AyasİsosTravels AİT6101: Full Tour of Central, North, East and South - Turkey: Sumela-Mardin- Göbeklitepe- Zeugma- Antioche-Cappadocia: Cultural Turkey Tour: 15 Days: Full Board (4*/5*/boutiques hotels)
A cultural journey to Anatolia, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, Eastern Turkey, Armenians, Seljuks, Umayads and Arabs, Persians, Mesopotamians, Assyrians, Christians of Cappadocia, Ottomans, Hittites, Turks. This beautiful, exclusive tour takes us through almost all Asian Minor civilizations. She departs from the fertile, green, Black Sea coast – to follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo a stretch of the Silk Road where Mount Ararat dominates the entire area. Near Lake Van, Armenian Jacobite monasteries await us and extensive cemeteries of the Seldjuks. In the lake itself is Akdamar Island with its unique Armenian church. The white Arab city of Mardin is almost the gateway to the Tur Abdin with the Darülzaferan monastery as the last witness of a once thriving Syrian Christian community. Diyarbakir makes the hearts of the Kurds beat faster. Harran and Urfa already appear in the Old Testament. The excavations of Göbeklitepe are yielding more and more knowledge of the world's oldest temple and cult complex. The highlight of this journey is undoubtedly the high Nemrut Dag, where King Antiochos of Commagene had himself immortalized among many idols. In Gaziantep you can admire the mosaics that have been saved from the rising water behind the gigantic dams on the Tigris. In the fairytale-like Cappadocia it is wonderful to walk through the beautifully eroded tuff valleys. Don't be put off by the stated distances. After all, the road infrastructure is also excellent in Eastern Turkey. In most cases we drive from city to city on recently constructed highways. In mountainous regions such as around the Black Sea or in the Taurus, new tunnels significantly shorten travel times.
- B: Breakfast L: Lunch D: Dinner.
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Content
AyasİsosTravels AİT6101: Full Tour of Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern Turkey: Sumela-Mardin-Göbeklitepe-Zeugma- Antioche-Cappadocia: Cultural Turkey Tour: 15 Days: Full Board (4*/5*/boutiques hotels). ........................................................................................................................ 1
Day 1: Arrival Trabzon ............................................................................................................................. 2
Day 2: Trabzon (110) km ......................................................................................................................... 3
Day 3: Trabzon-Gümüşhane-Bayburt–Erzurum (342 km) ……………………………………….............……….... 4
Day 4: Erzurum-Ani-Kars (304 km) ....................................................................................................... 5
Day 5: Kars-Digor(Doğubayazit) (188km).............................................................................................. 5
Day 6: Doğubayazit – Van (176 km) ...................................................................................................... 6
Day 7: Van (100 km) ............................................................................................................................... 7
Day 8: From-Tatvan-Silvan-Tigris–Diyarbakir (365km) ......................................................................... 8
Day 9: Diyarbakır-Mardin-Deir-az-Zafaran-Harran-Urfa (385km) ....................................................... 8
Day 10: Urfa, Unesco World Heritage –Urfa Archaeological Museum-Göbeklitepe-AtatürkWeir-Kâhta (147km) ……………………………………………………………………….............................................……………………….9
Day 11: Kâhta-Nemrut Dağ–Kâhta-Nemrut Dağı, one of the UNESCO World Heritage in Turkey-Gaziantep (186 km) …………………………………………………........................……………………….………………….. 10
Day 12: Gaziantep-Antakya- Adana or Tarsus (393km) .......................................................................10
Day 13: Adana or Tarsus-Eskigümüşler Cappadociá, Unesco World Heritage (276km) ..................... 11
Day 14: Cappadocia (80 km) ................................................................................................................ 12
Day 15 : Cappadociä Kayseri-Nevşehir-Europe ................................................................................... 12
Prices..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Notes. .................................................................................................................................................... 12
Optional excursions .............................................................................................................................. 13
Included ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Not understanding ................................................................................................................................ 13
AyasİsosTravels: Multilingual Cultural Tour Provider and Operator...................................................... 13
Day 1: Arrival Trabzon
Arrival Trabzon Airport. Reception and then transfer to the Hotel (4*/ 5*/boutique charm) with welcome cocktail and then dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Trabzon (110) km
After breakfast we visit the main attraction of Trabzon, the former Trebizond: the 13th-century Aya Sophia with the beautiful miracle frescoes and friezes.
