Catalhuyuk Archeological Tour: Unearth Neolithic Wonders in Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Site
4.9
13 Ratings
Konya
Embark on a half-day archaeological tour of Catalhuyuk, Boncuklu Huyuk, and Konya Archaeological Museum in Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover the wonders of Neolithic civilization and experience the first proto-city settlement in Anatolia.
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Catalhoyuk Neolithic City - Çatalhöyük is obviously the largest, most developed and one of the oldest city settlement in the World. It dates back to the Neolithic period (7200-6500 BC),and it is known to have been the first proto-city settlement in Anatolia. They have different customs and structures in terms of their burial methods ,their architecture,and their way of living. The region is one of the rare places in the world with its religious beliefs and producer community characteristics,and because the first map ,mirror and the first weave samples were found here. Çatalhöyük was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Boncuklu Hoyuk - Boncuklu Huyuk archelogical site which dates back to the Neolithic period is 10 km from Çatalhüyük . 10.000 years ago it was part of a revolution which made settled life in houses and farming a normal part of people’s lives.
  • Konya Archaeological Museum - Neolithic, Early Bronze, Hittite, Phrygian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods are exhibited. You can also see the archaeological finds from Çatalhöyük.
What's Included
  • Hotel pick up and drop off
  • Private transportation
  • Expert guiding
  • All fees and taxes included
  • Complimentary tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Any tip for the guide and driver
Additional Information

Embark on a half-day exploration that includes the Catalhuyuk Archaeological Site, Boncuklu Huyuk Archaeological site, and Konya Archaeological Museum. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Catalhuyuk is renowned as the largest, most sophisticated, and one of the oldest urban settlements globally, dating back to the Neolithic period (7200-6500 BC)—it’s the first-known proto-city settlement in Anatolia. The Boncuklu Huyuk archaeological site, also from the Neolithic period and located 10 km from Catalhuyuk, witnessed a revolution 10,000 years ago that normalized settled life and agriculture. If you’re captivated by archaeology and prehistory, these are must-visit locations. Our package includes private transportation and an exclusive tour led by a knowledgeable, friendly, dependable, and professional guide.

Location
Catalhoyuk Neolithic City
Catalhoyuk Yolu, Kucukkoy Mahallesi
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(13 Ratings)
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Priyanka_g
May 27, 2024
A lovely welcoming tour - forever memorable - A relatively unknown, less popular tour but surprisingly turned excellent due to the warm behaviour of the owner and a knowledgeable guide. Of course, seeing the catalhuyuk archaeological site i.e. world's oldest settlement with my own eyes was thrilling enough, but getting a warm welcome at one of the local man's farmhouse which the guide surprised me with and then being offered a complementary lunch and a personal see off from one of the owners who was driving us along, were all such nice gestures that made this tour a memorable one for me. Will definitely recommend everyone to take this tour with Mete, the owner, at least once if they are in Konya.
Review provided by Viator
916gm
Apr 4, 2024
Incredible Place. Superbly Organized. - Looking forward to returning. Everything about this visit was perfect, and the careful planning from Selene Travel was very appreciated. Visiting Catalhuyuk and seeing all of the work at this site was incredible; that can be an overused word, but in this case it fits. Since being designated a UNESCO site, there is a new visitor's center, and the work that has gone into this is worldclass. You will be amazed at the layout and information. Top notch. The best part, though, was the thoughtful guidance from Mete Bey and Fatma Hn. Informed, knowledgeable and just great people. You will be so glad you connected with Selene Travel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Francois_d
Dec 5, 2023
The dawn of civilization - I have travelled over the world and have been to several countries but the visit to Catal huyuk, where one can see the houses where people lived at the dawn of civilization, was one of the intellectually most profound and emotionally most moving experiences I had in my life. Sakir, my guide from Get your guide, who accompanied me, was most knowledgeable, patient and friendly.
