Visiting Us

It is always a pleasure to welcome visitors to the Çatalhöyük Research Project. Çatalhöyük is open daily from 9:00-17:00 year round. However the optimum time to visit is during the excavation season when the site is at its most active.

Our final excavation season runs from May to September 2016.

Your Visit

There is a small on-site Visitor Centre, featuring exhibitions and replica artefacts designed by the project’s visualisation team. Your visit around the site itself will be led by a dedicated tour guide or site guard, who will facilitate your entry into both the North and South excavation areas as well as a replica Çatalhöyük house. For health and safety reasons, accessing the site without a guide is strictly prohibited.

It is with regret that the site is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors with mobility or access concerns should Contact Us prior to travel to discuss your trip to site.

Facilities include public restrooms as well as an adjacent café where refreshments and souvenirs can be purchased.

A Brochure (PDF, 4MB), Guidebook in Turkish (PDF, 6MB) or English (PDF, 6MB), and Site Map (PDF, 710 KB) are available to download.

Getting to Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük is located 60km to the east of the city of Konya, near the town of Cumra.

By Car

1. From Konya, take the 715 road towards Karaman.
2. Drive 60km out of Konya and then at a major crossroads with a roundabout turn left towards Çumra. Çatalhöyük should already be signposted here.
3. Drive approximately 12km through the village of Içeriçumra until you arrive in Çumra,
4. When you arrive at the centre of Çumra turn left in front of a modern mosque.
5. Continue for 500m and then turn right followed by an immediate left to cross the railway track.
6. After crossing the railway, continue for 20km keeping the river (and the big irrigation canal) on your left.
7. You will eventually see the mound and site buildings on your right. Turn right into the access road and park by the custodian's house.

*A suitable road map of the region should also be taken as a precaution.

By taxi

Taxis are available from Konya.

By bus

Buses are available from Konya.