Çatalhöyük

Definitely one of the best museums I have visited, definitely very well made and very interactive experience, but since its middle of nowhere, the roads and directions can be little rough, Hope those can be improved, cause its already promoted by government everywhere

In this write-up, I will not talk about the historical aspects of Çatalhöyük. You can read about this on the internet. I will try here to shed light on grey areas that might be important to prospect visitors. I thank my daughter who encouraged me to fly 170 miles and visit this gem.
1. This place is about a 50-minute drive S-E from Konya. The road is paved. Mind the few road humps when you get close to Çatalhöyük. Please use a car having good conditions with a good spare tire. It will be very difficult if you face a car breakdown on this road where traffic is scarce, particularly if you don’t speak Turkish. Have a working GSM phone anyway. Come back before dark. There is no street lighting.
2. You might have read about a museum location and an excavation location. To clarify, note that Çatalhöyük is a single site with a single-entry point. The museum part is a recent new add-on.
3. There are toilets outside, to the right of the main entrance door.
4. You will first enter a perfectly crafted wood-glass structure built to top-notch standards. Front desk personnel will give you a warm greeting. When I went there (Dec. 2023), the entry was free and the visiting hours are 9 AM to 5 PM (entry to the excavation sites is not possible after 04:40 PM) and the place is closed on Mondays. To the right of the front desk is the Souvenirs Shop, and to the left is a corridor leading to the museum. When you’re finished with the museum, you can exit the building at the end of the corridor and walk towards the excavation sites.
5. There are two excavation sites in Çatalhöyük (two ancient colonies on two separate hills, a few 100 meters apart). Only one excavation site was open on my visit day. Excavation works in the second site were still on-going.
6. We were offered a free English-speaking guide to walk us through the museum. I accepted and soon realized that the guide is essential if you want to understand all what’s displayed in the museum. Thank you Miss Büşra for the wealth of information you provided. We had no clue about Çatalhöyük when we arrived but reached a good level of knowledge by the time we finished our museum tour.
7. The contents of the museum are impressive. The hi-tech aspect of information presentation is amazing. The contents must have been put together by a professional firm in this filed. There are 5 rooms to go through (about 1 hour with the guide). When the guide left, we took pictures then exited from the end of the corridor.
8. It is worth noting that many of the actual excavation finds (e.g. skeletons) are not displayed in Çatalhöyük museum. Only replicas are shown there. The actual skeletons are in other museums in Turkey, some in Konya’s Archaeological Museum (I saw them there) and some in Ankara’s museums.
9. Outside you will find toilets, a cafeteria building, and a conference building. The espresso and the hot chocolate we had in the cafeteria were very tasty.
10. Halfway between this area and the excavation site, replica houses identical to those revealed by the excavation are constructed to give the perfect picture to visitors. You can enter and experience the feeling of having lived there 9,000 years ago. Don’t miss entering those rooms and taking plenty of photos.
11. Finally you head towards the excavation site to be amazed by the beauty of this precious find. You are standing in one of a handful of similar sites in the entire world, with this one being the richest in content. It is true that older ones were discovered elsewhere (e.g. Göbeklitepe, 14,000 years old) but these were religious sites, not living communities.
12. You exit by returning back to the entrance point. The items available to buy in the souvenirs shop are unique, of a good quality, and found only there. Don’t miss buying some before you leave.
Conclusion: visiting this place is not to be missed. It is slowly gaining celebrity and will soon become a main touristic destination on a worldwide scale, particularly when the second (richer) excavation site is opened to public. If you find my review useful, please hit USEFUL 😊.

What a wonderful museum! We went there just by googling some interesting things to do near Konya. We’re currently traveling around Turkye and this was by far the most beautiful museum we have seen! It’s interactive, very pretty and the staff talks English! At the moment of visiting (half January) visiting was for free because they were still waiting to hear from the ministry of culture and tourism what the entreefee should be. So we were just being very lucky to visit this beautiful ánd very interesting museum now. Go and have a look! You have younger childeren? That’s no problem, it is very colourful and interactive for kids, a few actors playing the people who lived there many years ago to tell stories about live back in the days.

