Arslantepe
A mound near Malatya holding the ancient city of Melid, on a tributary of the upper Euphrates. Its layers record thousands of years of settlement, from early temple-palaces to the Hittite-era city whose stone lions gave the site its name.
- Where
- Malatya, Malatya, Türkiye
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 38.3819, 38.3611
Get the Arslantepe stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Arslantepe. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Malatya volume with your photos and a note.
Near Arslantepe
Mount Nemrut 56 km
A 2,150-metre mountain in the eastern Taurus whose summit carries what is thought to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. Great stone heads of gods and kings, toppled from their statues, sit on its terraces, and people climb up to see them at sunrise.
Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital 112 km
A mosque and hospital joined in one building, raised in 1228 to 1229 by the Mengujekid dynasty in the upper town of Divriği. Its stone portals are carved so deeply and elaborately that they put it among the great works of Anatolian architecture.
Göbekli Tepe 138 km
A Neolithic site near Şanlıurfa, built from around 9500 BC, before pottery or farming towns. Its circles of great T-shaped stone pillars, carved with foxes, boars and snakes, are among the oldest known megaliths in the world.
Şanlıurfa Archaeology and Mosaic Museum 141 km
Two museums side by side in Şanlıurfa, holding finds from Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and Harran, and from sites flooded by the region's great dams. The mosaic museum covers Roman floor mosaics found in the city itself.
Karahan Tepe 166 km
A Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in the Şanlıurfa region, related to nearby Göbekli Tepe and also marked by T-shaped stone pillars. It may be one of the earliest known villages, dated to between 10,000 and 9500 BC.
Zeugma Mosaic Museum 169 km
One of the world's largest mosaic museums, opened in Gaziantep in 2011 to hold the floors of the Roman villas of Zeugma. Its best-known piece is the Gypsy Girl, a fragment of a face whose eyes seem to follow you across the room.
Gaziantep Castle 170 km
A castle on a mound in the centre of Gaziantep, first used as a lookout under the Hittites and built up into a fortress in Roman times. Its round towers and moat ring the hilltop above the old bazaars.
Diyarbakır City Walls 171 km
The great black basalt walls that enclose Sur, the old city of Diyarbakır, with an inner citadel above the Tigris. They run for several kilometres with towers and gates, and long stretches can still be walked.
Questions
Where is Arslantepe?
Arslantepe is in Malatya, Malatya, Türkiye. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Mount Nemrut (56 km), Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital (112 km), Göbekli Tepe (138 km).
How do I get the Arslantepe stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Arslantepe and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Malatya volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Arslantepe before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Malatya volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.