Revitalization of the Tourism Sector in Siirt Project
The Revitalization of the Tourism Sector in Siirt Project aims to enhance the historical and cultural appeal of Tillo by improving infrastructure, restoring key sites, and increasing its recognition as a significant destination for Sufi tourism.
Sufis visiting Tillo in the past would remove their shoes in the city centre as a sign of respect for the saints living there. The Sufi Path starts at the tombs of Fakirullah and İbrahim Hakkı and ends at Kaletül-Üstad Hill. The objectives of the project include:
- Construction and refurbishment of the facility where tourists visiting Tillo can stay;
- Installation of lighting suitable for the atmosphere and landscape of the city;
- Restoration of certain streets and squares, reparation of the walls surrounding the area where tombs and graves are located;
- Construction of a park at Kaletül-Üstad;
- Installation of informative plates and signboards;
- Better promotion of Tillo through activities themed "Sufi Path Stretching from West to East;
- Organisation of various events and supportive activities during the equinoxes in spring and autumn.
One of the main outcomes of the project is the new route of the Sufi Path. Moreover, through the Revitalization of the Tourism Sector in Siirt Project, supported by the Competitive Sectors Programme, the thousands of years of history in Tillo have been rewritten with a holistic approach, highlighting the city's other significant historical and cultural assets.
Siirt is a tourism paradise, with its carved stone houses, tombs, museums, woven textiles, copper work, angora wool blankets dyed with madder, and distinctive cuisine. Tillo alone attracts around twelve thousand tourists each week. Especially on the equinox days, 21 March and 23 September, tourists from all over the world flock to the town.
