TREASURES OF EASTERN TURKEY

DIYARBAKIR-VAN-KARS-ERZURUM-TRABZON

 

DAY 1 Arrive to DIYARBAKIR

Flight to Dıyarbakır. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight Dıyarbakır

DAY 2  DIYARBAKIR 

Breakfast. After breakfast city tour. We will visit the Ulu Mosque, one of Diyarbakır’s symbol, one of the few mosques where the four sects of Islam pray together. The mosque is one of the oldest in Turkey and was built by the Seljuk Sultan Malik Shah in the 11th century.

The Hevsel Gardens are 700 hectares of cultivated, fertile land near the Tigris River where all Diyarbakır products were grown in the past.

The city walls, which are about 7,000 years old, are the longest walls in the world after the Great Wall of China. (3.4 miles)

We continue our tour of the city with the old tsar, return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight Dıyarbakır

DAY 3  DIYARBAKIR - TATVAN- AHLAT  (cca 315km)

Breakfast. After breakfast we continue driving towards Tatvan and Ahlat. Upon arrival in Ahlat, a tour of a historic town in eastern Anatolia, home to the world's largest Muslim cemetery with more than 8,000 tombstones and sarcophagi. Ahlat is located on the shores of Lake Van in the province of Bitlis in southeastern Turkey.

The Turkish government declared Ahlat one of the preserved areas and submitted a request for UNESCO to take over Ahlat's tombstones on the 1983 World Heritage List. After the sightseeing Ahlat return to Tatvan. Accommodation in a hotel, dinner and overnight.

DAY 4  TATVAN- VAN  (cca 120km)

Breakfast. After breakfast drive along the shores of Lake Van towards the town of the same name. The city of Van is located at 1750 m above sea level and has been known in history since the 8th century BC. The city was ruled by Armenians, Persians, Arabs, Seljuks and Ottomans.

Before arriving in the city we go on a boat ride to the largest island of Akdamar which is located about 60 km southeast of the city of Van. The most popular place on the island is the Armenian Church from the 10th century. Akdamar Church is located on the island of the same name. Motifs from the outside of the church tell Bible stories and the inside walls are lined with frescoes in predominantly light blue, white and black. After visiting the church departure to the hotel. Accommodation in a hotel, dinner, overnight Van

DAY  5  VAN

Breakfast. After breakfast a tour of Van Citadele which was built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries BC. and represents the greatest example of its kind.

The ancient fortress is located west of the city and east of Lake Van. The palace, which has long been the capital of the state of Urartu under the name of Tuspa, was built by King Urartu I. Sarduri.

After visiting the citadel, we continue towards the archeological museum. In the museum you will see a selected collection of Urutu Kingdom. We continue the tour towards ˇ “House of the Cat”. The cat Van is known around the world for its white fur and eyes of different colors, it is special because it loves water and bathes in the lake. Just under five hundred cats are registered worldwide.

Since it is a very rare country, it decided to protect this type of cat, so 10 km from the city on the shores of the lake made a house resembling a small zoo, the complex is composed of buildings with different rooms in which live about 80 cats. The outer part is fenced with a wire in which cats walk. Inside the house there is a large glass part where you can enter and pet the cats. After the tour, we continue our journey towards the Van Bazaar. Free time until return to the hotel. Dinner, overnight

DAY 6 VAN-DOGUBEYAZIT-KARS  (cca 350km)  

After breakfast departure for Kars. On the way we visit Muradiye waterfall which is 100km away from Van province and offers beautiful landscapes in summer and winter. After visiting the waterfall we continue our way to the town of Dogubeyazit at the foot of Ararat (Ağrı), the largest mountain in Turkey (5156m). It is a snow-covered volcanic dome which is marked in the holy books as the place where Noah's ark ran aground. At the foot of Mount Ararat is the fairytale Palace of Ishak Pasha that will surely leave you breathless as it looks reminiscent of stories from 1001 Nights.

This palace is the second largest sultan's complex after the famous Topkapi. The palace is also on the UNESCO waiting list for inscription on the World Heritage List.

In the evening arrival in Kars, hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight.

DAY 7 KARS -ERZURUM (cca 290km)  

After breakfast, we head from Kars to the border with Armenia to visit Ani Harabeleri, the medieval capital of the Armenian Empire from the 10th century. Named the city of "1001 churches" for miles, this city was among the largest cities in the world at the height of its power.

Traces of the once great empire and developed culture are still visible today on the ruins that have today become an unavoidable tourist attraction in eastern Turkey. This archaeological treasure was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.

After the break we head towards the city of Erzurum. Upon arrival at the hotel, a short break is planned and then a tour of the sights within the city of Erzurum. The first of these is the Yakutiye Madrasa built in the early 14th century and located in the old town. After visiting the madrasa, in the immediate vicinity is the Cifte Minare Madrasa (translated as "Madrasa with two minarets"), which looks even more impressive than the previous one. The largest madrasa in Anatolia was primarily a theological school, to be later used as a storehouse of gunpowder and weapons in later wars. After touring the very heart of Erzurum, return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

DAY 8 ERZURUM - TRABZON (cca 320km)  

After breakfast departure for Trabzon. On the way to Trabzon we will visit the Sumela Monastery which is located in the eastern part of the Black Sea region in the middle of the Black Hill. This ancient church is over 1700 years old, and is one of the oldest monasteries in the world. According to legend, Sumela is a monastery that was built in the 3rd century in the Byzantine period by two priests who came from Athens. After a long period, the church gained in importance so that it became a place where large revenues were collected, especially in the 8th century. In the 18th century, most of this church was restored, and some walls were painted with frescoes. In the 19th century, after a large number of rooms were added, the monastery got its beautiful appearance. For centuries, Sumela Monastery has been an important religious center and a place where large groups of people gathered and educated. The main parts of the monastery are the rooms, the reception room, the library and the scriptures. The walls are painted with frescoes, and the main themes that run through the frescoes are details from the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Sumela Monastery is called Mother Mary in the vernacular. Arrival at the hotel, dinner, overnight.

DAY 9 TRABZON

After breakfast, check out from the hotel. On the way to the airport we go to visit Hagia Sophia in Trabzon, which is one of the most important cultural and historical monuments of the Black Sea part of Turkey. Upon completion of the tour, transfer to the airport. Flight from Trabzon