|
Day 1-
Transfer from airport to hotel.
Day 2-
In the morning at 09:00 pick up from the
hotel. You will be visiting the Topkapi
Palace, Hagia Sophia(St. Sophia), Sultan
Ahmet Camii(Blue Mosque) and
Hippodrome(Roman and Byzantine era). Back to
hotel.
Day 3-
In the morning at 09:00 pick up from the
hotel. The Spice Market, Beylerbeyi palace,
camlica hill and Bosphorus on the boat as
well. Back to hotel.
Day 4-
08:00 am pick up from the hotel in Istanbul
and drive to Bursa. In Bursa visit the Grand
bazar, Ulu (Grand) mosque, Green Mosque and
Kozak han. Over night stay in Bursa.
Day 5-
08:30 am pick up from the hotel and drive to
Troy. Visit legendary Troy (famous for the
Trojan Horse). Over night stay in Assos.
Day 6-
In the morning at the 08:30 pick up from the
hotel. Visit the Pergamon tours.Tour in
Pergamon. Greco Roman city built on four
rising terraces, Acropolis ,The Asclepion
and The Red Basilica. Drive to Ephesus. Over
night stay in Kusadasi or Sirince.
Day 7-
In the morning at 09:00 pick up and drive to
Ephesus.Take a tour in the UNESCO world
cultural heritage site, pacing through the
antique city after St. Paul, visit the
Library, Temple and Ampitheater, St John
Church and the Virgin Mary's House. Over
night stay in Kusadasi.
Day 8-
Pick up from the hotel in the morning at
08:30. Drive to Pamukkale and on the way
visit the Afrodisias. Pamukkale walk along
the Hierapolis ancient city ruins, see the
huge Necropolis, and feel the warmth of the
natural spring as you go barefoot on the
Travertens. Over night stay in Pamukkale.
Day 9-
In the morning at 08:30 drive to Kalkan and
to visit the best examples of Lycian tombs
at Myra. Over night stay in Kalkan.
Day 10-
In the morning at 08:30 daily boat tour in
Mediterranean. Drive to church of St.
Nicholas the saint to whom is referred as
Santa Claus and Antalya. Over night stay in
Antalya.
Day 11-
In the morning at 09:00. We will depart in
the morning to visit Perge, which was
originally settled by the Hittites around
1500 BC. We will visit the impressive
colonnaded street, baths, nymphaeum, and
agora and see the fountain of the River God,
where waters once poured down the center of
the city. We continue to Aspendos to see one
of the best-preserved amphitheaters in the
world, and the Manavgat Waterfalls. Finally
a visit to the sea side town of Side. L.
Back to hotel in Antalya.
Day 12-
In the morning at 08:30 drive to Cappadocia
but on the way visit Konya. Feel the
mysticism of the whirling dervishes as you
visit the Mevlana Museum (the poet and
philosopher Sufi founder of the Whirling
Dervishes Sect) and Sultan hani(13th century
Seljukian caravansaray on the silk road).
Over night stay in Cappadocia.
Day 13-
In the morning at 09:00. Devrent imagination
valley(a lunar landscape), Zelve open air
museum(houses carved in rock, Seljukian
mosque & remains nearly from all the ancient
civilizations), Pasabaglari(Fairy chimneys),
Avanos(pottery demonstration with the
Hittite tecnique), Lunch in the Pigeon
valley(in a cave restaurant - open buffet),
Uchisar rock-castle, Esentepe(panoramic view
of Goreme valley) and Goreme open air
museum(rock cut churches, frescos,
monastery). Over night stay in Cappadocia.
Day 14-
In the morning at 09:00. Mustafapasa (old
Greek village Sinasos), Keslik monastery,
Taskinpasa medresesi (an Ottoman theological
school), Soganli valley (3 km walking in the
traditional village, churches and Lunch),
Cemil (Greek-orthodox church) and Kaymakli
underground city. Over night stay in
Cappadocia
Day 15- Departure from your hotel at 08:30.
