Adıyaman is a province in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, set in the upper Euphrates basin between the Taurus foothills and the Mesopotamian plains. It is best known as the gateway to Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dağı), the UNESCO-listed mountaintop sanctuary where colossal stone heads guard the 1st-century-BC tomb of King Antiochus I of Commagene. The province also holds Roman bridges, royal tumuli, and rock-cut ancient cities, alongside a distinctive cuisine that includes the local çiğ köfte and Adıyaman tava.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
Adıyaman Tobacco (Tütün)
Sun-cured oriental tobacco from one of Turkey's leading tobacco-growing provinces, sold as a regional agricultural product; a traditional speciality of the Adıyaman countryside
Price: Varies by quantity and grade
Where: Local tobacco traders and markets in and around Adıyaman city
Pistachios (Fıstık)
Green pistachios from Adıyaman's extensive groves, part of the Southeastern Anatolia pistachio belt shared with Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, sold raw, roasted, or salted and used in local desserts
Price: Approx 300-600 TRY per kg (approx USD 7-15)
Where: City-centre dried-goods shops, weekly markets, and confectioners
Çiğ köfte and isot pepper
Adıyaman's emblematic spiced bulgur speciality, sold today in its meatless (etsiz) commercial form, alongside isot (dark red pepper flakes) and other dried spices that flavour the regional kitchen
Price: Çiğ köfte portions approx 60-150 TRY (approx USD 1.50-4); isot by weight
Where: Çiğ köfte shops and spice traders in the city centre and markets
Copperware (Bakır)
Handmade copper pots, trays and coffee pots from the coppersmiths (bakırcılar) who were a fixture of the old city bazaar; a traditional craft now disrupted by the post-earthquake reconstruction of the centre
Price: Approx 500-5,000 TRY by size and work (approx USD 12-125)
Where: Surviving coppersmith stalls and temporary container markets in the centre
Kilims and handwoven textiles
Handwoven kilims, rugs and textiles in regional patterns, a long-standing craft of the Adıyaman bazaar tradition and surrounding villages
Price: Approx 1,500-15,000 TRY by size and quality (approx USD 38-375)
Where: Carpet and textile traders in the bazaar area and temporary markets
Pestil and regional sweets
Pestil (dried fruit leather), grape and mulberry products, and pistachio- or almond-based desserts typical of the meat-, wheat- and grape-based cuisine of the region
Price: Approx 150-500 TRY (approx USD 4-12)
Where: Confectioners, dried-goods shops, and weekly markets
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Adıyaman City-Centre Bazaar (Çarşı) - under reconstruction
The historic city-centre bazaar and town square, traditionally home to coppersmiths, kilim weavers, spice traders and homemade-soap sellers, was largely destroyed in the 6 February 2023 earthquakes. Reconstruction under the Adıyaman Çarşı ve Meydan Düzenleme Projesi is ongoing and incomplete, so the classic covered-bazaar experience is not reliably available and trade has shifted into temporary container and prefab markets nearby.
Where: Merkez (city centre), Adıyaman
Hours: Daytime; many trades operating from temporary container markets
Temporary Merchant Bazaars (Konteyner Çarşıları)
After the 2023 earthquakes, the provincial authorities set up temporary container and prefab merchant bazaars at numerous points in the city centre and districts to keep displaced traders in business, including named clusters such as the Kayseri Çarşısı in the Mimar Sinan Parkı area on Atatürk Bulvarı. These are where much everyday shopping happens during reconstruction, though they are scheduled to be phased out as permanent rebuilding progresses, so exact locations should be checked on arrival.
Where: Multiple points across central Adıyaman, including the Şire Pazarı area
Hours: Daytime, generally daily
Adıyaman Park AVM
Adıyaman's main modern shopping centre, opened in 2018 with around 30,000 m² of retail space and over 110 national and international stores including Özdilek and Boyner, plus cafés and a food court. It is the city's primary modern retail and meeting point and operates on fixed prices rather than bargaining.
Where: Yeni Sanayi Mahallesi, Merkez, Adıyaman
Hours: Daily 10:00-22:00
Customs & restrictions
What you can and can't take home.
Items:
- Name
- Bargaining etiquette
- Description
- In the traditional bazaar and weekly markets, polite bargaining is normal and even expected for crafts, copperware and textiles, often accompanied by an offer of tea. Modern stores and the Adıyaman Park AVM use fixed prices, and haggling over food staples or in supermarkets is not done.
- Name
- VAT and tax-free shopping
- Description
- Turkey applies KDV (value-added tax) to most goods. Non-resident visitors can in principle claim a tax-free refund on qualifying purchases from registered Tax Free shops above the minimum threshold, though such schemes are concentrated in major cities and are uncommon among small Adıyaman traders.