Eastern Turkey Tour
- Turkey Tours
TOUR DETAILS
Eastern Turkey Tour, Turkey tours and
the history of Anatolia
Tours in Turkey and the history of
Anatolia
Day 1 Istanbul
After breakfast, a visit to the Sadberk
Hanim Museum, a little known yet
exquisite privately endowed museum.
Lunch on the liquid history of the
Bosphorus, followed by a free afternoon.
Overnight at the Hotel. (B,L)
Day 2 Istanbul
A day's visit to the Asian side of
Istanbul & the Princess Island. These
areas are sometimes missed by the
tourist yet they present a totally
different facet of Istanbul. We shall
visit some of the most beautiful
residential areas and take a boat to the
leisurely resort of the Princess Island.
Overnight at the Hotel. (B,L)
Day 3 Istanbul -Trabzon (Trebizond)
Transfer to Istanbul airport for a
morning flight to Trabzon founded in the
8th century BC. A visit to the
spectacular Sumela Monastery clinging to
a cliff hundreds of meters high. After
lunch at a local restaurant, we visit
the 14 th Century monastery church of
Hagia Sophia, built by Emperor Manuel i
Comments. It is a combination of
Christian and Muslim architecture.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 4 Trabzon
A day trip to Camlihemsin, a village
deep in the magnificent Kackar
Mountains, where we hope to encounter
both the Laz and Hemsin people who still
live in isolated communities. We return
to Trabzon for dinner and overnight at
the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 5 Trabzon-Erzurum
A drive to Erzurum, the largest city in
Eastern Anatolia. City walls and the
fortress remind the visitor of the
Turkish-Russian conflicts over the
centuries. The elaborate stone carvings
on the Cifteminareli Medrese dating from
1253 add to the fascination of
Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman remains
throughout the city. Dinner and
overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 6 Erzurum-Kars -Dogu Beyazit
A drive through splendid mountain
scenery leads to Kars, standing at an
altitude of 1,750 metres. Kars is
particularly famous for its distinctive
kilims and carpets and it retains a
strong heritage of folk-dancing. It is
the ancient Armenian capital and we
shall see some strikingly naturalistic
frescoes at the Church of St. Gregory
the Illuminator. Our route takes us near
Mount Agri, Turkey's most famous natural
monument, an enormous volcano capped
with ice and often shrouded in dark
clouds. Its name is derived from Urartu.
It is 5.137 Metres high and is believed
to be the mountain upon which Noah's Ark
came to rest. Dinner and overnight at
the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 7 Dogu Beyazit -Van
Only 6 km from Dogu Beyazit is the site
of the spectacular Ishak Pasha Palace,
used to control the silk road. It has a
mixture of architectural styles and was
reputed to contain 366 rooms, one for
each day of We continue to Van, the
ancient Urartian capital. At the Rock of
Van near the shore of the lake are long
cuneiform inscriptions. Van is the
market town for the Kurdish tribes who
live in the mountains of extreme
South-Eastern Turkey. Lake Van is
Turkey's largest inland body of water.
At 5500feet above sea level it is also
one of the world's highest lakes. Dinner
and overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 8 Van
We visit Van Museum, where we shall see
ancient artifacts, including the gold
and silver breastplates belongigng to
the Hurrian and Urartian Empires. A full
day to explore the ancient remains of
Van will enable us to catch sight of the
famous cats of Van which are pure white
and have one blue and one green eye. On
an island in Lake Van, stands the 10th
Century Church of the Holy Cross. Its
outer stone walls are richly decorated
with Old Testament scenes and
characters. Dinner and overnight at the
Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 9 Van - Diyarbakir
Our drive south of Lake Van to Tatvan we
visit Nemrut Crater Lake & continue to
Diyarbakir. The River Tigris flows past
the mighty black basalt walls (second
only to the Great Wall of China). They
are between 5.5 and 6 kms in length and
with its 16 keeps and 5 gates give the
city an ominous appearance. Dinner and
overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 10 Diyarbakir - Mardin
Our journey takes us to Midyat and we
visit the active Syriac-Jacobite
Monastery of Mar Gabriel, dating from
the 5th Century. Fourteen nuns and three
monks occupy separate wings, as well as
a fluctuating number of local lay
workers, guests and students sent by
Turkish emigrants to learn the Syriac
language. and retie hazy cultural
connections. We continue on to Mardin,
where, froma distance, the golden stone
of the houses, blend into the rock on
which the city is built. Dinner and
overnight at the. (B,L,D)
Day 11 Mardin
Mardin is an architectural 'treasure
chest' with its ancient citadel, 14th
and 15th century Islamic masterpieces.
