Eastern Turkey Tour
A fascinating 13-day journey starting from Istanbul and covering the most important historical and cultural centers of Eastern Anatolia. This route, spanning from ancient cities to monasteries, from castles to churches, allows you to explore the rich history and cultural heritage of the region.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1Flight to Istanbul. Hotel transfer.
Day 2After breakfast, full-day city tour in Istanbul. Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Hippodrome Square, and Topkapi Palace. Visit the Ottoman sultans' palace complex and Basilica Cistern. Then a Bosphorus tour to see various palaces, summer villas, wooden houses, and fishing villages, as well as Rumelihisari Fortress. After the tour, visit to the Chora Monastery, famous for its late Byzantine mosaics. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3After breakfast, departure to Ankara. Detailed visit to the "Museum of Anatolian Civilizations". Visit to Julian Column; tour of Augustus Temple (containing the Monumentum Ancyranum with Augustus's achievements inscribed). Visit to Atatürk Mausoleum. Dinner and overnight in Ankara.
Day 4Morning departure to Sivas. Visit to the 12th-century Great Mosque and Double Minaret Madrasah (an old Quran school). Continue to Tokat. Dinner and overnight in Tokat.
Day 5Travel to Giresun via the hazelnut city Ordu. View the Byzantine castle ruins in Giresun and continue to Trabzon. Afternoon tour of ancient Trabzon, former capital of the Pontus Kingdom on the Black Sea: visit the famous frescoed Hagia Sophia, city walls, and Atatürk's Art Nouveau villa. Dinner and overnight in Trabzon.
Day 6Morning excursion to Sumela Monastery at 1400 meters in the Pontus Mountains. One-hour hike to reach the monastery ruins with frescoed chapel. Then departure to Erzurum. Visit Seljuk monuments from 10th-13th centuries in Erzurum: Great Mosque, Double Minaret Madrasah (old Islamic college), and Hatuniye Tomb (medieval mausoleum). Dinner and overnight in Erzurum.
Day 7Arrive in Kars passing by obsidian fields. Kars was once the capital of the Armenian Kingdom. Continue to Ani, now on the Armenian border. Ani was once a Urartian center and one of the world's most splendid and largest cities as the medieval Armenian capital. Tour city walls, churches, fortress, and cathedral ruins. Continue to Doğubeyazıt, at the foot of Mount Ararat (5165 m), where Noah's Ark is said to have landed. Visit well-preserved ruins of Ishak Pasha Palace. Continue to Van. Climb Tushpa Fortress to learn about Urartian culture in this city by Lake Van. Dinner and overnight in Van.
Day 8Continue to Gevaş. Short boat trip to Akdamar Island in Lake Van. Visit Akdamar Church, one of the most important religious structures of Armenian architecture. The church's reliefs tell biblical stories. Detailed tour of the Church of the Holy Cross, built by King Gagik in 921. Continue to Diyarbakır, ancient Amida, located at the intersection of historic trade routes on the upper Tigris River. Tour impressive ancient walls and gates. Dinner and overnight in Diyarbakır.
Day 9Continue to Mardin, situated on a steep slope overlooking the Syrian plain. Walk through narrow streets and visit the Tur Abdin region, known as the "Mountain of God's Servants". Visit Deir al-Zafaran (Saffron Monastery), the region's most important religious structure, and tour Syriac villages. Travel to Midyat, the largest settlement in Tur Abdin. Dinner and overnight in Urfa.
Day 10Morning tour of Urfa: visit Pool of Abraham and mosque. Depart for Harran, now called Altınbaşak, where Abraham's family lived (Genesis 11:31). View interesting conical-roofed houses. Pass by Atatürk Dam to reach Kahta at the foot of Mount Nemrut (2150 m). Dinner and overnight in Kahta.
Day 11Early morning ascent to Mount Nemrut (2150 m) to watch sunrise and visit Antiochus's memorial tomb. Dinner and overnight in Gaziantep.
Day 12After breakfast, museum visit in Gaziantep. Then depart for Adana. Dinner and overnight in Adana.
Day 13After breakfast, transfer to airport.