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13 days/11 nights. Pulsing with mosaics, mezzes, animated bazaars and markets, vibrant ancient cities, world-class archaeological sites, robust regional cuisine, crossroads of civilizations for centuries, Southeast Turkey is all this and more.
Depart the USA on any regularly scheduled flight to Ankara, Turkey. [Ankara airport code is ANK. Flight from the USA will transit either Istanbul (if using TK) or a European city (FRA, MUC, for instance, if you are using UA or LH.)
Arrive Ankara and transfer to our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to rest following the flight. This evening we will gather for a Welcome Dinner to meet fellow travelers.
We begin our adventure in Eastern Turkey with the Hittite Civilization. (Ankara – Hattusas 202 km 2 hrs.42 min.) Mentioned in the Old Testament as the adversaries of the Israelites and their god, the name they are known for today comes from the Bible and the Amarna Letters of Egypt but their own documents refer to the civilization as “Nesili.” Their control of this region dates from 1700 BCE to 1200 BCE. Our first stop is at the Hittite ceremonial site – Yazilkaya (“Rock Inscriptions” – in Turkish). This open-air natural shrine, with wonderful reliefs of the gods and goddesses cut into the rock walls, was home to fresh water springs and is thought to have been a place of worship. After, we continue to the spectacular city of Hattusa – this sprawling city set on the acropolis – now all in ruins – was the capital of the Hittite empire. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit the local archaeology museum of Bogazkoy housing examples of artifacts from the Anatolian civilizations in a chronological order, with an emphasis on Hittite and Hattusa artifacts. Return to Ankara in the early evening. Dinner and overnight in Ankara.
This morning we will visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The collection includes the civilizations from Palaeolithic to Bronze Age and Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian & Lydian periods. There is an excellent collection of tablets, the translations of which remind us how little some things in the world have changed over the millennia. After lunch, we fly to Diyarbakir and transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Diyabakir.
The second-largest city in Turkey and known for its vast black basalt defensive walls, Diyarbakir (”Black Fortress”) offers a rather ominous appearance, yet with massive ramparts, 16 towers and 5 gates, all decorated with inscriptions and bas-reliefs, the city presents a superb example of medieval military and religious architecture. Visit Ulu Camiithe (an 11th century Grand Mosque), built containing elements of an earlier Roman Temple and Byzantium Church, and the Medresesi of Diyarbakir (prayer school) located next to the mosque. Churches from all denominations are enclosed within the city walls – enjoy exploring them. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, depart for Mardin (92 km. – 1hr. 15min.). We will visit the central portion of Mardin, seeing historical and religious sites, including two theological schools, Zinciriye Medrese, constructed in 1385, and Kasimiye Medrese, and its adjoining mosque and “Dervish” lodge, started by the Artukids in the 12th Century, yet not finished until 1469. See the Holy Forty Martyr’s Church, dating back to the 4th Century, with its beautiful interior and ornate door carvings commerating Cappadocia’s martyrs. Located at the site of the stunningly ornate Old Post Office is the Mardin Museum, housing artifacts from between 4000BCE and the 7th Century – especially notable is the antique jewelry collection. Visit Ulu Camii (The Grand Mosque of Bursa), completed in 1399AD, with its walls not in mosaics or frescoes, but inscribed with some of the greatest Islamic calligrapy in the world. At the site of the old Silk Road in Constantinople, the Grand Bazaar was built between 1458-1461AD. Being a safe location for merchants and customers alike, it has, over the generations, grown to 4,000 shops, making it one of the world’s largest indoor markets – selling everything from metalworks to luxury textiles, Turkish carpets to fine leather goods, coffee to baklava – wander the maze of streets and enjoy!
Today we tour Mardin’s surroundings. A short trip outside of the city is Mardin-Deyrul Zafaran (“Monastery of Saffron” named for its yellow-ochre stone exterior), a Syrian Orthodox Christian Monastery, initially erected in 493AD as a temple to the sun, then used as a Roman citadel, and in 793AD, it was christened as the monastery. Atop a charming mountainside, it is still a working monastery today, attracting religious students from around the world. We next travel to the ancient village of Midyat, a centuries-old Christian Syriac/Aramean enclave, and visit Dayro d-Mor Gabriel, the oldest surviving Syrian Orthodox monastery in the world.