After lunch we first visit the Sümela rock monastery located at 1200 m. The last 250 m to this Uneco monument must be done on foot or by minibus. Dinner and overnight in a 4* hotel in Trabzon or Macka.
Day 3: Trabzon-Gümüşhane-Bayburt–Erzurum (342 km)
After breakfast the bus climbs via Torul and Gümüşhane to Bayburt at an altitude of 1600 m. Lunch with a view of the fast-flowing Çoruh. On the way we also visit the Karaca cave, one spa for asthma and rheumatism patients. Past the Kop Geçidi pass (2302 m) we descend to Erzurum an (1950 m).
At the end of the afternoon, we visit Karin, Erzurum.
Karin was called the Land of the Romans by the Seljuks. We see the Great Mosque with three Kumbets, the Medersa with the Gemini Minaret and its beautiful oriental art motifs and turquoise faience tiles, commissioned by the daughter of the Seljuk Sultan, Alaeddin Kaykubat. It's like being in Central Asia. We spend the night in our Hotel 4* or 5* on Mount Palandöken.
Day 4: Erzurum-Ani-Kars (304 km)
In the morning, after breakfast, we depart east towards Ani. Just outside Pasinler and before Horasan we get off to admire the Çobandede Bridge.
This beautiful bridge was designed by Mimar Sinan, the Turkish Michelangelo, chief architect of the Superb Soliman and a friend of Michel Angelo. Over a distance of about 140 km we follow the river Aras. Along the way we collect obsidian from the obsidian quarries.
Lunch at a specialty restaurant in Kars, the setting of Orhan Pamuks Snow. Some photo scopes. Later we are on our way to Ani, the first Armenian capital around the year 1000. The many religious buildings, palaces and fortifications were then technically and artistically the most advanced structures in the world. Although the builders took earthquakes into account, the great earthquake of 1319 marked the final end of Ani, widely recognized as cultural, religious and national heritage of the Armenians.
Dinner and overnight in Kars, hotel 4*.
Day 5: Kars-Digor(Doğubayazit) (188km)
After a typical Caucasian breakfast, we continue our journey to Doğubayazıt. The landscape around the Little Ararat (3896 m) is nothing short of impressive.
The name Ararat occurs several times in the Old Testament. The name Ararat is a Great (5165 m) translation of the Akkadian word Urartu. In Gen. 8:4 it is said that Noah's Ark foundered on Mount Ararat after the flood. In the book of Kings, we read further how the assassins of the Assyrian King Sennacherib, the besieger of Jerusalem, fled to Ararat. In the book of Jeremiah, where we read about preparing for a campaign to Babylon, Ararat is mentioned as one of the ally of the Israelites.
In the steppe landscape, tortoises, eagles, partridges, falcons, foxes, sheep and even bears live in this region and many types of flowers and rare plants grow.
Lunch at SIMER Hotel in Doğubayazıt with a Kurdish hospitality. In the afternoon, the fairytale palace of Ishak Pasha is on the program. The old fortress was beautifully restored and embellished in 1784 fortress palace with harem for an Ottoman Emir. The whole is reminiscent of a story from Thousands and One Nights. Dinner and overnight at SIMER Hotel 3*+ at the foot of Ararat Mountain and overlooking the Ararat.
Day 6: Doğubayazit – Van (176 km)
After breakfast via the Tendurek pass (2644m) to Van, located on the largest lake in Turkey. On the way we make a stop at the Muradiye waterfalls. From time immemorial the city has been fought over by the Urartu, the Assyrians (cuneiform!), the Medes, the Persians (Xerxes), Alexander the Great, Armenians, Byzantines, etc . On arrival in Van lunch at Hotel Ramada 4*. In the afternoon we visit the city and its citadel. After a dreamy sunset, we head to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Van (109 km)
After breakfast we stop at a carpet weaving shop. Especially Van's kilims are unique because of their Turkish-Kurdish and Armenian-Persian motifs.
