Day 1:
Arrive at Istanbul airport and take an evening flight to Ankara where you meet
your guide. Transfer to hotel and stay overnight in Ankara, The Capital City.
Day
2: After breakfast at the hotel, Morning visit to the fascinating Hittite
Museum, Where the remains of the 16 different civilizations, which have inhabited
Anatolia, are displayed. Continue to Ataturk's Maousoleum, the resting place of
the founder of modern Turkey, who was responsible for revolutionising the country,
and is stil revered as a great national hero. Then we leave Ankara for Cappadocia,
After lunch enroute, We will stop by the second biggest lake of Turkey, Tuz Gölü
(Salt Lake), And We visit The 13th Century Seljukian Caravanserai on the way to
Cappadocia. Upon arrival, Check in to the hotel.
Day 3:
Depart from your hotel to visit Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy-chimneys.
Then visit Zelve Open Air Museum, where three canyons meet in the valley. Drive
to Paşabağı (Monk's Valley) to see the most interesting mushroom-shaped pinnacles.
Drive to the city of Avanos for lunch. In the afternoon visit another beautiful
open-air museum at Göreme where the remains of rock-cut churches and frescoes
and Christian settlements date back hundreds of years. Lastly, before returning
to your hotel, visit the natural rock castles at Uçhisar. Stay overnight in Ürgüp.
Day
4: Depart from your hotel to visit Red valley, explore the famous rock-cut
churches and hike 5 km through the Güllüdere valley. Then visit Çavuşin village.
This village is famous for the houses and churches of the Christian clergymen.
Drive to the pigeon valley for lunch. In the afternoon, visit Kaymaklı underground
city where Early Christians lived in fear and faith. On the way back visit the
natural rock castles at Ortahisar and the Greek village of Mustafapaşa. Stay overnight
in Ürgüp.
Day
5: Departure from Cappadocia for Adıyaman. After 1.5 hours driving
we visit the Seljuk Karatayhan Caravanserai on the famous Silk Road. Then we drive
through the Taurus Mountain Chain, giving you the opportunity to observe the countryside
and daily life of rural Turkey, which is completely different to that in coastal
resorts. After having lunch enroute , we head towards Kahramanmaraş, which is
most famous for its ice cream. We stroll through the Local Bazaar for a while
and after that head towards Kahta to spend the night.
Day 6:
After brekafast at the hotel, we will leave for Mt Nemrut see the Colossal God
statues on 3 different terraces overlooking the whole plateau and the Atatürk
Dam. Then We visit Mithridates I Hierothesion in Arsemia, which was once the capital
of the Kommagene Kingdom. We then visit the Old Roman Cendere Bridge over the
Cendere Stream. We visit the Karakuş tumulus where the royal family members were
buried. Then we head on to Sanliurfa, on the way we visit Atatürk Dam, which is
in one of the biggest projects of Turkey (GAP). we arrive at Urfa at noon where
we have lunch. We visit the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham with its mosques,
Abraham's birth-cave, and beautiful gardens. Then we visit another archeological
site, Harran, a mystical and ancient 'bee-hive' house village built of mud-brick,
which is mentioned in Genesis as also being a place where Abraham lived. At the
same site we will visit the first Islamic University of the world. We then check
in to the hotel and have dinner.
Please
note: The hike to Mt. Nemrut consists of 20 to 40 minutes of a 30%
uphill climb, mostly with stairs.
Day 7:
We leave Urfa for Mardin, which is seen from the south at a distance. It looks
spectacular, tiered layers of houses, mansions, mosques and churches rising out
of the endless, level plain and clinging to a huge citadel-topped rock. In Mardin,
we visit Deyrülzafran monastery (Saffron Monastery), which is still used by the
Syrian Orthodox communities. In this monastery we first visit an underground vault,
which is said to have been used as a temple by sun-worshippers as long ago as
2000 BC. The tour moves on from here to the chapel, with fine relief-decorated
arches and a carved stone altar, and the Patriarch's or Metropolitan's throne,
on which are carved the names of all the patriarchs since 792 AD. After visiting
the monastery, we drive to Diyarbakır. We visit the city walls of Diyarbakır,
which was built by the Romans. Then we visit the Ulu Cami, the first of Anatolia's
great Seljuk Mosques. Stay overnight in Diyarbakir.
Day 8:
After breakfast at the hotel, We leave Diyarbakir for Van. We drive to Bitlis
to visit a 13th century Theological School. Lunch Enroute. We catch the ferryboat
to Akdamar Island, situated in the biggest lake in Turkey, to view an exquisite
example of an Armenian Church. Stay overnight in Van.
Day 9: First
we visit Hosap Castle, which was constructed at the behest of Sarı Süleyman Mahmudi,
a local Kurdish strong man, in the 1640s. According to legend, he was so pleased
with the result when the castle was completed that he had the architect's hands
chopped off, to ensure that he would never build another to rival it. After Hosap
Castle, we continue to Çavuştepe, the site of an Urartian Royal Palace, built
between 764 and 735 BC by King Sardur II. Then we have lunch in Van. İn the afternoon
we visit Van Castle, which is 100m high and 300m wide at the base. It was just
the sort of place that the Urartians favoured for their strongholds. It was the
site of an Urartian temple, of which only a couple of arched niches remain. Cuneiform
inscriptions on a statue based in one of the niches document the life and works
of Menua, an important Urartian King. After visiting Van castle we go back to
the hotel and stay in Van.
Day 10:
We leave Van after breakfast at the hotel. On the way to Doğubeyazit we stop at
the wonderful Muradiye Waterfall. Then we head for Ishakpaşa Palace, a 17th century
palace set on a 200m high plateau overlooking the town. The architect seems to
have taken elements from every architectural style extant in Anatolia and incorporated
them into the palace's construction. We also visit the Crater which is situated
right by the Iranian Frontier. Stay overnight in Doğubeyazit.
Day 11:
We drive to Kars, which has a spectacular castle and still has fine examples of
Armenian architecture, one of which is the breathtaking site of the ancient city
of Ani located on the Armenian-Turkish border. Stay overnight in Kars.
Day 12:
We drive west along the Black Sea to Trabzon, founded by the Kingdom of Miletus,
the largest city in the Black Sea region. The route will go through a forested
region, passing through small, unspoiled villages untouched by tourism. On the
way to Trabzon we wıll have a break on the tea plantation area.We shall arrive
in Trabzon in the late afternoon, giving some free time to enjoy the city at your
own pace. Stay overnight in Trabzon.
Day 13:
After breakfast we visit the Hagia Sophia Museum with its spectacular frescoes,
We then head inland to visit the mystical Sumela Monastery, dating back to early
Christianity, which was built high into the side of the steep cliff face. Stay
in Trabzon for a second night.
Day 14:
Transfer to Trabzon airport for your morning flight to Istanbul.
