlis, the commander of Alexander the Great who is said to have built the castle.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 7 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.