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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 : This morning we will drivce to see The Saint Saviour- Chora Church which is
covered with the entricate golden mosaics inspired from the
Bible and the life of Virgin Mary, Jesus…Then we drive to see
the Eyüp Mosque and witness the religious life and their ritual visits to tomb of beloved
friend of Prophet Muhammed, then we climb up to hill to have a
beautiful view over the golden horn in Pierre Loti Cafe.. After
your lunch we drive to the Patriarch Of Orthodox Christianity and see the
ancient restored church with the wooden building .You are
guarantueed to gain different perspectives of the life of this
elegant city throughout the day..Transfer to Istanbul Airport
for your evening flight to Trabzon. Upon arrival at Trabzon,
transfer to your hotel and overnight.
Day 3 : After breakfast you will have a city tour of Trabzon which is historically and socio-culturally
being the most important centre of Eastern Black Sea Region and
has a history of approximately 5000 years, though its exact date
of foundation is unknown. We will visit the Mosque of Gulbahar Hatun, and St.Sophia
Church. Afternoon is free at leisure.
Day 4 : This morning we
drive to visit to the Sumela Monastery perched on the highest cliff of the mountains like an eagle
.It is the most important Byzantine monument of the Eastern region and is
situated on a cliff 1000 feet above the alley floor and is
dedicated to the Holly Virgin Mary. Return to Trabzon for dinner
and overnight.
Day 5 : This morning we will drive to Erzurum
through the famous Zigana Pass at an altitude
of 6500 feet. Afternoon sightseeing in the city of Erzurum will
visit the Yakudiye Medrese, the Ulu Mosque from 1179, the Double Minaret Medrese which is masterpiece of Selcuk Art and
the Hatuniye Turbe. Dinner and
overnight in Erzurum.
Day 6 : Drive to Kars via Horasan and Sarikamis. Arrival in Kars in early afternoon and sightseeing the Citadel and Church of the
Apostles. Dinner and overnight in Kars.
Day 7 : This morning we drive to Ani Ruins where the Armenian settlement is located on the
river that constitutes the Turkish-Russian border. Ani was
founded in the IXth century and has many interesting remains
such as the cathedral, city walls and gates. Then we drive to Dogubeyazit to immortalize
the time of watching beautiful scenery of Mt.Ararat. Many archeologists and biblical scholars believe that Noah's Ark had
landed on Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat) in Esatern of Turkey
Afternoon sightseeing in Dogubeyazit - which is believed to be
the Garden of
Eden - within the citadel built at the time of the Urartian Kingdom and the famous architecture of
Ishak Pasha Palace and Mosque of the 17th century. Dinner and
overnight in Dogubeyazit.
Day 8 : This morning you will visit the Muradiye Waterfall. On the road possible to see famousArarat Mountain where old saying: Noahs Ark situated at
the top of the mountain. Then depart for 7000 years old Urartian city of Van, arrival and check in to hotel,
after lunch we have city tour, return to hotel and leisure time.
Day 9 : Before lunch, free time to enjoy the
beautiful Lake Van. 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.
Day 10 : 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.
Day 11 : 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 Monasterywhich was built in the 1st century. Overnight in Mardin.
Day 12 : 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.
Day 13 : 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.
Day 14 : 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.
Day 15 : 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.
Day 16 : Today we will visit Antakya where the word
"Christian" was used the first time in the Christian
era. The major part of the fantastic stone paintings were found
during the excavations in Antakya 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.
Day 17 : This morning we drive to Cappadocia by passing through the South
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 the wildest area of Cappadocia keeping its mysterious shape in its
structure within the environment..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 18 : Optional Tour:
Hot air balloon ride in the early morning.This tour includes
one hour balloon ride , a glass of champagne, transfer ,flight
certificate.A hot air balloon flight is unique from all other
experiences of flights because the feeling in balloon is one of
peace and tranquility while floating over the rock formations in
the various valleys of the splendid landscape of Cappadocia.
We will continue to discover the splendid nature of
Cappadocia on the way. We arrive
at the highest point of
the region to get closer to the rock caves, dwelling
rooms, pigeonnaries within its special mystery.After sightseeing
, we explore the rock cut houses and man-made churches in
Pasabag Valley which
posseses the most preserved conic rock formations in the region.
After lunch, we drive to visit the
Göreme Open Air Museum , as a
world hearitage site where the rock cut churches, preserved
frescoes- 9-13th cent.-protected by
UNESCO.
As a
cradle of the civilizations
Cappadocia is center of the hand crafts in Turkey. Later
today, you will have an opportunity to learn the techniques of
the rug weaver by a local lecturer. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Day 19 : This morning your private guide
will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel and you will be
driven to the old city to visit
Topkapi Palace with its fabulous jewellery
collection, Council Hall, kitchen, its magnificent pavillions
overlooking the view of Golden Horn. Then we will visit the
Hagia Sophia (Divine Wisdom),
the highest dome of the largest church built by Justinien in
Roman era. After having lunch , we will visit
Blue Mosque enriched by
the beautiful Iznik tiles and walk through the ancient objects
Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column, Constantine Column
displayed in the hippodrome
. Finally we will visit the
Turkish Islamic Art Museum
to see the Seljouk –Otoman-Turkish art pieces.
Day 20 :
This
morning we will visit
Spice Market and the
mosque of
Rustem Pahsa very
reputable with the famous turquoise tiles covering the walls and
the ceiling. Next we will get on our local ferry to cruise along
the strait of the
Bosphorus
‘ the pearl of the city’
to witness the rich part of the life with its splendid
waterfront houses and mansions.
By the end of our cruise we meet our driver in Sarıyer port to drive to
Asian side for sightseeing at
the district of “ Çamlıca Hill ” .After lunch
we drive to
Beylerbeyi Palace
used as a summer palace
to host the guests
;
Empress Eugenie of France, Joseph, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary
(1869), The Crown Prince of Italia (1869) , Frederic Guillaume
Charles, the Crown Prince of Prussia (1869), the Sah of Iran.
which is
located on the shores of Bosphorus then we drive back to our
hotel .
Day 21 : You will be transferred to the
airport.
or Tailer mode tours can be arranged depending on your requests.Just
e-mail us about your tour. |