Drive to Karatay kervansaray and visit the
kervansaray. Stop at Kahramanmaras for lunch
and a taste of its famous ice cream.
Continue ontp visit the world famous
Gaziantep Mosaic Museum. This museum becomes
after the discoveries from Zeugma.. We will
also visit the old city castle, copper
bazzar and the famous Baklava shop (Baklava
is originally from Gaziantep).
Hotels in
Gaziantep: Anadolu Evleri
Day 16- Today we drive to Sanli Urfa. On the
way we stop at Nizip (soap and olive oil
district) and see the remains of the old
city of Belkis or (Zeugma) by the River
Euphrates. Importance of this settlement
which demonstrates an uninterrupted
inhabiting since prehistoric ages, is that
it is one of the two points allowing the
easiest passage across the River Euphrates
with a bridge first built by Alexander the
Great. The city was an important trade
center of Hellenistic Era. The site of
Zeugma was lately discovered and been
excavated. Archaeologists discovered many of
Roman Villas with beautiful and well
preserved floor mosaics. These remains
dating back to the Hellenistic Roman and
Byzantine times. Lunch in Urfa and after a
walk through the local covered bazaar. Spend
the afternoon relaxing at the hotel by the
pool or walking through the town to discover
the many hidden treasures.
Hotels in Urfa:
Urfa Evi
Day 17-
Urfa, the birthplace of the prophet Abraham.
Urfa has been occupied since the Babylonians
followed by the Hurrites, Hittites,
Assyrians, Greeks. We will visit nearby
Harran and see the incredible beehive
houses. Harran according to the Bible was
the site where prophet Abraham spent a few
years with his family before moving on to
Israel, the promised land. We will also
visit the holy sites at the Ainzelha, a lake
with millions of domesticated fish. While in
Urfa we will visit the cave where the
prophet Abraham was born and visit a
bustling sheep market as well. There are
exceptional photo opportunities in this
area. In the afternoon drive to Kahta city
on the way see the Ataturk dam, third
largest in the world.
Hotels in Kahta:
Nemrut Tassaray or Zeus Hotel
Day 18- In the morning 03:30 am departure.
Hike to the summit of the mount Nemrut (one
of the most popular UNESCO world cultural
heritage sites), watching the sunrise , be
amazed by the colossal heads and statues of
ancient deities, as you step into mythology.
There we will hire small mini-buses to drive
up the mountain. This extraordinary landmark
rests at an elevation of 8000 ft. The
mountain top complex is composed of two
flattened areas strewn with statues and
separated by a false peak of crushed rock.
Antiouchus built the entire complex
approximately 2000 years ago as a monument
to his divine ancestry. Also definitely take
time to visit the old castle, Arsemeia,
cross over the still functioning Cendere
Bridge (Septimius Severus bridge) dating all
the way back to the 3rd century and Tümülüs
Tomb of Karakus. Then drive back to the
hotel for breakfast. We then depart to
Mardin with a lovely ferry ride across the
dam and lunch in Siverek. We will reach
Mardin around 16:00 check into hotel. We
will take the time to visit, walk in its
busy streets and bazaars, and admire the
stonework all around the town
Hotels in Mardin:
Artuklu Kervansaray, Erdoba Evleri
Day 19- In the morning visit Mardin. Mardin
is very unique with lovely old-Arabic style
houses. It is a city that played an
important role in the early development of
Christianity.. We will also visit the
Monastery of Deyr-az-Zaferan just outside of
town, founded in 762 A.D. It was the seat of
the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch for almost 800
years. This monastery is built on top of a
4000-year-old temple used by sun
worshippers. We will visit the monks in this
extraordinary place. In the afternoon drive
to Batman, a little province which takes its
name from the river flowing on its west. The
Batman river, spanned by the old Malabadi
Bridge, draws the province's border with
Diyarbakir, and then joins Tigris (Dicle)
River passing through the land. Here is one
of the main crude oil production centers of
Turkey, and the refinery at Batman was the
first founded in the country. Continue to
Bitlis and stop in this picturesque town
located in a narrow and deep valley for some
great photo;s. Onto Tatvan, a small village
on the edge of Lake Van. Overnight in Tatvan
and watch the sun set over the lake.
