Türkiye, Istanbul

Cappadocia & east turkey 4^*

Following our guests’ arrival to Kayseri, our guests will be met by our staff and transferred to the hotel. Our tour director will brief our guests about the itinerary before dinner.Dinner and overnight stay will be at the hotel. Welcome Gift, Nazar Boncuk ( Turkish Blue Eyed Bead ) Nazar Boncugu is a glass bead that protects the holder from evil eye. It is pretty common in Turkey. Have a look around and you might discover countless Nazar Boncuks dangling from cars, from rear-view windows, backpacks, on necklaces and bracelets, pinned to the sweaters of babies and small children, and hanging above doors in restaurants, hotels, stores, and apartments.

After breakfast, we will explore the famous valleys of Cappadocia. It is a unique location in the world with one of a kind natural rock formation. Very long time ago volcanic eruptions caused the lava flow that dried above the Earth’s crust and formed the tufa rocks. Erosion shaped them into famous formations, which are called “fairy chimneys”. But it is not only the landscape that makes this place unique. Hittites chiselled the soft tufa stones to carve out this fairy tale world into homes, stables, shops, churches, hospitals, etc. etc. Early Christians carved caves and made frescoes of Biblical scenes on the walls of these rock-carved chapels. Some of these frescoes are still incredibly vivid, attesting to the skills and religious fervor of the faithful. We will visit Goreme, Uchisar, Kaymakli, Pasabag and Avanos, the latter providing us with the opportunity to purchase some pottery made with kick-wheel method that has been shaped here for millennia. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel.

After breakfast we will drive to Adana. En route, we will visit the town of Tarsus where St Paul was born. We will visit St. Paul’s House where he was born. Tarsus used to be one of the wealthiest Roman Cities. Cleopatra and Marc Anthony had visited Tarsus. One of the 3 famous American Schools in Turkey is in Tarsus. Dinner and overnight will be at the hotel in Adana.

After an early breakfast, we proceed to Antioch-On-The-Orontes, a city that was founded by Seleucids (One of the 12 generals of Alexander the Great) in 300 BC. In time Antioch (present day, Antakya) became a melting pot of the Hellenistic and Oriental cultures. The wealthy city of Antioch welcomed all kinds of new ideas and people from various parts of the ancient world. These properties paved the path for the people of Antioch to be open to accept a new religion, which was brought to them by St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Barnabas. Gentiles were welcomed to the Church for the first time in the world history in Antioch. It was also in Antioch that the followers of Christ were called as “Christians” for the first time in the world history in the Church of St. Peter. We will visit this church, which is referred to as St. Peters Grotto – a cave church known as the meeting place of the early Christians. In the Byzantine Empire, this city was very important, which soon became an active center of the Church of Orient. Our sightseeing tour of the city includes visits to the Museum of Antioch, which houses a superb collection of mosaics and which was rebuilt in 2015 as a colossal building. We will continue on to Daphne, Seleucia Pieria to see the rock tombs and the Tunnel of Titus. From there we will continue on to Iskenderun, the old Alexandretta, founded by Alexander the Great after his Issus victory. In 1097, Alexandretta was conquered by the First Crusade and the city was included in the principality of Antioch. We will have our dinner and overnight in Iskenderun.

We will set off after breakfast for our journey to Sanliurfa (ancient Edessa). On the way we pay a short visit to Gaziantep Mosaics Museum to admire the new findings from Zeugma (the Seleucia Euphrates- one of the four major cities of the Kingdom of Commagene during the 1st century BC). This museum was built in 2013 and at the moment it is the biggest Mosaics Museum in the world. After our visits we will make our way to Sanliurfa, and on the way we will stop for a photograph of a reservoir, which is on river Euphrates. Sanliurfa was a city in the upper Mesopotamia known as Edessa. Historically Sanliurfa was also an important city on the Fertile Crescent that is the region from Mediterranean shores to Upper Mesopotamia. Sanliurfa was conquered by the First Crusade also and became the County of Edessa, one of the “outremers”. Here we will visit the Crusaders Fortress and the Mosque of Halil Rahman nearby where according to Muslim Version of history, Abraham was born. We will enjoy our dinner and overnight stay in Sanliurfa.

After breakfast, we will check out from our hotel and drive to Harran. This upper Mesopotamian city was mentioned in Genesis XI.31.32: XII.4.5 that is today a village also famous for beehive houses. It was here that Abraham spent several years of his life. Harran was also the site of the Temple of Sin (known also as the first University), famous throughout the ancient world for its star readers and savants. The importance of the moon and of astrology/ astronomy for the people of Mesopotamia can be inferred from the fact that their Maggi studied the phases of the moon in detail, attempting to predict the future. It was probably from them that Thales of Miletus learned to predict the eclipse of the sun. In Genesis II, it is mentioned to be the place of Garden of Eden with the rivers (Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel and Euphrates) flowing through this garden. Form here, we will visit to the Gobeklitepe. It is located 18 kilometers northeast of Şanlıurfa city center, near Örencik Village. The site was discovered in 1963 during a survey carried out in partnership with the Universities of Istanbul and Chicago and was identified as the “V52 Neolithic Settlement”. The real value of the area began to emerge with the excavations started after 1994. After these studies, it was understood that Göbeklitepe was a cult center dating back 12000 years.After the visit of Harran we will drive to Adiyaman city. Dinner and overnight stay will be in Adiyaman.

