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Private guided tours
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 :
Transfer from the airport and drop off to the hotel. Afternoon
is at your leisure.
Day 2 :
Early morning flight to Van.
Upon arrival, meet your tour guide transfer to your hotel. After
lunch enjoy a half-day tour of Van. First visit the
Archaeological Museum which
houses mainly Urartian remains. Then drive to the
Citadel of Van where you
will enjoy the most beautiful sunset
over Lake Van. Dinner and overnight in Van. (B,L,D)
Day 3 :
Drive to Gevas and take a boat to the
Island of Akdamar. On the Island, visit the
Basilica built in 915.
Return to Gevas and drive to Cavustepe,
an Urartian city, then to the river Guzelsu to visit
Hosap Fortress. Return to
Van for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)
Day 4 :
After breakfast we will leave from Van to
Mardin. On the way we will stop for
Hasankeyf. We will visit
grottos, castle and Hasankeyf 's bridge.
Then We will visit another great monastery which is called the
Monastery of Mor Gabriel. We
will continue for Mother Mary Monastery
which was built in the 1st century. Overnight in Mardin. (B,L,D)
Day 5 :
After breakfast we will explore for
Mardin. This town had a large Christian community and
there are still some Syrian Christian families and churches . On
the out skirts is the monastery of
Deyruzaffaran in which Aramaic, the language of Jesus,
is still used as the liturgical tongue. The history of Mardin,
like that of Diyarbakir,
involves disputes by rival armies over dozens and dozens
centuries. Syrian Orthodox Christians settled in this area
during the 1st century. We will leave from Mardin to Diyarbakir.
It will take 60 miles countryside view trip.
The Tigiris (Dicle) flows by
the mighty black walls of Diyarbakir. Considering that
Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates valleys,
saw the down fall of the world's first great empires. We will
visit the famous city's wall
which is the second longest in the world after China's Wall. It
is 5 kilometers long and 8-12 meters high. Our visiting will
continue for Ulu Mosque
which was converted from church to mosque in 639. Dinner and
overnight at Diyarbakir. (B,L,D)
Day 6 :
After breakfast we will leave for Sanli
Urfa. Our first stop is Harran.
Harran, 50 kilometers south from Sanli Urfa, is
one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements on the earth,
with its beehivelike mudbrick houses. Here was the
Temple of Sin (erroneously
called the first university ), famous throughout the ancient
world for its star readers and savants. It was in Harran where
Rebecca drew water for Isaac's servant, from where
Abraham decided to make his
move into the land of Cannan. We will enjoy with
Halilurahman Mosque and
Ulu Mosque which was first
built as a synagogue then converted to a church called Kizil
Church, and then on the church, Ulu Mosque was built in 1175.
Lodging in Sanli Urfa. (B,L,D)
Day 7 :
After breakfast we will depart for
Kahta. On the way you will see
Ataturk Dam. We have a fabulous
countryside trip to Nemrut Mountain.
On this summit lies a 2000 year old memorial sanctuary for an
obscure Commagene King, with huge statues of gods and kings,
their heads toppled by earthquakes and scattered on the ground.
Overnight in Kahta. (B,L,D)
Day 8 :
Breakfast and departure for Antakya, the biblical city called
Antioch, situated next to
the Asi (Orantes) River in the fertile plains surrounded with
the high mountains . On the way we will visit the
Zeugma Ruins. The ancient city
of Zeugma, originally, was
founded by Selevkos Nikador, one of the generals of the
Alexander the Great, in 300 B.C. At that time the city was named
after the general and called Selevkaya Euphrates. And the
population in the city was approximately 80 000. In 64 B.C.
Zeugma was conquered and ruled by Roman Empire and with this
shift the name of the city was changed into Zeugma to mean
bridge-passage. Dinner and overnight in Antakya. (B,L,D)
Day 9 :
After breakfast we will visit Antakya
- the city where the word "Christian" was used for the first
time. Its museum has one of the richest Roman mosaic collection
of the world. The major part of the fantastic stone paintings
were found during the excavations in Antakya and around Daphne.
Outside the city there is the Cave of
Saint Peter which was a church constructed in a cave
where the apostles gave their first preach and where the
Christian community settled down.On the way to
Adana we will see
Toprakkale Fortress. Dinner
and overnight in Adana. (B,L,D)
Day 10 :
After our breakfast we drive to
Cappadocia by passing through the
Taurus Mountain which is one
of the important mountain chain lined on the south of Turkey. On
the way our first stop is to have lunch near the waterfall on
the Taurus Mountain skirts. Then we continue our drive to
Soğanlı Valley which is stil
keeping its wild nature and seems isolated from any modern
utilities in its misterious shape..We will walk along the valley
or drive by car in order to see some churches and see the real
village life and the handmade dolls sold by villagers…
Day 11 :
This morning we will visit the Uçhisar
castle, the highest point of the region where you can
see all different valleys , rock dwelling houses, wineyards and
the pigeonaries on the landscape..After our castle visit , we
walk in the village which is really so rich with the volcanic
houses…then we go to see the
undegroundcity of Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu on the south
part of the region.And we will have our lunch in a nice place…After
that, wego to visit the Göreme Open Air
Museum where we will see the beautiful frescoes
dating back to 4-13. century A.D. On the way we can stop in a
carpetweaving rug palace to
learn the history of Turkish carpets from a local lecturer in
Cappadocia region…Then we can go to see the sunset on the
panoramic view point depending on the weather conditions…
Day 12 :
After breakfast, transfer to Kayseri Airport for your morning
flight back to Istanbul. Then enjoy a full-day tour of Istanbul.
Our first stop will be the Hippodrome,
where chariot races were held and competitive athletic events
took place during the Roman period. Then world famous
St.Sophia - the great
Byzantine Basilica built in the 6th century - following the
Blue Mosque famous for its
six minarets and magnificent interior blue tiles. Then you will
enjoy a Bosphorus Tour by
boat along the waterway separating Europe from Asia. The shore
is lined with old wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortresses,
and small fishing villages. During the excursion you will pass
the magnificent Dolmabahce Palace, and further along, the parks
and imperial pavillions of Yildiz Palace. (B,L,D)
Day 13 :
Today you will visit the Topkapi Palace,
the residence of Ottoman sultans housing richness of 700 years.
Later on you will be browsing the Grand
Bazaar. Free afternoon to explore the city on your
own and overnight stay in Istanbul. Tonight there will be a
farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 14 :
Pick up from the hotel and transfer to the airport.
or Tailer mode tours can be arranged with respect to your
interests and requesteds, too.
Just
e-mail us about your tour. |