Day 20- Today we visit the crater lake of
Mount Nemrut. The Nemrut Lake is located
inside the crater area of Nemrut Mountain
and is the first greatest crater lake of our
country and is the second greatest crater
lake of the world, Van city was established
13th century BC, when the Hurrites arrived.
Then the Hittites, Urartians, Persian,
Armenians, Macedonians, Romans and finally
in the 11th century the Turks came here.
From here, we will take a ferry across the
lake to visit the finest Armenian
architectural wonder of the Church of the
Holy Cross on Akdamar Island. Step over to
the huge Van Castle from the days of Urartu
and see the hieroglyphs as you sense the
spirit of the once Urartu capital Tushpa,
feel the salty waters of the great Lake Van
called as 'the Sea' by the locals. Also
visit the very impressive Hosap castle
(Built to celebrate the first millenium)
near the city of Van, and learn about how
and where and when Turkic existence in
Anatolia commenced. Over night stay in Van.
Hotels in Van:
Tusbag Hotel.
Day 21-
In the morning drive to Dogubeyazit (Mt.
Ararat). "Silk Road" to Dogubeyazit. At the
Iranian border we will see a site known as
the Crater Hole. This is a beautiful, yet
rugged area. We will have the opportunity to
see Mt. Ararat from all sides. It is
believed by some to be the resting-place of
Noah's Ark; but to date no one has found
anything that has been verified as the Ark -
yet the search is still on. We will stop and
see the Ishak Pasa Palace. This complex is a
combination of a mosque, a fortress, and a
palace which originally had a room for every
day of the year! Below you can also see the
remains of Eski Beyazit, and Urartian City
which flourished in 1000 BC. Over night stay
in Kars.
Hotels in Kars:
Simer Hotel.
Day 22-
KARS (Ani): An early morning departure from
the hotel and get permission to visit Ani at
the Turkish-Armenian border. We will take a
45-minute drive to the medieval Armenian
City of Ani, which lies mostly in ruins.
Impressive fortified walls still encircle
the ruins of numerous churches, mosques and
caravansaries. Enjoy a walk around the ruins
and see the beautiful view to the Armenian
border imagining it as a city with one
million people rivaling Bagdad in its time!
This city has experienced the cultures of
Urartians, Armenians, Georgians, Mongols,
Russians and finally the Turks. Drive back
Erzurum. Over night stay in Erzurum.
Hotels in
Erzurum: Dilaver or Esadas Hotel.
Day 23-
Erzurum rests at a base altitude of 6600 ft.
Here, the Hittites had already occupied the
site for a millennium when the Armenians
arrived around the 6th century. It became a
Byzantine city starting with the Emperor
Thedosius. Mongols in 14th century and the
Ottomans took it in 1515. Therefore in
Erzurum we'll be able to taste all of these
civilizations at Erzurum citadel, Double
Minaret Medrese (university), many tombs,
Ulu Cami (The Great Mosque). From Erzurum we
will drive five hours to Trabzon, with many
stops. This is a very beautiful drive
following various rivers and passes
throughout. Over night stay in Trabzon.
Hotels in
Trabzon: Cobadere Serander Hotel or
Zigana Holiday Village.
Day 24-
Trabzon (Sumela). Today we will drive on the
beautiful wooded coast of the Black Sea.
This was the often forbidding coastline seen
by Jason and the Argonauts and the scene of
many of their legendary adventures. The
following day we will visit the Sumela
Monastery and enjoy a lovely picnic nearby.
This monastery is from the Byzantine Era of
Turkey's history. One of the remarkable
features of this site is that it is carved
into a cliff face! With lush, green
vegetation throughout the region, this area
is a very unique part of Turkey. Trabzon is
an ancient Black Sea port with its recorded
history dating back to 746 B.C. and it was
one of the Silk Road ports. Fly back to
Istanbul or another city in Turkey |