We make a trip to the remains of Cavuştepe Castle, on a ridge 28 km south of Van. This one is a good example of the architectural mastery of the Urartu civilization.
“Ishpuini's son Minua opened this thanks to the power of God Haldi. The name is Minua channel. Thanks to the greatness of the god Haldi, Minua is the mighty king, the great king, the king of the Bianili (Urartian) lands, the lord of the city of Tushpa. Minua says, this inscription begins, whoever destroys it, whoever sees this, whoever says to someone else, "I have opened this channel" will be God Haldi, God Teisheba, God Shiuini and all gods; be deprived of sunlight.”
Lunch is in Gevaş in Deniz Restaurant on Van Meer with local specialists. We take the boat to the island of Akdamar, a religious center 1000 years ago and the seat of the Armenian patriarch for several centuries. The Holy Cross Dome Church is special because of the outdoor sculptures with mainly images from the Old Testament.
At the end of the day we also stop at a Seljuk necropolis in Gevaş.
Dinner and overnight in hotel Ramada 4* at Vanmeer.
Day 8: Van-Tatvan-Silvan-Tigris–Diyarbakir (365km)
Today is a very varied day. Through the Kuskunkıran tunnel pass (2234 m) to Tatvan with the SUPHAN on our left , an extinct volcano of 4058 m. Then we follow the valley of the Bitlis. Bitlis is the city of Turkish tobacco. On the way we stop at the photogenic Malabadi Bridge over the Batman, a tributary of the Tigris.
Lunch is in Silvan-Tigranokerta., the Martyropolis under the Byzantines; also the place from which in WWI the Turks led by commander Kemal (Atatürk) drove the advancing Russians back briefly and relieved Bitlis and Mus. After lunch visit to Silvan where European money is used to restore many buildings, fountains, water wheels, churches and mosques.
On our arrival in Diyarbakır, we visit the 5.5 km long Roman basalt ramparts and the gardens of Hevsel, all parts of a UNESCO cultural landscape. A Brussels resident on the Tigris with AyasİsosTravels.
Dinner and overnight in a charming hotel 4* in Diyarbakır.
Day 9: Diyarbakır-Mardin-Deir-az-Zafaran-Harran-Urfa (385km)
After breakfast, the city of Mardin with its typical Arabic character, narrow steep streets and decorated white houses is on our program. According to Arnold Toynbee, the well-known English historian, it was the most beautiful city in the world around 1950. From the roof of the Sultan İsa Bey Medrese (1385) we have a beautiful view over the city and the
Mesopotamian plain. After the visit to the Grand Mosque, we leave for Deir-az-Zafaran-located between vineyards and gardens in an inhospitable landscape. Most Syriac Orthodox patriarchs are buried here. Until 1933, the monastery was also the seat of the patriarch, who now resides in Damascus.
After lunch departure to the also Biblical Harran, the warmest place in Turkey, but also one of the most picturesque villages due to its well-insulated mud beehive houses.
Dinner and overnight at the HILTON hotel in Urfa, the antique EDESSA.
Day 10: Urfa, Unesco world heritage – Urfa Archaeological Museum- Göbeklitepe- Atatürk Dam- Kâhta (147km)
We visit Urfa where history begins with Abraham. The Archaeological Museum tells us more about the sequel.
Lunch in Gol, known for its Mesopotamian specialties. In the afternoon, extensive visit to Göbeklitepe, 15 km from Urfa, the archaeological sensation of the last quarter century, perhaps even of the last millennium! At 11,500 years old, it is the oldest known temple complex in the world. This piece of Unesco world heritage has not yet revealed all its secrets. There are, however, all sorts of interesting hypotheses circulating.
After this visit, we drive about 100 km to Adıyaman. We stay in KAHTA at the foot of NEMRUT DAGI, in a boutique hotel. We will ascend Nemrut Day at sunset or at sunrise, depending on local conditions.
Day 11: Kâhta-Nemrut Dağ–Kâhta- Nemrut Dağı, one of UNESCO World Heritage in Turkey-Gaziantep (186 km)
We transfer to minibuses. We approach the last part on foot. On two gigantic terraces, the entire Commagene pantheon can be admired in colossal statues.
