A holy rock close to the sea near Samandağ is the heart of the Hızır shrine: tradition holds that this is where Hızır and Musa met, and visitors follow the custom of walking around the sacred spot once or three times. Its importance crosses religious lines, and every year it draws great crowds of visitors. The shrine is about 3 km from the centre of Samandağ.
Also called Hıdır Türbesi or Hıdır Makamı, the shrine is held sacred by the Arab Alawites, and on most of their religious holidays people come to it from the surrounding area and from neighbouring provinces. Hıdrellez, celebrated every year on the night of 5 to 6 May, is the best known of these occasions: fires are lit and wishes are made. The Kıddes and Ghadir Khumm holidays are among its busiest times as well. Writing at the entrance and inside the shrine states that the meeting it commemorates is told in the Quran, in verses 60 to 82 of the Surah Al-Kahf.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Hatay as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 8.1 °C in January to 27.9 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, June and October; rainfall is heaviest in January (197 mm) and lightest in July (16 mm). Long-term means for 1940-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
