Things to Do in Siirt: 6 Best Places to Visit

Getting to Know Siirt

Siirt lies in the east of Southeastern Anatolia, in mountainous terrain divided by the valleys formed by the Botan Stream and the Tigris. The Botan is mentioned in ancient sources too; Xenophon, a pupil of Socrates, mentions the river in his Anabasis (The March of the Ten Thousand), written around 400 BC. In history the river also gave its name to the Botan Principality.

Part of the lands of the Şerefhan Principality at the beginning of the 16th century, the region was added to Ottoman territory after the Battle of Çaldıran in 1514. Siirt became a province in the Republican period and grew in 1924 with the addition of Beytüşşebap and in 1926 with that of Beşiri and Sason; Beytüşşebap was later attached to Hakkâri.

The best-known tradition of the province is its madrasa culture: Tillo (formerly Aydınlar) was one of the madrasa centres that played an important part in religious education in Eastern Anatolia, and scholars such as Şeyh Mansur, Gavsü’l-Memduh and İsmail Fakirullah are associated with this circle. The original construction date of the Siirt Grand Mosque is uncertain; it was repaired in AH 523 (AD 1129) by the Iraq Seljuk ruler Muğîsüddin Mahmûd and in AH 658 (AD 1260) by Mücâhid İshak, one of the atabegs.

When to Go

Siirt has very hot, dry summers and cold, rainy winters. Averages for 1939–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:

Month	Avg. high	Avg. low	Rainfall	Rainy days
January	6.8 °C	−0.4 °C	94 mm	12
February	8.9 °C	0.7 °C	96 mm	12
March	13.4 °C	4.2 °C	112 mm	14
April	19.3 °C	9.1 °C	102 mm	13
May	25.4 °C	13.7 °C	62 mm	10
June	32.4 °C	19.2 °C	9 mm	3
July	37.2 °C	23.6 °C	3 mm	1
August	37.1 °C	23.4 °C	2 mm	1
September	32.3 °C	18.9 °C	7 mm	2
October	24.5 °C	12.9 °C	49 mm	7
November	15.6 °C	6.5 °C	81 mm	9
December	8.9 °C	1.8 °C	93 mm	11

The best times to visit are April to early June and late September to October. In July and August daytime temperatures reach 37 °C; the highland pastures of Tillo (1,417 m) and Pervari, at higher altitude, are cooler.

How to Get to Siirt

By air: Siirt Airport opened in 1998 and is open only to domestic flights (services to Istanbul and Ankara).

By train: The Güney Kurtalan Express, which departs from Ankara, covers the Ankara–Kurtalan line in about 24 hours 50 minutes; Kurtalan is a district of Siirt.

By road: The Diyarbakır–Bitlis road passes through Baykan; Siirt is reached via Batman and Diyarbakır.

Siirt Area by Area

• Merkez: The Grand Mosque and the historic bazaar, and views of the city looking over the Botan Valley.
• Tillo (Aydınlar): The centre of madrasa culture at an altitude of 1,417 metres; views of the Botan Valley.
• Pervari: The high district where Mount Herekol stands; Pervari honey.
• Şirvan: The zivzik pomegranates, molasses and trout farms of Dişlinar village, and two historic churches.
• Kurtalan: The last stop of the Güney Kurtalan Express; the remains of old settlements (Erzen, Zokarno).
• Eruh and Baykan: Eruh is 53 km from the provincial centre; in Baykan, the Havil Caravanserais locality.

Suggested Itineraries

Day 1 – Siirt centre: The Grand Mosque and the Siirt blanket in the bazaar; büryan kebabı in the evening.

Day 2 – Tillo and the Botan Valley: The madrasa surroundings of Tillo and the views of the valley; on the way back, trout in Şirvan.

Day 3 – Pervari: Pervari honey, and views of the highland pastures at the foot of Mount Herekol.

Siirt Cuisine

Siirt cuisine is one of the most distinctive in Türkiye and has 14 registered geographical indications. The dishes are Siirt büryan kebabı (pit-roasted lamb), Siirt perde pilavı (pastry-wrapped pilaf), Siirt pırtike çorbası (pırtike soup), Siirt içli köftesi (kitel) (stuffed bulgur meatballs), Siirt gebole tatlısı (gebole dessert), Siirt varak keek tatlısı (varak keek dessert) and Siirt kuru ekmeği (Siirt dry bread). The products are Siirt fıstığı (Siirt pistachios), Pervari balı (Pervari honey), Zivzik narı (zivzik pomegranate) and Siirt bıttım sabunu (Siirt terebinth soap).

Handicrafts

The Siirt battaniyesi (mohair blanket), Şal şepik cloth (şal şepik kumaşı) and Tillo heriresi (Tillo herire) have registered geographical indications.

Practical Tips

• Büryan kebabı is cooked in a pit by a special method; it is available fresh in the early morning.
• Flights to Siirt are limited; check the flight days in advance.
• The roads to Tillo and Pervari are mountainous and may be closed by snow in winter.