Views of the Mesopotanian Plain will
entrance you. The deyr-az zaferan or
"saffron monastery", so named for the
yellowish rock from which it is built
was founded in 493, and was, from 1160
until the 1920's, the seat of the Syrian
Orthodox Patriarch-until he relocated to
Damascus. Dinner and overnight at the
Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 12 Mardin - Sanliurfa
Sanli Urfa was known as Ur in ancient
times, and later as Edessa. Tradition
relates that it was the birthplace of
Abraham. Sacred carp swim in a quiet
pool. The ancient vaulted bazaar
captures the atmosphere of the exotic
East. The afternoon is free for you to
wander as you wish. Dinner and overnight
at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 13 Sanliurfa
A very early departure for Nemrut Dag's
rugged peak. built in honour of
Antiochus a Commegene ruler. On the way
we visit Ataturk Dam which harnesses the
waters of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers. The Dam Lake has been planned to
provide holiday and recreation
facilities for the region. Dinner and
overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 14 Sanliurfa
A free morning followed by an afternoon
visit to the beehive-style mud houses of
Harran. This is one of the most ancient
continuously inhabited sites on Earth
and is where Abraham and his wife Sarah
spent some years. Here you will see the
largest ancient Islamic University, the
site of the Assyrian Temple of Sin
(famous for its astronomers), city walls
dating from the 8th century and an
ancient citadel. Dinner and overnight at
the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 15 Sanliurfa - Gaziantep - Antakya
On our drive to Gaziantep we briefly
visit Birecik on the Euphrates, This is
ancient Bronze Age country where 400
limestone tombs with jewellery, vases
and other objects have been found.. The
Museum, which we visit briefly, holds
artifacts of every period of the area.
Our journey continues to Antakya for
dinner and overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 16 Antakya
We visit the mosaic museum and the
grotto of St. Peter, in the old Antakya
with its maze of narrow streets. The
Arabic-speaking resort town of Samandag
and the Roman tunnel of Titus &
Vespasiyanus presents further evidence
of an ancient sophisticated society.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 17 Antakya - Adana
A visit to the Karatepe Arslantap
National Park, with its fine neo-Hittite
stone carvings on our way to Toprakkale
Castle (the earth castle), Anavarza
fortress city on top of a hill
dominating the fertile plain built by
the Romans. Dinner and overnight at the
Hotel. (B,L,D)
Day 18 Adana - Istanbul
Our drive takes us to Tarsus, where St
Paul was born almost 2000 years ago. We
visit St Paul's well and the old houses
of Tarsus before transferring to Adana
airport for our flight to Istanbul.
Overnight at the Hotel (B,L)
Day 19 Istanbul
Today, we explore the lively streets of
"Old Istanbul". At the western end of
the old city is Edirnekapi, where the
ancient walls of Theodosius once marked
the borders of Constantinopole. Lunch
will be at Zeyrekhane Restaurant,
followed by a drive to the Balat
district of the Golden Horn. A coffee
break at the Pierre Loti Cafe will give
photographers an unequalled view of the
Golden Horn. Overnight at the Hotel. (B,L)
Day 20
Transfer to Istanbul Airport for your
flight back home. (B)
(B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
Reservation
INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE
- HOTEL ACCOMMODATION IN SUPERIOR
TOURIST CLASS HOTELS.
- ACCOMMODATION BASED ON TWIN WITH
PRIVATE FACILITIES.
- CONTINENTAL BREAKFASTS (B), LUNCH (L)
AND COURSE DINNERS (D) AS PER THE
ITINERARY.
- AIRPORT / HOTEL / AIRPORT TRANSFERS.
- MODERN AIR CONDITIONED COACH WITH
RECLINING SEATS.
- WELCOME DRINK.
- HOTEL TIPS, LOCAL TAXES AND SERVICE
CHARGES.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE
- TRAVEL INSURANCE.
- ANY ITEM OF A PERSONAL NATURE SUCH AS
LAUNDRY, TELEPHONE CALLS ETC.
- PASSPORT & VISA COSTS.
- AIRPORT TAXES.
- ANY ITEMS NOT MENTIONED IN
ABOVE-MENTIONED ITINERARY.
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