Review provided by Viator
David_c
Jun 5, 2023
Worth the time to go out to Catalhuyuk! - Our guide, Musafa, did an incredible job of bringing us around to the sites and was very informative about what we were seeing. The four places that we visited we outstanding in demonstrating how people lives in this area over thousands of years. Certainly it is an UNESCO-site that I recommend for others to visit!
Review provided by Viator
Butterfly_vas
May 17, 2023
Beyond perfect! - The trip to Catalyuk Archeological Site is a must while you are in Konya! The oldest of the old is gold! I was amazed to know that there still exist remains of dwellings 8000+ years old!!!! WOW! And the way these people from that time lived was so unique that I was blown away! Selena tours not just took great care of me and showered me with love and kindness, but the information along the way, at the stops and on my way back was just non-stop!! I was kept engaged every minute of my time on this tour! I highly recommend Selena tours for everything you want to experience in Konya - from whirling dervishes to meeting and chatting with a Sufi to even recommending you with stay, food, hidden gems etc! The best part about them is that they offer personalised tours too! I went to Sille village and few other hidden gems that I highly recommend checking out. Speak to them and they are happy to help you all the way and make you feel so loved! Well, I was definitely made to feel like a part of their family! I truly am in love with the owner, his wife and this company! They have set the bar really high in terms of service and personalisation!! I highly recommend them and this tour!
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Ken_b
Apr 17, 2023
Çatalhüyük - Mind Blowing History. - The history of Çatalhüyük is mind blowing. Our guide Fatima was excellent in describing to us the history of the site and also an even older archeological site nearby. Thanks too to our driver Isa. A brilliant tour and we highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Apricot44
Apr 29, 2021
Open-Air Museum of the Neolithic period - çatalhöyük, located about 50 km southeast of konya province in the central Anatolia region of Turkey, does not have any problems with transportation.you can reach it very easily.you should definitely see the excavations of this Neolithic settlement, consisting of 2 Hills about 20 meters high.now I want to tell you about the Neolithic period and çatalhöyük. Çatalhöyük (Catalhoyuk) mound Open-Air Museum of the Neolithic period Çatalhöyük consists of 2 Hills belonging to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period ,located on both sides of çarşamba Creek ,located in the center of the Anatolian peninsula, located at the crossing point of 3 major continents, about 50 km southeast of konya province. çatalhöyük was discovered in the late 1950s and excavations were started in the early 1960s. it has been used as a settlement area continuously for about 2000 years and is like an open-air museum that allows us to understand the settled Society of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period consisting of about 20 different layers with all the Found artifacts. The first settlement at Çatalhöyük was Neolithic about 9400 years ago. It happened in the age. In an area of 13.5 hectares on the edge of old Konya Lake Çatalhöyük settlement, which was founded and is thought to have been inhabited continuously for about two thousand years, is dated to the Neolithic period “Doğu Çatalhöyük " (B.C.7400– 6200) and “West Çatalhöyük” dated to the Chalcolithic Period (B.C. 6200–5200) it consists of two mounds. Homes abandoned over time, new arrivals as a result, they built new houses on it, filling it with soil it rose in layers and formed a 21-meter peak. çatalhöyük has made the Neolithic period commemorated with art with its unusual finds. Weaving, woodworking, mining, Obsidian craftsmanship, murals and reliefs, stone and clay figurines shed light on the art aspect of the period. The temple in the settlement and the statuettes it contains have developed a religion, the birth of architectural and conscious planning, the economy of advanced agriculture and animal husbandry and a large number of captured it is possible to witness the progress in the trade of raw materials with imported materials. in addition to various items, superior jewelry works were obtained from forged copper or rare Stones. çatalhöyük houses, which have a regular city plan, are used for pantry and food production in addition to the main room 1 or It consists of side rooms ranging from 3. Main rooms entered from the roof a staircase is used to enter from the roof, and a stove is located below the staircase. The point where the ladder is located is also the exit point of the smoke coming out of the stove. The main room was often repainted, probably due to smoke coming out of the hearth. During the day, light comes from the stairwell to houses that are dark. and because of this, the main room is quite bright. For better reflection of light, the walls were