Eastern Anatolian Grand Tour - 10 Days

Trabzon is a charming city with lush greenery on northern Turkey's western Black Sea coast. It is home to important historical landmarks such as the Sümela Monastery and St. Sophia Church as well as natural attractions like Uzungöl and plateaus.
Upon arrival, your guide will meet and take you to your hotel. After you've checked in, you'll have free time to explore the city and the surrounding area at your leisure.
Overnight in Trabzon. (Dinner)

After enjoying a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we will embark on a city tour of Trabzon. Our first stop will be the Hagia Sophia Church, a stunning example of Byzantine architecture. Following that, we will visit the recently renovated Sumela Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery and church complex perched 300 meters above a valley, surrounded by steep mountains and deep streams. The monastery began in the 13th century, adding new sections over time. It served as a monastery until 1923. After our visit, we will break for lunch before heading to Erzurum, approximately a 4-hour drive away. In Erzurum, we stroll in the city and visit Nene Hatun Bastion, Double Minaret Madrasa, Ulu Mosque, Üç Kümbetler (Three Tombs), Yakutiye Madrasa, and the Erzurum Congress and the National Struggle Museum.(National Struggle Museum).
Dinner and accommodation at Erzurum. ( Breakfast – Dinner )

After breakfast, we will depart early for Kars. Upon arrival, we will have lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards, we will visit the Ani Ruins, located 50 km away.
Ani reached its peak between 953 and 1020, serving as the capital of the Armenian Kingdom. The city of Ani was captured by the Byzantines in 1045, marking the end of the Kingdom of Armenia. In 1064, the Seljuk Emperor Alpaslan conquered Eastern Anatolia from the Byzantines. Ani is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The ruins cover a wide area and include notable sites such as the Gate of Lions, Church of the Redeemer (St. Prkitch), Stone Bridge, Seljuk Palace, Church of Saint Gregory of Tigran Hornets, and the Inner Fortress. Additionally, we will visit historical artefacts like the Menüçehr Mosque, Ani Cathedral, Monastery of the Hripsimian Virgins, Cathedral of Kars, and the Holy Apostles Church.
After our visits, we arrive in Kars.  Here, we recommend trying Kars specialities such as goose meat, honey, Kars cheese, Kars gruyere cheese, yellowfish, Hengel, and Kars kit. The climate and geography of Kars City are similar to those of Russian cities, and the stone buildings in Russian architectural style are interesting.
Dinner and accommodation at Kars.  ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Today, we will continue our tour with a trip to the South. On the way, we will enjoy the beautiful geography of Eastern Anatolia and see the ruins left by ancient civilisations, which offer a glimpse into their way of life. We will arrive in Doğubayazıt.
We will visit Noah's Ark from Durupınar Noah's Ark Visitor Centre, located at the foot of Mt. Ararat, 35 km away. American researchers, especially James Irwin, discovered findings claimed to belong to Noah's Ark.

We’ll have a lunch break and visit the famous Ishak Pasha Palace. It is said that the construction of the 116-room palace took 99 years. After we tour this magnificent palace overlooking Mount Ararat, we will depart for Van, bypassing the Tendürek Mountain accompanied by beautiful views. 
After a 7-hour bus journey, we’ll arrive at Van, one of the largest cities in Eastern Turkey. It is located on the shores of Lake Van, Turkey's largest lake (3,713 square km).   
Dinner and accommodation in Van.    ( Breakfast – Dinner ) 

We start today's tour in Van Castle, known as Tuspa Castle in the olden days. The castle, which overlooks Lake Van, was built by the Urartu King Sarduri 2800 years ago. It became the capital of the Urartu Kingdom with the name Tuspa. Inside the castle are also rock tombs belonging to the Urartu Kings. Next, we’ll visit the Akdamar Church located on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, which was built with magnificent stonework and later restored by the Turkish government. We’ll reach the island on boats from the pier in the Edremit district and enjoy the incredible lake and mountain scenery. 
Take a lunch break in a local restaurant, and head for Ahlat (180 km away). Here, we’ll see the largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery in the world, founded in 1200 by the Seljuks, with 8,169 tombstones, some of which are 3,5 meters long. What makes the tombstones more remarkable are the unique inscriptions and decorations on them. After seeing the Grand Vault and the Emir Bayındır Mosque, we’ll continue to Batman.
Arrival and accommodation in Batman.  ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Departure to Midyat, in Midyat, you will find the best examples of Filigree art and all kinds of handcrafted silver jewellery, which Syriac masters elaborated on with centuries of experience in the Syriac-Muslim neighbourhoods. You can also sample local dishes while shopping and wandering around the neighbourhood.

We’ll take a coffee break after sightseeing in Nusaybin in the recreational area called Beyazsu (white water), famous for its ice-cold stream.

Visit the ancient city of Dara to see the cave tombs, cave houses, substantial water cisterns, and ancient city ruins spread over a wide area with a history of 3100 years. The city of Dara is said to have been founded by the famous "Darayuvashi", the King of Iran, 1000 years before Christ, who changed hands between the Iranians and the Romans in various periods. Dara, between Alexander the Great and the Persian Emperor Darius, B.C. It is an impressive ancient city that witnessed its war in 320 BC.
Next, visit Deyrulzafaran Monastery.

