Destination
Soğmatar Antik Kenti
Soğmatar Ancient City, located 53 km from Harran in Şanlıurfa, is dated to the 2nd century AD. It has been scientifically established that during the Abgar Kingdom Period, the region was a cult center in the Tektek Mountains area where the people of Harran worshipped the moon and planetary gods. Photo: Gülcan Acar The word Soğmatar comes from the Arabic word “Matar,” meaning rain.
Soğmatar Antik Kenti and 6 places around it
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Highlights
- History
Good for
- Cultural routes
Suggested visit:45 minutes
Soğmatar Ancient City, located 53 km from Harran in Şanlıurfa, is dated to the 2nd century AD. It has been scientifically established that, during the Abgar Kingdom Period, the region was a cult center in the Tektek Mountains area where the people of Harran worshipped the moon and planetary gods.
Photo: Gülcan Acar
The word Soğmatar comes from the Arabic word “Matar,” meaning rain. The waters collected in the numerous cisterns and wells in this part of the Tektek Mountains, which receives abundant rain in winter, met the water needs in the summer months of the flocks of sheep and goats grazed in the mountains. Because of this feature, the village is still known today by the name “Yağmurlu.”
At the Soğmatar cult site, there is a cave where the moon god Sin was worshipped (Pognon Cave), a hill on whose slopes there are, here and there, god reliefs and inscriptions carved into the ground (Sacred Hill), 6 square- and round-planned mausoleums (Monumental Tomb), an inner castle, and numerous rock tombs carved into the bedrock.
Pognon Cave Photo: Gülcan Acar
Soğmatar was established especially around AD 165 by the people who fled the region due to the intense attacks carried out by the Parthians (Iranians) on the Urfa region, and it preserved its characteristic as a cult center until the Islamic Period.
Source: Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality
https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/TR-80702/sogmatar.html Address: Yağmurlu, 63000 Eyyübiye/Şanlıurfa
Last updated: 22 October 2026
Location and surroundings
Soğmatar Antik Kenti sits within Eyyübiye, Şanlıurfa. The toroti catalogue holds 75 described stops across Şanlıurfa, 48 of them in Eyyübiye.
The nearest stop is Şuayb Antik Kenti (Şuayip Şehri), 12 km to the south. Another 6 catalogued points lie within a 30 km radius.
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Frequently asked
- What is Soğmatar Antik Kenti?
- Soğmatar Ancient City, located 53 km from Harran in Şanlıurfa, is dated to the 2nd century AD. It has been scientifically established that during the Abgar Kingdom Period, the region was a cult center in the Tektek Mountains area where the people of Harran worshipped the moon and planetary gods. Photo: Gülcan Acar The word Soğmatar comes from the Arabic word “Matar,” meaning rain.
- Where is Soğmatar Antik Kenti?
- Soğmatar Antik Kenti is in Eyyübiye, Şanlıurfa.
- How long does it take to visit Soğmatar Antik Kenti?
- The suggested visit time for Soğmatar Antik Kenti is about 45 minutes.
- What else is there to see near Soğmatar Antik Kenti?
- toroti’s catalogue holds other destinations within 30 km of Soğmatar Antik Kenti; the closest are Şuayb Antik Kenti (Şuayip Şehri), Senemığar (Senem Mağara-Sanem Mağara), Han El-Ba’rur.