After breakfast, we continue our drive from Mardin to Sanliurfa (in Turkish: Şanlı – “great, glorious, dignified” – thus, “Urfa the Glorious”). The history of Urfa is recorded from the 4th century BCE, as it was discovered in 1994 with excavations at the neolithic archaeological site of Gobekli Tepe (“Hill with a Navel”). Due to the many temples unearthed here, it is also known as “The City of Prophets”, with this religious enclave dating back to 10,000 BCE, preceding the construction of the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge by 7,000 and 6,000 years respectively. With its massive size, advanced architecture, and intricately carved pillars (adorned with wild animals, birds and God-like visages), this is considered to be the oldest man-made religious tribute, and the oldest known example of monumental architecture. Given that Gobekli Tepe is thought to have been constructed by a “hunter/gather” society (lacking the basic fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics) it is an awesome wonder of human achievement. Enjoy stepping into centuries past at Gobekli Tepe.
After breakfast, we will start with a visit to Baliki Gol (also known as “The Pool of Abraham” – the site believed to be where Abraham was thrown onto a wooden pyre by King Nimrod, yet the flames were transformed into water and the logs changed to fishes. Today, this beautiful temple is revered by many monolithic religions, who also consider its surrounding pools, teeming with carp, to be sacred. Next, we visit the Town Center with a stop on the “…Old Silk Road.” The Urfa Bazaar – “…one of the most authentic in Turkey.” – is a vast array of little stalls (selling everything from clothing, to leather goods, to baklava!) spread out over a labyrinthine of small corridors and alleyways – an excellent place to shop for exotic souvenirs. In the afternoon, we continue on the way to Gazi Antep (185 km. – 2hrs. 20mins.), one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
After breakfast, a tour of the city is planned. Gazi Antep was founded by the Hittites around 1600BCE, successively ruled by the Asyrians, Macedonians, Persians and Romans and finally the Ottoman Empire, establishing Gazi Antep as an important trade site along “The Silk Road.” We start by visiting the world-famous Gaziantep Zeugma ((a town along the Euphrates, noted for the grand mosiacs-decorating its luxurious villas)tMosaic Museum with its vast display of intricately laid mosaics dating from the Greek and Roman eras – wander through reconstructed villas of Poseidon and the Euphrates, and view the frescoes, fountains and, considered the most treasured artifact, the bronze statue of Mars. On to a walking tour of the city, we next visit the cobbled streets and the shops of “Coppersmith Bazaar”, where craftsmen can be seen creating copper pots, utensils, and decorative pieces using age-old techniques handed down through generations. Wedged amongst the streets, notice the many cafes, museums and the hammans (Turkish baths) – enjoy exploring all that the bazaar offers. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Gazi Antep.
Breakfast, then the tour continues en-route to Adiyaman (150 km. 2hrs. 15min.), a truly ancient city lying in the central Euphrates river region, also known as the “bread basket” of Turkey. Antiochus I, (86 – 38BCE), was the Greek King of Commagene, famous for the attempted uniting of different religions in order that he would be worshipped forever after his death. Combining Greek pagan gods with the Iranian credo of Zoroastrianism (the worship of one universal, supreme god) , he created the impressive religious sanctuary of Nemrud Dagi (Mount Nemrut). Using qualities of each (the clothes, headgear and noble stance of the Persians and the human-like quality of Greek statuary), he created monumental effigies – the ruins of which are magnificent to behold even today. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Return to Adiyaman. Dinner and overnight in Adiyaman.
Breakfast in the hotel. Midday flight to Istanbul. Transfer and check in at our hotel on arrival. Enjoy a free afternoon in Istanbul, with a farewell dinner in the evening. Overnight in Istanbul.
Transfer from hotel to airport for your flight returning to the USA.
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