Only now does our late breakfast follow and the journey continues to the provincial capital of Gaziantep. Due to its location, this city has a unique culinary tradition, excellent cuisine with various specialties and desserts. The mosaic museum, an absolute must see, shows 1700 m2 of late antique mosaics, mainly from the submerged Zeugma.
The Museum of Zeugma (Belkis), Gaziantep
Dinner and overnight at Met Gold Hotel 4* in Gaziantep.
Day 12: Gaziantep-Antakya- Adana or Tarsus (393km)
After breakfast departure to Antioch on the Orontes (now Antakya) was founded a general of Alexander the Great. The city expanded rapidly and became the third largest city of the Roman Empire.
Antakya is Turkey's most cosmopolitan city where many religions and denominations live side by side. It was here that Christians were spoken of for the first time. Paul departed from here on three of his four missionary journeys. Now make the numerous Syrian refugees, Sunnis, Turkish Alevis and the Arab Christians of this city provide a peaceful sampling of the Middle East.
Antakya Archaeological Museum.
Antakya Turkey Photo Gallery by Dick Osseman at pbase.com
In addition to some Eastern Orthodox places of worship, we will certainly visit St. Peter's Church, the very first church in the Christian world, and the archaeological museum. The Levantine cuisine with its lamb and beef dishes will surprise us. For dessert there is künefe.
Dinner and overnight in Adana or in Tarsus. Hotel 4* or 5*.
Day 13: Adana or Tarsus-Eskigümüşler Cappadocia, UNESCOs World Heritage Site (276km)
First stop at the house of the apostle Paul in Tarsus followed by a short walking tour
Water reservoir of Apostle Paul.
Then we cross the Taurus Mountains smoothly thanks to the modern road builders and tunnel makers. In Cappadocia we visit the great Seljuk Mosque and the mausoleum of the princesses in Nigde.
The Eski Gümüs Monastery on the left gt hidden carved into the tuff rocks and hidden from the eyes of any looters. In the walled courtyard we recognize monk cells, cemeteries and a church with some beautifully preserved frescoes.
Today we spend the night in our 4* or 5* charming hotel in Cappadocia.
Day 14: Cappadocia (80 km)
Opportunity for morning hot air balloon ride. After breakfast, like all other groups, we go out all day for a sightseeing tour, panoramic photos and short walks in the many valleys of this fairytale landscape created by the lava and tuff from two volcanoes and thousands of years of weathering by water, snow, wind and rain. Of course we get to the valley of Göreme, we see the Fairy Chimneys, we eat in Uchisar; a delicious dinner concludes this trip. Those who wish can join a folklore evening.
Day 15: Cappadocia Kayseri-Nevşehir- Europe
After breakfast buffet we enjoy free time in Cappadocia until transfer to the airport for the return flight. End of an intensely varied journey.
Along the way, taste baklava and say goodbye to another AyasİsosTravels cultural tour.
Prices
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• • Or please send an e-mail for the special conditions and prices.(partners@ayasisostravels.com)
Comments
• • Departure date can be changed for closed groups.
• • There is a special price for closed groups of more than 23 pax. Discounts may be possible for students, teaching staff, the disabled and their supervisors.
• • An FOC for groups of more than 23 pax.
Optional trips
• • Cappadocia by Hot Air Balloon,
• • Whirling Dervish Dancing.
Including
• • 15 days 14 nights full board in 4* (or 5*) hotels or charming hotels.
• • VP from dinner on the first evening to breakfast on the last day.
• • 13 lunches (usually regional specialities)
• • Transport in Turquoise.
• • Entrance fees to the listed places and museums.
• • Folkloric dinner (last evening).
• • Services of a Dutch-speaking university guide.
Not Including
• • Beverages in hotels and restaurants.,
• • Optional excursions
• • Drinks at the table and the usual tips for the driver and guide (target price 3 to 5 euros p.p.p.d.),
• • Return flight tickets Europe/Turkey,
• • Airport tax
• • Insurances.
Departure days can be organized (according to the demand of the special groups).
AyasİsosTravels: Multilingual Cultural Tour Provider and Operator.
Discover the Homeland of Civilizations - Turkey: Explore Turkey with AyasİsosTravels.
