DAY 1 ISTANBUL
Arrive in Istanbul, and transfer to your hotel. After a short tour briefing, the rest of the day is free to rest, relax or walk around to explore the city. Welcome dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ D ]
DAY 2 ISTANBUL
We spend the full day visiting the sights of Old Istanbul. We will begin at the ancient Hippodrome which was the center of the civil activities back in the Hellenistic and Roman times. At the Hippodrome the chariot and horse races and athletic runs took place for the entertainment of the people of Constantinople. We walk to the nearby Ibrahim Pasha Palace which houses the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art where we will see an impressive exhibit from the various periods of Turkish and Islamic art, ranging in date from the 7th C. to the 19th. Then we proceed to the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue tiles covering its interior walls and also for its six minarets which is a unique feature of this mosque. Nearby is Hagia Sophia Museum, the former Cathedral of Constantinople, considered as the masterpiece of the early Byzantine architecture. Hagia Sophia is renowned for its superb mosaic decoration as well as its architectural style. Back in Byzantine Empire, most emperors were crowned in this cathedral after a special ceremony. After lunch we will visit the Topkapi Palace, residence and administrative center of the Ottoman Sultans. In the grounds of the Topkapi Palace are many courtyards surrounded by old buildings each housing small museums with exhibits of jewelry, costumes, calligraphy and various objects that belonged to the Imperial treasury of the Ottoman Sultans. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ B L D ]
DAY 3 ISTANBUL TO ANTAKYA
Morning flight to Adana. After a short drive we will arrive at Tarsus where the apostle St. Paul was born and Antony met Cleopatra. Tarsus with its Ottoman houses, rambling streets and some ancient monuments is a charming town. Our tour in Tarsus will include the St. Paul's well, from which it is believed that St. Paul drank water. We proceed to the Roman gate known as Cleopatra's gate or St. Paul's gate, afterwards we will visit the Tarsus Museum which is housed in the Kubad Pasha Medrese, an old Ottoman bedesten from the 16th C. The museum has in its cells, many ancient artifacts, sarcophagi and coins from Assyrian, Hittite, Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as a rich ethnographical section from the Ottoman times. We will have some time in colorful bazaar area for the shopping of traditional products of Tarsus. We will drive through Adana, ancient Danunas, pleasantly laid our along the banks of the Seyhan river. After the junction, near the town Dortyol was the site of famous battle of Ipsus, a critical battle which took place between Alexander the Great and Darius the Persian king in 333 BC. Before Antakya we will drive by Iskenderun, ancient Alexandretta, a city built by Alexander the great. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ANTAKYA ). [ B L D ]
DAY 4 ANTAKYA TO ADIYAMAN
Antakya was ancient Antiocheia on the Orontes or known as Antioch was founded by the Seleucus I Nicator the king of Seleucus kingdom in about 300 BC. Antioch, in the Roman ages, was one of the four largest cities in the world. In the early Christian era, Antioch was an important center, and here Christians came to be called by this name first time. During our city tour, we will visit the Antakya's Archaeological Museum which has one of the largest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics in the world. This museum is a testimony to Antakya's glorious past. In addition to superb mosaics, there are also fine marble sarcophagi with elaborate carvings, along with some statues and other archaeological items. Later we drive out the suburbs of the city to the Grotto of St. Peter. Saint Peter chose Antioch as the base for his first mission among the unbelievers. St. Peter's church is tucked into the face of a steep cliff. Although the facade of the present-day church comes from the 13th C., the caves behind this facade housed some of the Christianity's earliest liturgies. St. Peter's church may easily be the oldest working church in the world, as St. Peter preached here and services are still held here today. From the terrace of the church you can get a full panoramic view of the city. Excursion to Harbiye which occupies the site of Ancient Daphne where according to myth the nymph Daphne, pursued by Apollo, was transformed into a laurel tree. Returning to the city center, we will take a walk in the old quarters for possible shopping possibilities for traditional products. Drive to Adiyaman crossing Euphrates, the great river of the Old Testament which is the main water source for this part of Turkey and Syria. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ADIYAMAN ). [ B L D ]
DAY 5 ADIYAMAN TO URFA
Early morning departure for Mount Nemrut where we will see colossal statue heads of the Gods and Antiochus around the king Antiochus' burial mound. We will leave our bus in the town, and take minivans up the mountain. It is astonishing to see a monumental burial mound built 2,000 years ago, on the summit of a mountain with an elevation of 6,000 feet. Antiochus was the king of Commagene kingdom in this area from 69 to 34 BC. And before his death he ordered this colossal burial mound which was built by the workers who carried up the hill tons of apple-sized rocks and piled them over the his grave. The king's tomb, as yet undiscovered, may lie somewhere beneath this pile. The mound has two huge terraces (east and west) connected by footpaths each holding the seated stone gods whose heads had fallen to the ground. Also, the statue heads of colossal size scatter around the terraces. On the way back from the mountain, we will stop at the Cendere Bridge, over the river by the same name, one of the tributaries of Euphrates, was built by the Roman legionaries and dedicated to the emperor Septimius Severus. This almost original bridge is one of the best examples of the Roman engineering. Drive to Urfa with photo stops on a road along the Euphrates. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( URFA ). [ B L D ]
