Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens
The Diyarbakır Fortress: nearly 6 km (3.6 miles) of black basalt walls with 82 towers and…
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hevsel Gardens
Farmland between the walls of Diyarbakır and the Tigris, half of a World Heritage site inscribed in 2015.
Overview
The Hevsel Gardens fill the ground between the walls of Diyarbakır and the Tigris. Farmers still work the plots here, so vegetables and fruit grow within sight of the old city. Together with the walls, the gardens form a World Heritage site, which UNESCO inscribed in 2015. Because the gardens tie the city to its river, we pair them with every walk along the walls.
The Hevsel Gardens in the World Heritage site
The site's full name is the Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape. It has two main parts, the city walls and the gardens. The same listing takes in İçkale, the inner castle with the Amida Mound. Then it reaches out to the Anzele water source and the Ten-Eyed Bridge. For the walls and their towers, see our Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens page. Below the walls, the gardens link the city with the Tigris. That bond has kept the city alive for thousands of years, so the listing protects both together.
Quick facts
- Good for: farmland inside a World Heritage site, views from the walls and İçkale, the Tigris valley
- Best combined with: İçkale, the Ten-Eyed Bridge, the city walls
Anzele water and garden crops
The gardens need steady water, and the Anzele spring is one of the sources that irrigate the plots. It belongs to the same World Heritage landscape as the walls. After the water reaches the plots, farmers grow vegetables and fruit on them. Then the harvest goes up to the city. In 2024, the municipality looked at ways to make that trip easier. Diyarbakır's registered watermelon grows in villages along the same river, and our Diyarbakır guide tells its story.
History of the Hevsel Gardens
A civic garden for 8,000 years
Diyarbakır stands on an escarpment of the Upper Tigris basin, part of the Fertile Crescent. Below that edge, Hevsel has existed as gardens for about 8,000 years. Since then, more than 30 civilizations have left traces in the region. The city above stayed an important center from the Hellenistic period through Roman, Sasanian, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman times. Through all those centuries, Hevsel remained a civic garden, open to public use. So the gardens have long been part of everyday life in the city, while the walls guarded it from above.
Protecting the gardens and the Tigris valley
In August 2024, the metropolitan municipality inspected the gardens and the Tigris valley, and its officials met the farmers there. After the visit, it asked its departments to protect the natural state of the valley and keep it clean. It also asked for walking trails. Finally, it proposed a mobile team to stop unlicensed businesses from opening in the area.
Visiting the Hevsel Gardens
Seeing the gardens from İçkale
A good view comes from İçkale, the inner castle in the northeast corner of the walls. There, the museum café looks out over the Hevsel Gardens. While you take in the view, try reyhan sherbet, a local drink made with basil. The café building dates from 1902, when it housed a military corps headquarters. Since 2015, it has been open to the public. After İçkale, our guide walks you along the walls, and then the gardens open up below you.
How to visit the Hevsel Gardens
The gardens are working farmland, so we usually look at them from above, from İçkale and the walls. Because the gardens lie just below the old city, local transport reaches them from the center. The listed site has its address in Cevat Paşa, the same quarter of Sur as İçkale. In 2024, the municipality asked for walking trails through the gardens and the Tigris valley. Because Diyarbakır summers are very hot, we plan the garden views for the morning or the late afternoon. When you drive on to the Ten-Eyed Bridge, you stay inside the same World Heritage landscape. From the walls of the Diyarbakır Fortress, we walk you down into the gardens.
Updated: October 26, 2026.
Seeing the Hevsel Gardens with Us
Would you like to see the Hevsel Gardens with a guide? On our Diyarbakır tour, we start at İçkale, walk the walls and then look down on the gardens. After that, we drive on to the Ten-Eyed Bridge on the Tigris. The gardens are one stop on that day, and your date is all we need.
Things to See & Do
Map
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab) Open in Apple Maps (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
Where are the Hevsel Gardens?
They fill the ground between the walls of Diyarbakır and the Tigris, just below the old city. Together with the walls, they form a World Heritage site, inscribed in 2015.
Can we walk in the Hevsel Gardens?
The gardens are working farmland, so we usually look at them from above, from İçkale and the walls. Farmers still grow vegetables and fruit on the plots.
Where can we see the gardens from above?
The museum café at İçkale, the inner castle, looks out over the gardens. Try reyhan sherbet, a local drink made with basil, while you take in the view.
What time of day suits a garden view?
Diyarbakır summers are very hot, so we plan the garden views for the morning or the late afternoon.
Which of your tours visits the Hevsel Gardens?
Our Diyarbakır tour starts at İçkale, walks the walls and then looks down on the gardens. After that, we drive on to the Ten-Eyed Bridge on the Tigris.