painted white with limestone. A painting of rooms White another reason is to eliminate the heat generated by the stove. At home on cold winter nights the time spent has contributed to people's socialization. adjacent planned structures it is seen to be built in a honeycomb shape, conjoined and closed outwards. Çatalhöyük houses were built of Quadrangular Adobe, a mixture of sun-dried mud and straw, using Reed and wood poles and plaster. Region mudbrick and Reed were easily found, making use of the swamp. Çatalhöyük, which has similar characteristics with the architecture of adobe houses in Anatolia today between the walls of their house are tree plantings. On these pylons incoming beams carry the flat ceiling, while the ceiling top cover is compressed onto the Reed it is covered with white, thin and sticky clay. Çatalhöyük with the addition of the neighborhoods while the buildings around the courtyards create the neighborhoods city established. There are no streets in the city and the people who live here they provided passage through the roofs of the houses and also entered the houses through these roofs. çatalhöyük helps us to understand the belief systems,rituals,symbols and cosmic world of the Neolithic period with its many cult and ritual symbols. wild cattle horns or horned skulls plastered with clay (ancestral cult),skulls(skull cult),goddess(Cybele) statue (Mother Earth,fertility and life cult) are some of the features that make çatalhöyük unique. the male God and the male cult, which dominated the neoltic period and before it, are replaced by the cult of the Mother Goddess along with çatalhöyük. A mural with a Çatalhöyük drawing was found during excavations in 1960 . A large part of this unusual mural was painted on the north wall. The third section is pictured on the eastern edge of the House. Monochrome one the picture is. B. carbon testing pictureC shows that it was built in 6300. On the north wall of the painting on plaster part of it was dismantled in four parts. Three pieces are exhibited in Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum Pictured are quadrangular structures, often built in terraces in front it has a total area of. After the city, an erupting volcano is seen, covered with volcanic stones, whose slopes are rolling down. A cloud of smoke and ash sits above it, from the erupting crater similar parts are thrown into the air. Double cone pictorial of the mountain, Konya It depicts the eruption of Mount Hasan, located at the eastern end of the plain. It is believed that this volcano is the extinct volcano of today, Mount Hasan . This picture shows the twin-crested volcanic Mount Hasan rising just beyond the village's borders it shows a view of the village. On a surface out of human hands it is considered one of the earliest paintings ever made. çatalhöyük has opened a new era related to the Neolithic period and continues to open...........
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trish
Sep 21, 2019
Selene Travel and Çatalhöyük - Outstanding site near Konya - 9,500 years old - When visiting Cappadocia a few days ago (September 2019) I looked at the map more closely and realised that Göreme was only 3 hours away from a very important archeaological site - Çatalhöyük, near Konya. I had studied archaeology at university (decades ago) and vividly remember learning about Çatalhöyük and the prehistory of the Anatolian Plateau. I talked my husband into changing our travel plans, and found that Selene Travel offer tours to this and an even older site. Selene Travel were great at providing very helpful advice on how to get there, met us off the bus from Göreme, found us a good hotel and everything went very smoothly. Fatima is a great guide, informed, observant and thoughtful. Visiting these sites is much, much better with a guide, you get the context of environmental changes and the differences between earlier and later excavations. We even had bonus sheep on the road - a moment of nostalgia for our home country of New Zealand. This afternoon tour was so informative and useful that we promptly signed up for a tour the next morning - to visit important sites in Konya itself Note to TripAdvisor I would have added photos but got an error message about file types - even though I hadn't selected an image.
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145gerd
Aug 14, 2019
Exeptional service - Extremely nice and informative guide. Had a Great time and i definetly recommend this/these tours for everyone wgo want a worthwhile tour!
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Go580833
May 16, 2022
I recommend Hüseyin for his knowledge on Turkish history. - We had a great time with our guide Hüseyin. He was very knowledgeable about the history and he spoke english well. Part of the site was closed and a lot of archeology is moved to museums which you see in Konya. He recommended a very good and affordable restaurant as well for lunch afterwards.
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June 2024
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