Day 6 URFA
Modern Urfa (officially Sanliurfa) was ancient native Orhai before Seleucus the successor of Alexander the great changed its name to Edessa after a city in Macedonia. Urfa is full of surprises, with its Arabic culture, colorful people, old historical buildings and mosques, bazaars. Today, we will begin at the citadel of the town where a crusader fortress stands with two tall columns known to locals as the throne of Nimrod. From top of the citadel, we will have a nice panorama of the city which looks interesting with its boxy houses built of sun-dried bricks in light beige color. Returning from the citadel, we will take a walk in the beautiful flower-filled gardens along the Pools of Abraham with their maze of canals full of thousands of carp fish which are held sacred and fed by the local people. We will walk to the Cave of Abraham where, according to local legend, the prophet Abraham was born here. We will walk in the colorful bazaar of Urfa located in the old city, where vendors sell almost anything you can imagine. Particularly Gumruk Han which is a 16th C. Ottoman caravanserai is an interesting place as a social gathering place for local men who sit on low wooden chairs in a shady courtyard, chatting and enjoying their tea. In the afternoon, we will make an excursion to the ancient town of Harran, with its beehive-style houses which hadn't changed much since ancient times. Harran is mentioned in Genesis in the Old Testament, the patriarch Abraham was instructed by the God to move along with his family to Canaan from Ur, on his way, he dwelt here for a while. Harran is a fortified city with its defense walls going all around the town, also when it was occupied by the crusaders, they built a strong fortress which still stand there today. Harran has been an important cultural center since the early times, and is claimed to have the earliest University in the world whose ruins are still visible at the site. We will return to Urfa, those who want to spend more time in the bazaar, they will do so as our hotel is within the walking distance from the bazaar area. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( URFA ). [ B L D ]
DAY 7 URFA TO VAN
Drive to Van. Today, we head east making spontaneous stops for photography. We will drive by the city Diyarbakir built on the banks of the Tigris river. After a few miles we will come to the Malabadi Koprusu, a beautiful stone bridge with its enormous single arch on the Tigris river, built by the Artukids in 12th C. We will drive on with photo stops to photograph villages, shepherds and people on our way. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel Van ( VAN ). [ B L D ]
DAY 8 VAN
Van is located about 3 miles east of the lake shore, however Van has its origin in Tushpa, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Urartu, Tushpa had its citadel on a rocky outcrop on the edge of lake. The lake Van is the largest in Turkey and navigable with its depth in some parts reaching 330 feet. In the morning, we will begin our tour with the Van Museum, which houses in the ethnographic section, a nice collection of local crafts, rugs and kilims, in a separate archaeological section, findings, statues and bronze objects from the Urartian sites in the area. After a short drive along the lake we will take the boat to the tiny island of Akdamar that has on its hillside, an old 10th C. Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, built by the rulers of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan. The church is renowned for its superb sculptures and carvings on its exterior walls depicting scenes from the Old Testament. In the afternoon, we will take an excursion to Cavustepe, a Urartian fortified city built on a narrow ridge overlooking the surrounding plain below, the city was built in the 8th C. BC. We will afterwards continue to the castle of Hosap which sits alone in the midst of desolate hills above a stream of the same name. The castle was probably built by several local chieftains in the 17th C, and one of the most picturesque sites in Turkey. Returning to Van, we will have time for walking in the local bazaar to look for local crafts. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel Van ( VAN ). [ B L D ]
DAY 9 VAN TO KARS
Drive to Kars. On our way, we will visit Ishak Pasha Palace, in the town of Dogubeyazit near the foot of Mount Ararat, which was built in the 18th and 19th C., by Ishak Pasha who was the local ruler in this area in Ottoman period. The palace is a large complex built on a rocky outcrop with a nice view of the surrounding area, and when it was built had probably more than 300 rooms and halls. After the palace, we will stop to photograph the great Mountain of Ararat one of the main themes in the Old Testament. As we drive north along the foot of Mount Ararat, this great mountain will stay within our view for hours, with its all mighty look and snow capped summit. We will drive on along the banks of the Arpacay stream which forms the border with Armenia. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( KARS ). [ B L D ]
DAY 10 KARS TO ERZURUM
