Kilis is a small historic city in southeastern Turkey, situated just kilometres from the Syrian border and nestled among ancient olive groves. Long an important junction between Anatolia and the Levant, Kilis retains a distinctive Arab-influenced culture expressed in its unique cuisine, centuries-old bazaars, Ottoman mosques, and the olive oil traditions that have shaped life here for millennia. Visitors come for the unforgettable local gastronomy — especially kilis tarhana, şıllık flatbread, and kiraz kebabı — and for the rare experience of a historic Anatolian border city largely untouched by mass tourism.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Kilis.
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1
Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE)
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2
Iron Age / Assyrian (1200–550 BCE)
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3
Hellenistic / Roman (330 BCE – 395 CE)
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4
Byzantine (395–636 CE)
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5
Arab Conquest (636–969 CE)
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6
Crusader / Byzantine struggle (1097–1180s)
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7
Mamluk Sultanate (1260–1516)
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8
Ottoman Empire (1516–1918)
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9
French Mandate (1918–1921)
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10
Turkish Republic (1921–present)
Historical sites
Places where Kilis's past comes alive.
Byzantine/Crusader (12th c.)
Kilis Castle (Ravanda Kalesi)
Displays Hittite to Ottoman periods
Kilis Museum
Ottoman (16th c.)
Kurşunlu Mosque
Ottoman (17th c.)
Ali Bey Hanı
Ottoman (16th c.)
Canbolat Bey Hamam
Byzantine (5th–7th c.)
Byzantine Church Ruins
Mamluk/Ottoman (14th–17th c.)