Malatya City Guide

Malatya City Guide

Located on a hilly area, Malatya is one of the cities situated in the Eastern Anatolia Region. While the eastern borders of the city is drawn by the Euphrates River the south borders are specified by Toros Mountains. With its history tracing back to the Paleolithic era, Malatya was a residential area for a plenty of civilizations from Meds, Persian Empire, Hittite Empire to Byzantine Empire, Seljuk Empire and Ottoman Empire. Malatya is famous with its apricot.

Tourist Attractions

Nemrut Mountain at Puturge district, Aslantepe Mound at Orduzu (Bahcesehir) burg, Malatya Castle at Eski Malatya (Old Malatya-Battalgazi), historical mosques and madrasahes are the main historical and cultural fortunes of the city. Also, Sultansuyu, Karakaya Dam and Levent Valley reflect the natural treasuries of Malatya.

Nemrut Mountain with a height of 2150 m is 94 km away from the city center. The archeological ruins at the peak of the mountain have great significance not only in Turkey, but also in the world. You can not go to Nemrut Mountain between November and May due to the climatic conditions lived in the city.

Ulu Mosque, Silahtar Mustafa Pasha Caravansary, Melik Sunullah Mosque and Old Malatya Constellations are some of the historical artifacts within the borders of the city. Especially, Mustafa Pasha Caravansary and Ulu Mosque attract many tourists every year.

Battalgazi is also an important ancient city constructed by Byzantines which you should visit there.

Culture & Entertainment

Folk dances at Malatya constitute the cardinal fragment of the city culture.

Yesilyurt Berry, Culture and Sports Feast (June), Arguvan Culture and Art Festival (July), International Culture, Art and Apricot Festival (July) and Yazihan Culture and Art Festival (August) are some of the fundamental cultural events held in the city.


While pacing within the famous and verdant apricot gardens of the city you will imagine yourself to be on a land from the heaven.

Health Tourism

Turgut Ozal Medical Center which will lead health tourism in the region is placed 10 km at the east of the city center. It is located on a land of 7.000 km2 within the Campus of Inonu University. There are 120 intensive care beds and 26 operating rooms which are equipped with high technology. At the begenning of 2007, totally 50 liver, 120 cornea and 20 bone marrow transfer has been actualized in Turgut Ozal Medical Center. As a result of this, in 2007, a protocol was signed with Sudan and patients are accepted from abroad for central organ transfer.

Do not leave the city without doing the following activities

-Visit Eski Malatya, Aslantepe and Archeological Museum

-Visit Sultansuyu and Nemrut Mountain

-Eat Kagit Kebab in a restaurant at the city center

-Eat Anali-Kizli İcli Ball, Apricot Dessert with butter and Fish-Meat Ball

-Do shopping from Sire Bazaar where apricot and its by-products are sold.

Food & Drink

Having a delicious local cuisine, the culinary culture of the city is mostly based on meat and wheat.

Kofte (meat ball) is one of the specialties of traditional cuisine which you will find more than 70 kinds such as Anali kizli kofte, sıkmalı kofte, kofte with apple, gilgirikli kofte, ciger kofte (liver kofte), kel kofte, kofte stuffed with spinach, icli kofte with potato, cimdik kofte with zucchini, yumru kofte, cig kofte with meat, cigleme, cig kofte with lentil...

Some Popular Soupes: Tarhana soup, black soup, lentil soup, noodle and wheat soup, gendirme soup, ear soup, dogme soup, rice soup, pirpirim soup, gurut soup, asure soup...

Meat and vegetables: Meat tiridi, buğulama, sac kavurmasi, tiritli potato, tiritli bean, aubergine dovme, imam bayildi andfoods with vegetables

Breads: Tandir bread, yufka bread, kinali bread, taplama bread, bazlama, eksili bread, bread with honey, brread with plant, pileke, donderme, tutmac, sac yuzu, bread with butter...

Sweets and conserves: Apple, quince, zucchini, strawberry, plum and rose conserves / mulberry helva, grape pestili, grape faggot,cheese sweet, deli kiz baklava, apricot cream sweet...

Shopping

Handloom products are the main reflection of the shopping culture in the city. Carpets, kilims, copper kitchenware, wooden churns, wooden windlasses and wooden spoons are all the authentic handicrafts.

All the local goods above and more are sold at Covered Bazaar and Coppersmithes Market at the center of the city. Also, dried apricots markets are pervasive at the centrum.

Ataturk, Inonu and Milli Egemenlik (National Sovereignty) Streets are the main shopping centers of the city that you should pay a visit.