Kars with its Russian imperial architecture is a charming city, it used to be one of the dustiest and dirtiest cities in Turkey, however, the recent years' work by the town municipality turned this city to one of the most desirable places of visit, with its pedestrian streets closed to car traffic. Kars is another old city whose origins go back at least to 8th C. BC. We will begin our tour in the morning, with the Kars Museum which displays exhibits a few finds from excavations of the ancient town of Ani, and some more ethnographic items. We will journey to the ruins of the Armenian Ghost town of Ani which is one of the most spectacular sites in Turkey. It is situated right on the high banks of the Arpacay stream which forms the border with Armenia. Ani was a sizable city in the medieval period, when it became the capital of the kingdom of Armenia in the 10th C. We will enter the site through the massive double walls and the Lion Gate, and take a walk around the site to see its cathedral, a dozen churches with frescoes and murals on their walls. Returning to Kars, we will drive on a scenic road along the Aras River which was the major road between Anatolia and Iran. We will stop at the 14th C. magnificent Mongolian Cobandede bridge, which spans the Aras river and offers a nice photo possibility. We will arrive at Erzurum in late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ERZURUM ). [ B L D ]
DAY 11 ERZURUM TO TRABZON
Erzurum with a population of 300,000, is the largest and most important city in Eastern Turkey. It is also one of the most popular ski centers in the country. Erzurum is an old city with origins going back to Hittite era. Erzurum has well preserved collection of monuments of the Mongol, Selcuk and Ottoman Architecture and also colorful bazaars. During our city tour of Erzurum, we will visit the Cifte Minareli Medrese (Medrese with Twin Minarets-theological school), built by the Selcuks in the 13th C. This Medrese is the largest of its kind in Anatolia and has very impressive portal gate decorated with various motifs. We will walk to the right of the Medrese to visit the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), the oldest mosque in the city, built in the 12 C. by the Saltukid dynasty. We will return to the town center to see more famous monuments such as Yakutiye Medrese, built by the Mongol military governor in the 14th C. Yakutiye Medrese has a striking external features on its 20 foot-high-portal, with carvings of mixed motifs of plants, stars, and two lions and an eagle. We will have time to stroll in the bazaar area, where they sell jewelry mad from local Oltu stone (kind of jet stone) which the city is famous for, and you will find more traditional products like wool caps and socks, women's wool wraps and shawls. Enroute to Trabzon we will visit the famous Soumela Monastery with its unique setting, hanging from the face of the steep cliff. Soumela was supposedly founded first in the 4 C., and re-founded in the 14th. C, by the Comneni dynasty of the Byzantine empire. We will drive through the Pontic Mountains and Zigana pass which was the major route in ancient times between the Black sea and hinterlands as it is today. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( TRABZON ). [ B L D ]
DAY 12 TRABZON
Trabzon is an old city, with its earlier name Trebizond and ancient name Trapezous. Trabzon today is a lively city with its ancient monuments, bazaars and streets lined with shops, and colorful people. We will begin today with the church of Hagia Sophia, beautifully situated in the western suburb outside the city walls and overlooking the Black sea. Hagia Sophia is a great Byzantine monument with its architectural style and well preserved paintings and frescoes on its interior walls which present scenes from the New Testament. It was first built probably in the 4th. C. On the site of a temple erected by the roman emperor Hadrian, and it was rebuilt by the Comneni dynasty in the 13th C. In the garden of the Church, there is a small collection of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman funerary monuments and fragments of sculpture. We will return to the town center to spend the afternoon in the colorful bazaar crowded by locals where you can find almost anything such as gold, copper, silver, textiles and local products. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( TRABZON ). [ B L D ]
DAY 13 TRABZON TO ISTANBUL
We will take our morning flight back to Istanbul. We will cruise up the Bosphorus with private boat, sit on the deck and enjoy the nice traditional water-front houses built by the Ottomans in the last or in the turn of this century. We will disembark near the Spice bazaar, and have free time for shopping in the Spice Market where you will find hundreds of spices and herbs. Spice market was built by the Ottomans in the 16th C., and has been used as the main market of spices and herbs since then. We head for the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, where will have time for shopping. In the grand bazaar which is an old ottoman bedesten built in the 15th. C., and said to have about 3,500 shops under its roof, you will find almost anything from souvenirs to jewelry, from textiles to Turkish ethnographic items. Rest of the afternoon is at leisure, you may want to stay in the grand bazaar or stroll through the streets. Overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ B D ]
DAY 14 ISTANBUL
Today is at leisure, as our hotel is centrally located, you may wander around the old town, or walk back to the Grand Bazaar. Special farewell in one of the nice restaurants. Overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ B L D ]
DAY 15 TRANSFER TO AIRPORT
Check-out and transfer to the airport for your morning flight back home. [ B ]
[ B ] : Breakfast
[ L ] : Lunch
[ D ] : Dinner |
