Eastern Turkey tour

We rendezvous in the afternoon in Kars and overnight in our hotel in the city.

Between 961 and 1045, Ani was the capital of the Armenian Bagratid Kingdom. Although the city now sadly lies mainly in ruin, a visit to it is still one of the highlights of any tour in Eastern Turkey. Built on the banks of the river Arpaçay, it commands one of the most memorable positions of any city. And on the far bank of the river is Armenia.

In the afternoon there is time to visit the interesting city of Kars.

Evening meal and overnight in Kars.

Today we drive towards Van, with highlights including a visit to the Ishak Pasha Palace on the border with Iran and some stunning views of Mount Ararat in the near-distance.

Evening meal and overnight in Van.

Diyarbakır

Mardin

Meryema Ana monastery, Anitli

We spend the whole day in the city of Van. We begin the morning with a visit to the citadel with its stunning view over Lake Van and with some remarkable examples of cuneiform inscriptions still visible in the rocks.

In the afternoon, we visit the fabulous museum with its fine exhibits of Urartian artefacts and history.

Evening meal and overnight in Van.

Today we stop on the shores of Lake Van and take a short boat ride to the island of Akdamar where one of the most iconic Armenian churches is located. Recently restored, this is perhaps the most beautifully sited Armenian church in Turkey.

In the afternoon, we continue our journey to Midyat.

Evening meal and overnight in Midyat.

This morning we explore the handsome and interesting town of Midyat. In the afternoon, we visit the monastery of the Virgin Mary in the village of Anıtlı – perhaps the most charming of all the Syriac monasteries in South East Turkey – followed by Mor Gabriel monastery, a Syrian Orthodox monastery founded in 397AD.

In the afternoon, we continue our journey to Mardin.

Evening meal and overnight in Mardin.

Deyrulzafferan monastery

Cuneiform inscriptions at the citadel in Van

Pool of Abraham, Şanlıurfa

Today we have the whole day to explores the stunning town of Mardin. Sited on a rocky hill overlooking the Tirgris and Mesopotamia, and built from a honey-coloured stone that shimmers in the late-afternoon light, Mardin is without doubt one of the most resplendent of all the cities in South Eastern Turkey. There is time to visit the numerous mosques, madrasas, and churches in the town and we can also enjoy time in the town bazaar.

Evening meal and overnight in Mardin.

In the morning we visit the monastery of Deyrulzafferan. William Dalrymple, whilst he was writing From the Holy Mountain famously stayed here and he is still remembered with affection by the monks.

In the afternoon, we depart Mardin for the city of Diyarbakır.

Evening meal and overnight in Diyarbakır.

Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. Standing on the banks of the Tigris, people have inhabited this area since the stone-age and so it is not surprising that the city’s history is a rich one. Among the major sights of Diyarbakır are the old city walls, the mosque and the ancient bedestan. However, there are also a number of Syriac and Christian churches we are able to admire.

Evening meal and overnight in Diyarbakır.

Today we drive from Diyarbakır via Nemrut Dağı – Mount Nemrut. The statues of heads dating from the 1st century BC have become one of the most emblematic sights in the country.

In the afternoon, we continue our journey to Şanlıurfa.

Evening meal and overnight in Şanlıurfa.

The “gypsy girl”, Zeugma museum

We have the whole day to explore the remarkable city of Urfa (the historic name of Şanlıurfa – the prefix şanlı, meaning glorious, only having been given it in 1984 as a commemoration of the city’s resistance in the First World War). According to legend, this was the hometown of Abraham, but it has a long association with Jewish and Islamic history as well as with Christianity. We begin by visiting the legendary Pool of Sacred Fish (Balıklıgöl) where Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod. And in the later morning we visit Rızvaniye Mosque and also the great mosque.
In the afternoon, we can enjoy time to stroll through the bazaar area of the town – perhaps one of the most authentic and fascinating bazaars in the whole of Turkey and where one is as likely to hear Arabic spoken as Turkish.

Evening meal and overnight in Şanlıurfa.

In the morning we visit the archaeological site of Göbeklitepe, a settlement inhabited from c. 9500 during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic era: a period which marked the dawn of the earliest human settlements anywhere on the planet. However, whether it was a permanent settlement or a sanctuary used by groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers from the wider area is still open to debate. Nevertheless, it is an impressive site and one that leaves the visitor pondering the origins of human civilisation.

In the afternoon we head for Gaziantep (c. 2 hours drive) where we visit the Zeugma mosaic museum.

Named after the bridge of boats, or ζεῦγμα, that crossed the river Euphrates at this point, Zeugma was an ancient Hellenistic-era, and then Roman city. Of great importance and with a population of up to 70,000 it possessed some of the Roman world’s most prized mosaics. In the early 2000s, when the site was threatened with submersion by the building of the nearby Birecik dam, the mosaics were relocated to a specially-built museum in Gaziantep in which they are now housed. It constitutes the largest mosaic museum in the world.

Evening meal and overnight in Gaziantep.

Travel to Gaziantep airport for onward flights to Istanbul and home.