Deyrulzafaran Monastery, which will amaze you with its impressive domes, arched columns, woodwork, and embroidery carvings, has served as one of the religious education centres of Assyrians for many years. Today, it is one of the most important religious centres considered sacred by the Assyrian Church.
Arrival at Mardin
Mardin, one of the oldest cities of Upper Mesopotamia, is famous for its mosques, mausoleums, churches, monasteries and similar religious works, renowned for their local stonemasonry and having artistic and historical value, in parallel with different religious beliefs. Our tour of this fairytale city, the pearl of Mesopotamia, begins. 
End of the tour. Dinner and accommodation in Mardin.   ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Today, we prepared a tour program so you can experience Mardin like its residents. After breakfast, we’ll start our tour of Old Mardin from the Kasımiye Madrasah (Mosque Kebir), which has a rich cultural mosaic with its architectural structure that gives a mystical Muslim, Syriac, Turkish, and Arabian atmosphere to the city, bringing together different religions and languages, the Ulu Mosque and the Minaret, Şehidiye Madrasa, and Old PTT Building. After our visits, we will have free time in Mardin and have lunch with traditional dishes in a local restaurant. We recommend you bring an extra suitcase for local products, natural soaps (Sabuncu Mehmet), nuts, and Mardin specialities like almond candies, dried fruits, sweets, rosaries, and similar handmade accessories and souvenirs.

Afterwards, we’ll continue towards the city of Urfa, and about 2 hours later, we will arrive at Göbeklitepe, the oldest temple in the world with a history of 12.000 years. In the mysterious atmosphere of the temple, you will feel the mysticism in your bones. Göbeklitepe is the oldest open-air temple in the world, dating back to the Stone Age, which started a new era in the history of world archaeology and even changed the world's human history.
End of the tour. We will leave Göbeklitepe's mystical environment and head for our hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Sanliurfa.  ( Breakfast – Dinner )
*** Dinner at the Sıra Gecesi musical program with traditional music.

After breakfast in our hotel, we’ll start our tour of Urfa, known as the City of the Prophets. Here, we’ll see the Halil-Ür Rahman Mosque, Rızvaniye Mosque, Balıklıgöl,  Ayn-el Zeliha Lake, and the pit where the Prophet Abraham was thrown into the fire. The city of Prophets has very fertile lands with great plains, and it is one of Turkey's most important agricultural centres. After our visits, we will have free time to shop at Bedesten and Gümrük Inn.

Lunch break at a local restaurant, sampling Urfa's famous kebab and local dishes. Next, we will admire the Urfa Archeological Museum and the Mosaic Museum, where many historical artefacts from Anatolian civilisations are exhibited.
Continue on our way to Adıyaman. Dinner and overnight in Adıyaman. ( Breakfast – Dinner )

The best time to see the fascinating view of Mount Nemrut and to absorb its high-frequency energy is to be at the summit at sunrise or sunset. Therefore, after an early breakfast, we move to Mount Nemrut.

After early breakfast, we will depart for Mount Nemrut where the tumulus of the Commagene King Antiochus Antiochus I and huge head statues are located. This place will be one of the highlights of the entire trip.

After some climbing, we will see the Zeus, Apollon, Heracles, Antiochhos, Commagene, Eagle, and Lion sculptures on the eastern terrace of the Nemrut summit. We will see the altars and sculptures on the western terrace as well. It is impossible not to be impressed by the magnificent view and the beauty of the colossal statues at the top of Mount Nemrut.
With our guide's narration, we will admire the region's history. Visit Arsemia's ancient city ruins, and see the Karakuş Tumulus, and Cendere Bridge (Roman Bridge).

After this visit, we will head for Halfeti (approx. 190 km) and take a lunch break on the road. Halfeti district is also known as the hidden paradise of the Southeast with its historical stone houses, black roses, and natural beauties. Next, we will visit the Savaşan Village, a large part of which is underwater, therefore called "the sunken city", on a boat. We will see the Sunken Mosque, and Greek Castle, and have plenty of time to take photos of the scenery and have coffee by the dam lake. Afterward, we will drive to our hotel in Gaziantep.
End of the tour. Dinner and overnight in Gaziantep.   ( Breakfast – Dinner )

Today, we will continue exploring Gaziantep.  Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, the second-largest mosaic museum in the world.  The world-famous Gypsy girl mosaic is exhibited here.  Visit and take a shopping trip to the traditional Anatolian Bakırcılar Bazaar, Almacı Bazaar, and Zincirli Bedesten, where you’ll have free time to lunch at local restaurants. We strongly recommend you try Gaziantep's world-famous baklava and delicious local dishes.

Lunch break in a local restaurant. It would be best to try Gaziantep specialities like tray kebab and pistachio baklava.  After our break, we’ll drive to Adana.  

Transfer to Gaziantep Airport for your domestic flight to Istanbul Airport, where you can connect your onward flight to your next destination.  ( Breakfast )

Customised Tours
We can create a tour program on your request and offer an itinerary that suits your personal, educational, cultural, and budgetary requirements. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us with your requests.