Turkey tour
Escorted

EASTERN TURKEY
(Northern Mesopotamia)

15days/14nights

2006

Guaranteed departure dates from Istanbul (on Saturdays)
 13 May, 10Jun, 8Jul, 5Aug, 19Aug, 2Sep  2006

ITINERARY
Day 1 Arrive in Istanbul 
Upon arrival meet with our representative and transfer to the hotel. Dinner not included. 
Day 2 Istanbul -Trabzon BLD (56 miles) 
Morning flight to Trabzon, the main city of the Black Sea Region. Upon arrival, depart to visit the Byzantine Monastery of Sumela located in the hinterland. A breathtaking site, hanging on the face of a 1,200m / 4,000 ft high steep rock. Drive back to Trabzon where Alexios Comnenos founded the Independent Empire of Trebizond in the early 13th century. After lunch in the city, visit old Haghia Sophia Church (turned into a museum), decorated with wonderful 13th century frescoes which are the most beautiful from this period that can be seen in Turkey; the Panaghia Chryzokephalos (The Golden Head Virgin) which was the first church to be converted into a mosque (Fatih Camii) when the city fell to Mehmet the Conqueror; the old quarters of the upper town including the walls; the Russian Bazaar in the harbour. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 3 Trabzon - Rize - Erzurum BLD (186 miles) 
Morning, you will head towards Rize, located in the middle of green tea plantations that make the wealth for the region. Continue to Hopa, near the Georgian border, and arrive in Artvin. After lunch, drive through the Çoruh Valley characterized by beautiful wild landscapes all along the raging river which is suitable for rafting, and Georgian vestiges including castles and churches. Visit picturesque Ishan Village perched in the mountains. In this village, which was once an Armenian then a Georgian bishopric, stand the ruins of a 8-9th century cathedral and a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1006. Along Lake Tortum, you will continue to Erzurum, located on a plateau at an altitude of 1905 m/ 6,250 ft. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 4 Erzurum - Ani - Dogubayazit BLD (280 miles) 
Morning, visit the Seljuk monuments of Erzurum, large city of eastern Anatolia which has a reputation for being the coldest in Turkey: visit Çifte Minare Medresesi, the old school of theology with two minarets covered with tiles; Ulu Cami, the oldest mosque in Erzurum with its beautiful wooden dome; the "türbe" which are domed tombs. After lunch in Kars, continue to Ani, the ancient capital of the Bagratid Armenians, founded in the 9th century. Visit the site located on a plateau near the gorges of the Arpa Çayi which has delimited the border between Armenia and Turkey. Drive back to Kars, a city with a stereotyped architecture left by the Russians and continue to Dogubayazit located at the foothills of Mount Ararat. This volcano that culminates at 5,165 m/ 16,945 ft and whose summit is always capped with snow, is the highest mount in Anatolia where Noah's Ark is thought to have landed after the Deluge. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 5 Dogubayazit - Van BLD (106 miles) 
Morning, visit Ishak Pasa Palace where Persian, Armenian, Georgian, Seljuk and Ottoman styles have been mixed harmoniously. After lunch, drive along the Iran border through barren landscapes of volcanic stones. Stop at Muradiye Waterfalls for lunch. Continue to Van, the ancient Tushpa and the capital of the Urartu Kingdom. Van is located on the eastern bank of Lake Van,Turkey's largest (salted) lake. Visit the citadel from where there is a panoramic view over the lake. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 6 Van - Hosap - Akdamar - Tatvan BLD (142 miles) 
Morning, drive to Çavustepe and visit the 8C BC Urartian citadel. Continue to Hosap village impressively crowned by a castle. From the top you will enjoy most astonishingly shaped landscapes. Drive back to Lake Van. After lunch in Gevas, boat excursion to Akhtamar island where the 10C Holy Cross Church stands whose facades are ornemented with beautiful reliefs depicting scenes from the Bible, Armenian king Gagik, animals and vine. Continuation to Tatvan  located at the southwestern end of the lake. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 7 Tatvan - Ahlat - Bitlis - Diyarbakir BLD (190 miles) 
Morning, drive along the north shore of Lake Van to visit Ahlat and its interesting Seljuk cemetery with tombstones and mausoleums whose architecture is different from those in Central Anatolia. Lunch in Tatvan. Continue to Bitlis and stop in this picturesque town located in a narrow and deep valley. Arrive in Diyarbakir, a big city located near the right bank of the Tigris River (Dicle) and named "the Dark" because of its black basalt walls which are one of the best examples of medieval military architecture. Visit the impressive city walls and the Grand Mosque which includes many re-used building materials from the Byzantine and more ancient periods. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 8 Diyarbakir - Hasankeyf - Midyat - Mardin BLD (143 miles) 