It is the best museum I've visited in Turkey. Ver interactive museum. It is normally hard to go around to a museum in Turkey with kids, but this one was a totally different experience. They loved it and we spent 2 hours in the museum. Also museum cafe offers variety of products. Just souvenir shop needs more products related to the museum.

It is difficult not to be amazed by this place at least for the meaning and tremendous contribution to our understanding in Neolithic. It’s been years I wanted to visit this site and I was very happy that I could. Site itself is small and museum also but enough to give you a taste about how this people from 9000 years ago used to live.

To make it complete it’s better to do before or after the Anatolian civilization museum in Ankara. They complete each other. To understand better this period of time witch was, to my understanding, matriarchy civilization, you can see the books of marija Gimbutas.

I am excited for the next years discoveries as they are still excavating lot of things.

Thanks to the team.

Expect a good hour visit if you want to take you time. Minimum 40 min.
Museum is free.

I want to share my wonderful experiences during my visit to the Çatalhöyük Excavation Area Welcome and Introduction Center. This center is a fantastic destination for history and nature enthusiasts.

First and foremost, the cleanliness of the toilets impressed me. The well-maintained and tidy facilities provide a comfortable environment for visitors. The attention to hygiene standards enhances the satisfaction of the visitors.

The wooden architecture of the building is a beautiful reflection of respect for nature. The choice of wooden material demonstrates a commitment to environmental sensitivity and sustainability. This modern wooden structure offers visitors a unique atmosphere to understand and experience the history of Çatalhöyük.

The staff members are extremely friendly and helpful towards the visitors. They patiently answered my questions and made my visit more enjoyable. The hospitality of the staff makes the center a visitor-friendly place.

The cafe is wonderfully integrated into the building and provides quality service. In a serene environment, immersed in history and nature, you can enjoy a delightful snack or beverage. The variety of options they offer and their commitment to quality service make your visit even more special.

The ease of transportation to the excavation area is a significant advantage for those considering a visit. The road signs are clear, and the parking areas are well-organized. This makes it easy to reach these magnificent historical sites comfortably.

In conclusion, the Çatalhöyük Excavation Area Welcome and Introduction Center combines elements such as cleanliness, environmental awareness, hospitality, quality service, and easy accessibility, offering visitors an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend it to everyone!

I was probably five years old when I was captivated by the story of Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest cities on the planet. Today, even though the local visitors center feels kind of abandoned, the sheer fact that I was standing on that ground was very special experience.

What I didn't know was that after the abandonment of the city it was used as a sacred burial place for the next 7 millenia all the way up to the current era.

There were no tickets to entry and mind that there are no shops and services on site.

Wow! Such an amazing historical site. So much to learn here. Not a lot of people here when we visited. I imagine because it is off the beaten path. But well worth going our of your way to see. 10,000 people lived in this town 9,000 years ago and so interesting learning how they lived.

This incredible site in Turkey dates back to 7,500 BC, making it a true window into the Neolithic period. This is where it all began, the very first steps humans took towards urban living...

Çatalhöyük Museum is a masterpiece of what magic interactive museums can do to history! It fuels our imagination and helps us walk through the excavated houses and imagine the daily lives of these ancient people. I'm so happy that there is no entry ticket to visit this museum and site.

Imagine a bustling community of up to 10,000 people living in tightly packed, windowless houses with flat roofs. Instead of streets, they climbed ladders and entered through hatchways in the ceiling! Looking at the oldest existing city map gave me goosebumps!

These early humans were artistic souls, decorating their homes with vibrant murals depicting hunting scenes, animals, and even abstract patterns. They practiced elaborate rituals, burying their dead under the floors of their homes and creating beautiful figurines and jewelry.

Happy to have this bucket list item ticked!

I remember reading about Catalhoyuk when I was a kid. This Neolithic city along with Jericho and many others in Syria and Iraq is what has kicked off civilisation as we know it. Having a deep interest in the Neolithic history and culture, I compared this site to multiple Neolithic settlements in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania where Neolithic people from Anatolia have spread. Settlers from Anatolia brought the pottery and agricultural techniques with them, but each culture has its distinct pottery patterns. Painting the houses in cloud-water perpetual patterns is perhaps the most common and distinctive mark of Neolithic cultures across Anatolia and the Balkans.

