I've been wanting to see Göbeklitepe for two decades, maybe more. If I had to choose one reason to come to Turkey, this was it — and I wasn't disappointed. On April 1, 2026, I finally experienced the true Mesopotamia with a full-day private guided tour alongside Mehmet, visiting my dream-come-true Paleolithic site. What sets Mehmet apart is his genuine enthusiasm and deep connections to the area. At Göbeklitepe, his explanations made the +10,000-year-old structures feel immediate and real. But Karahantepe was the true surprise — an enriching experience that rivaled Göbeklitepe itself, especially with his insights into the ongoing excavations. I felt like I was getting a backstage pass to archaeology in action, the kind of thing you don't get from signboards, museums and books. I don't enjoy taking photos. So Mehmet went above and beyond: he captured stunning shots throughout the day and sent them to me afterward. It was such a thoughtful touch — let me stay fully present without worrying about my phone, without that nagging feeling that I'm watching a place through a screen instead of actually being there. The highlight, though, was when he introduced me to his family in Harran. Meeting them for tea, the traditional beehive house added a deeply personal and authentic connection with my own childhood in Botswana that no ordinary tour could ever offer. He also took me to a local restaurant. You don't expect to find home in Harran, but there it was. Mehmet is incredibly accommodating, answering my endless questions with patience and timing everything perfectly to avoid the crowds. He is calm and present and drives accordingly. Don't miss the chance to take this tour with Mehmet. It's an absolute must-do in this region.

Cannot recommend Mehmet and Taha enough to anyone looking to see the archeological sites in the region. They are from Haran and incredibly knowledgeable about the wealth of ancient history in the area (and really across the Middle East) and went above and beyond to show the history and culture of Urfa. Made the whole day very comfortable and seamless and made traveling in this region stress-free. Had the best time and will definitely book again if able to make it back.

Mehmet is a fantastic and passionate guide who took me on a wonderful adventure of ancient Turkiye. This was my second trip to Turkiye and Sanliurfa and I wanted to explore more of this area. Mehmet and his brother Taha (my guide last year) are just so helpful with organising everything from transportation to accomodation and meals. I usually have a rough idea of specific places I want to explore but then I’m open to expanding that search to more local and ‘off the beaten track’ places. I visited in winter as I love that time of year with snow and rain. I spent a few days doing day trips with Mehmet to places such as the ancient city of Dara, walking tour of the old parts of Sanliurfa, day trip to Mardin, several days in Harran and visiting many ancient sites in the surrounding areas. I loved every minute of it! I was taken to places I hadn’t even heard of that blew my mind. I felt so comfortable with Mehmet as my guide. He is intelligent and knowledgeable of this area and loves his work. Because he is local to the areas we visited I was able to meet many of the locals and especially loved hanging out with the children. Transportation was comfortable and safe. I can’t thank him enough for making my second trip to Turkiye so enjoyable and fun. I can’t wait to visit again from Australia.

Mehmet was timely, protective, nice, and easy going. He handled a problematic driver gracefully, and showed us some parts of Trabzon that we did not know about. He was not as passionate about his area as our other Turkish guides, but he still helped us explore the region and filled us in on some history. He was very good at offering to take photos of us in places. He speaks Arabic and English fluently as well as Turkish.

My wife and I spent 17 amazing days touring Turkey. We spent 3 days in Sanliurfa - Adiyaman region of South East Turkey. Mehmet was our guide during this part of out trip. We spent time in Sanliurfa and Gobelitepe and traveled to Mount Nemrut, before returning to Istanbul. He was an excellent guide. He knew all the history in detail; he also had interesting anecdotal stories to tell. He took us to several places that were not on our original itinerary, making our trip even more interesting. In Sanliurfa he took us to an ancient bazaar where we drank Pistachio coffee. We stopped for a refreshing Pomegranate drink at the Ataturk Dam on the Euphrates river on our way to Mount Nemrut. Mehmet climbed Mount Nemrut with me and took time to explain the history of the Commagene civilization. My wife was not able to make the climb up Mount Nemrut, but Mehmet made sure that she was safe and comfortable before we set out. Overall, we very much enjoyed our time with Mehmet and would definitely recommend him as a guide in the future.