Morning, drive through the oilfield area of Batman. Arrive in Hasankeyf, located at the end of an impressive large gorge formed by the Tigris River, in the middle of which stand the huge piers of the Old Bridge. Visit the capital of the Artukids in the 12th century, the Roman ruins of ancient Cephe set on top of the cliff from where the view over the region is splendid. Continue to Turbadin Plateau where a Syriac-Jacobite community lives, and visit the old town of Midyat, a small treasure of architecture. After lunch, visit Mar Gabriel Monastery and the Church of the Virgin Mary in Anitli. Continue to Mardin that rises in tiers on the mountain slope and overlooks the vast plains of Mesopotamia. You will stroll through the alleys and stairs of the town to discover its typical houses and monuments such as Sultan Isa Medrese, the Great Ulu Camii Mosque, the buildings of the Post-office. Also visit the Syriac-Jacobite Deyrul Zaferan Monastery located outside mardin. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 9 Mardin - Harran - Urfa - Kahta BLD (260 miles) 
Morning, drive to Harran to visit this village whose houses are called beehive-houses because of their most surprising cone-shaped roofs, and the ancient city where Abraham is said to have spent several years of his life. Arrive in Urfa for lunch. Discover the "City of the Prophets" whose past is rich and eventful: you will see Abraham's Caves; Balikli Göl, a large pool full of sacred carps with the mosques reflected in its waters; the busy and colorful bazaar and the "hans" with their different guilds; the old quarter and traditional corbelled houses. At the end of the day, depart for Kahta. On the way, stop at Atatürk Dam built on the Euphrates River. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 10 Kahta - Nemrut Dag - Gaziantep BLD (115 miles) 
A full day to explore Eski Kahta : you will see Karakus Tumulus, a burial sanctuary; Cendere Bridge, erected by the XVI Legion in the honour of Roman Emperor Septimus Severus; Arsameia on the Nymphaios (Eski Kale) with its cult monuments and reliefs. Then you will drive inside the National Park of Nemrut Dag to start the ascension of Mount Nemrut, the highest mountain (2150 m / 7,000 ft) in northern Mesopotamia, on top of which, in the 1st century BC, Antiochus I king of Commagene erected a sanctuary where he was venerated like a god, and where he was buried. You will visit the breathtaking site with its monumental statues located on terraces from where you will watch, according to the season, an unforgettable sunrise or sunset.  Lunch during the visits. In the afternoon , depart for Gaziantep, the Turkish pistachio capital.  Dinner and overnight at the hotel. 
Day 11 Gaziantep - Antakya - Adana BLD (235 miles)
In the morning, after a brief look at the citadel and the old quarters of Gaziantep, visit the Archaeological Museum where the superb Roman mosaics from Zeugma are displayed. Depart for Antakya, the ancient Antioch whose people lived in exuberant luxury and where the disciples of Jesus were called "christians" here for the first time. After lunch, visit the Mosaic Museum which displays one of the richest collections of Roman and Byzantine Mosaics in the world. Also visit the Grotto of St Peter where the Apostle Peter is believed to have preached, and which has been designated by the Vatican as a place of pilgrimage. Continue to Adana through the Plain of Issus (Dörtyol), where Alexander the Great crushed Darius III's Persian army and which is overlooked by the Fortress of Toprakkkale built by the Crusaders. Arrive in Adana, Turkey's fourth largest city. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 12  Adana - Tarsus - Cappadocia  BLD (180 miles)
In the morning, through the rich agricultural plain of Cilicia, drive to Tarsus, the birthplace of St Paul and the home to one of the first Christian churches in Asia Minor: visit St Paul's Well, St Paul Church, Ulu Cami Mosque, Eski mosque, the Gate of Cleopatra crossed by the Egyptian queen and Mark Antony when they met in Tarsus. Head north into the heart of central Anatolia to the volcanic region of Cappadocia. Lunch en route. Upon arrival in Cappadocia, visit Derinkuyu underground city, a labyrinth organized on seven levels and used as shelter by the local population in period of invasions. Also visit charming Uçhisar village, with its tufa rock crowned with a citadel which provides a magnificent panorama over the area, and the Valley of the Pigeon Houses. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 13 Cappadocia (30 miles) BLD 
A full day tour to explore Cappadocia, a fantastic region with lunar landscapes. Visit the Red Valley; Göreme Valley, open-air museum with rock-cut churches (7th-13th centuries) decorated with fine frescoes: the Church of St Barbara, the Church of the Serpent, the Church of the Sandal, the Church of the Apple, the Church of the Buckle... Also visit Avcilar Valley and Kiliçlar Valley with their old cave-dwellings and fairy chimneys; and Avanos, a small town located on the banks of the Kizilirmak, famous for its pottery. Lunch during sightseeing. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 14 Cappadocia - Istanbul (46 miles) B
Morning, transfer to Kayseri airport for a flight to Istanbul. Transfer to the hotel. Afternoon at leisure. Lunch and dinner not included.
Day 15 Departure B 

Price:(4 star hotels)
US$ 1362 per person based on double occupancy
US$ 1699 per person single occupancy
US$ 1325 per person based on triple occupancy

Included:
-Transportation in air-conditioned vehicles throughout as stated in the tours general features
-Escort by a professional English speaking guide-lecturer throughout
-Entrance fees to the museums stated in itinerary
-All meals mentioned in the itinerary 
-Accommodation in shared twin rooms in stated or similar 4 star hotels
-Arrival and departure transfers

Not Included:
-Visits and services not mentioned in program
-Domestic flights
-Insurance
-Personal expenses and all beverages
-Tips

Hotels: 
On request