I have nowhere seen the leopard and vulture totems as in Catalhoyuk. It’s astonishing to draw parallels between the sky burial as we know it exists in Tibet nowadays and what evidently was a sky burial practiced 11,000 years ago. Who learned from whom is the inevitable question, I guess.

As you tour across Anatolia and the desert steppe areas of Turkey, Syria and Iraq, you’ll inevitably see that in the hottest of those areas, modern houses very much resemble the Catalhoyuk ones with their flat roofs and cube-like design. It seems that certain traditions have arose from practicality and have resisted time.

As for visiting Catalhoyuk - do not miss the visitor center. It’s imperative to understanding what you are seeing. Also, have a visit to the Konya archeology miseum.

WOW. Simply profound and definitely worth the drive from Konya and the surrounding area! My husband has told me about the history of Catalholyuk for years and it was one of his top "bucket list" places to visit. I honestly thought it would probably be disappointing...but not in the least bit! What we saw completely blew my mind, and I was shocked at the surrounding region. It's in a very fertile agricultural area and the views are beautiful (with mountains in the distance, farms, and a small town nearby).
We also had a chance to meet the Assistant Head Archaeologist and briefly chat with him in the small indoor museum before he had another meeting.
There are two main areas to see after exiting the museum and mock up of an original house. You'll walk up the hill to the original excavation building where you can take pictures. Then, you'll see another walking path/building ahead where archaeologists are currently working. Our guide instructed us not to take photos there as a courtesy - in case the site/discoveries haven't been published yet.
Before leaving, visit the "gift shack" across the street!!! There's a man who will greet you and offer the opportunity to purchase a drink and his book for a few dollars. Trust me, buy it!

My only regret....I didn't take enough pictures! I was too mesmerized by what we saw. 😃

Great experience and the new visitor center is really good with the interactive technologies. But mostly the best experience was to have a tour with really knowledgeable guide that was provided, thanks a lot for an unforgettable experience!

Çatalhöyük
was inhabited 9000 years ago by up to 8000 people who lived together in a large town. Çatalhöyük, across its history, witnesses the transition from exclusively hunting and gathering subsistence to increasing skill in plant and animal domestication. We might see Çatalhöyük as a site whose history is about one of man’s most important transformations: from nomad to settler.  It is also a site at which we see art, both painting and sculpture, appear to play a newly important role in the lives of settled people. Çatalhöyük had no streets or foot paths; the houses were built right up against each other and the people who lived in them traveled over the town’s rooftops and entered their homes through holes in the roofs, climbing down a ladder.  Communal ovens were built above the homes of Çatalhöyük and we can assume group activities were performed in this elevated space as well. In July 2012, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Amazing, unique place. A window to a long lost era to 9000 years ago. The new visitor center is state of the art. Full of interactive infotaintment. The guide was very well informed!

This Stone Age settlement (founded over 9,000 years ago) took humanity's first steps toward city life. At its peak, the town housed as many as 8,000 people, who supported themselves through agriculture and raising livestock.

Çatalhöyük is believed to have been home to an egalitarian Stone Age society who built distinctive homes, arranged back-to-back without doors or windows. They went in and out through openings in the roof. On the inside, they left wall paintings and enigmatic figurines.

Wierd fact: Residents buried the dead under their homes.

Honestly, I expected the place way bigger and very crowded. In fact excavations are going on while two areas are exposed unter a protective cover. And.... There were no visitors at all. Although it is free of charge. Right after the entrance there are replica houses to enter. After getting all required informations you visit the museum and afterwards the excavations themselves. Getting the chance to see the first (mud) brick houses worldwide made my heart beat faster. Who has a glimpse of cultural interest needs to see Çatalhöyük.

Very beautifully decorated. It is the place where you can see the whole process of unearthing the first traces of the oldest civilization. It takes you back 9000 years. you should definitely go!!

We visited this area and it took us about an hour to get through the one covered site, museum, and the recreated houses. We found this site extremally interesting because it dates back 7500 BC to 6400 BC, prospering around 7000 BC. Only one of the excavated sites is open. Will be honest not a lot to see, but it is the experience of being there that makes this place special.
3btraveler

New visitor centre is excellent! Provides information regarding the excavation and history in both Turkish and English. Would highly recommend visiting the place.

If you are on the Konya route, you should definitely see this place. You can witness the distinguished remnants of human history.