We leave very early in the morning for Mount Nemrut where King Antiochus I of Commagene had a colossal funerary sanctuary built at a height of 6300 ft on top of the mountain. 16 giant statutes, each 10m in height, were dedicated to Greco-Persian gods and to King Antiochus’ Persian ancestors. The East & West terraces have a central courtyard surrounded with colossal statutes of lions, eagles, etc. The colossal statutes of seated figures are Apollo, Hermes, Zeus and Hercules. Watching the sunrise over river Euphrates from the top of Mt. Nemrut is an incomparable experience. The panorama of the West and the East allows us to understand why Antiochus chose this spot to build his final resting place. After this visit, we will continue on to the city of Diyarbakir. Dinner and overnight stay will be at the hotel in Diyarbakir.

We will spend the morning for sightseeing in Diyarbakir (ancient Amida), a city of which history goes back to the Hurrian Kingdom of Mitanni (1500 BC). Throughout the history, many different civilizations like the Urartu, Assyrians, Persians, Alexander the Great, and Seleucids ruled this city. Arabs later conquered the city and renamed it as Diyar Bakir (land of copper). In 1085 the Seljuks conquered it and then the Ottomans took over in 1515. The highlights of our tour will be the Basalt Walls, one of the finest existing examples of medieval military architecture, the four old city gates, the Ulu Mosque (the Grand Mosque) and the Church of St. Mary (17th century). In the afternoon we will drive to Mardin (old Marida) located on the south slope of a mountain, to visit the 1500 year old Monasteries. During our visit we will see Mor Gabriel, Mor Yakup, Deyrul Zafaran Monasteries, the old Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate, Grand Mosque and the typical, beautiful stone masonry of the Houses of Mardin. We will have our dinner and overnight stay in Mardin.

In the early morning we set off our way to Hasankeyf via Nusaybin and Midyat, which has a Medieval look with its narrow and fortified stone mansions.

Following the breakfast we will go to the airport for our Istanbul flights. We will spend a half-day for excursions in Istanbul. Bosphorus by Boat: This cruise along the strait between continents of Asia and Europe offers clear views of the Dolmabahce Palace, several ancient wooden Ottoman Mansions, and the opulence of the Ottoman times. Spice Market: This large and old stone building that has around 400 shops,(and a second floor restaurant Pandelli) was built in 1664. This covered portico of shops was actually a part of the complex of the adjacent Yeni Cami (the `New Mosque` whose construction was started in 1597, but finished decades later). Since its construction, Spice Market has specialized in the sales of exotic spices and herbs. Today, these lovely small shops continue to sell spices, but also sell dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and Turkish Delight (candy). Some of the shops are gradually being transformed into shops featuring jewelry and other high margin items too. The meandering streets behind the Spice Bazaar lead uphill to the Grand Bazaar.

After breakfast, we will start our full day sightseeing tour of Istanbul. First we will visit the Blue Mosque, famous for its blue Iznik (modern name: Nicea) tiles, and unique with its’ 6 minarets. After the Blue Mosque, we will walk to the Hippodrome, which was the center of sports events (chariots races and athletic games) and political activities in the old city. From the Hippodrome, we will walk to Hagia Sophia, which is right across from the Blue Mosque. Built as the church of divine wisdom, it is still one of the greatest marvels of architecture in the World. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian constructed it as a basilica in the 6th century. In the afternoon, we will continue with a tour of the Topkapi Palace Museum, which was the imperial residence of Ottoman Sultans. That day in the rooms of this palace, there are exhibits of the imperial treasury, Chinese porcelain, weapons, and Holy Relics (the Sword of King David, the staff of Moses, the Turban of Joseph, Relics of St. John the Baptist). We will end the day after a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It is the biggest oriental bazaar (market) in the World with around 4,000 shops, which sell antiques, jewelry, gold, carpets, leather, etc. ** Unique Moment: During the visit of the Grand Bazaar we will taste Turkish coffee in Sark Kahvesi, a 400 year old Turkish Coffee House. A variety of Turkish coffee and tea is available. Dinner and overnight stay will be at the hotel.

Following breakfast we will be transferred to the airport for our departure flights.

Please note: Due to technical requirements, weather conditions, or other unforeseen events linked to the organisation of the trip, the dates of the excursions may be changed or they may be cancelled.