Turkey: Eastern Borderlands
TOUR IN
$2984
per person
Availability: 12 places
Promising adventure on a grand scale, this tour explores the diverse history and epic landscapes of eastern Turkey, where - a world away from Turkey’s popular coastal resorts - ancient civilisations have left a rich legacy of striking architecture, varied cultures and mouthwatering cuisine.
Our journey begins in the south's arid plains, close to the Syrian border and concludes in lands that once lay within the realms of ancient Armenia. Travelling from the Euphrates to the Tigris and beyond, we'll find a complex mix of cultures both past and present, discovering some of the region’s most evocative and architecturally important sites, including the mountaintop statues of Nemrut Dag, the history re-writing ancient remains of Göbeklitepe and 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf, now controversially submerged beneath the waters of a nearby dam.
We'll wander the old narrow city streets of Urfa and Mardin, revelling in their architectural delights and enjoy a walk along the crater rim of an ancient volcano. A boat trip on Lake Van will take us to explore ornate church reliefs before heading to the iconic Ishak Pasha Palace in the shadow of Mount Ararat and the enthralling ancient UNESCO Armenian capital of Ani. With its dramatic scenery, ubiquitous borders and fascinating history, this trip gives a truly varied insight into a part of Turkey rarely seen by foreign visitors.
Day 1
DAY 1: Tour starts in Gaziantep
The tour begins this evening in Gaziantep with the suggested flights arriving in the evening.
Day 2
DAY 2: Gaziantep – Birecik – Halfeti – Nemrut Dag: Mosaics & Flooded Village
We will spend our first morning in Gaziantep visiting the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, an astounding collection of Hellenistic and Roman mosaics from ancient Zeugma. We then set off for Birecik where we’ll take a boat ride on the reservoir to see some of the flooded villages such as Halfeti, with its submerged houses and with the minarets of its mosques still showing above the water. The scene is a rather evocative one, and the reservoir has had both negative and positive effects on the lives of those in the region which our boatmen will be able to tell us about. We then head for Mount Nemrut (known as Nemrut Dag in Turkish), the site of the famous UNESCO monumental sculptures, staying in the nearby village of Karadut.
Day 3
DAY 3: Nemrut Dag – Göbeklitepe - Urfa: Ancient Temples
A morning visit to the mountain top sanctuary of Nemrut Dag gives us the chance to see the colossal temple and tomb complex built by Antiochus I, complete with 60m high tumulus and groups of giant statues representing the heads of the gods he believed he was related to. Moving on to another ancient site, Göbeklitepe, home to what are considered to be the world’s earliest temples, we will find carved monoliths and stone benches dating back to 10,000BC. Our final destination for the day is the old Crusader town of Edessa, now Urfa.
Day 4
DAY 4: Urfa & Harran: Glorious Urfa
We will explore Urfa today, believed to be the birthplace of Abraham. The historic centre has stone built houses, a caravanserai and a labyrinthine bazaar, inviting for its fascinating wares. Old madrassahs lie next to ornamental lakes and tea gardens, giving the appearance of a harmonious union between nature and architecture. We also take a trip to Harran, some 20kms away from the Syrian border, with its crumbling village dating back 5000 years and which is home to many distinctive and photogenic beehive-like houses, mainly now used for animals and storage.
Day 5
DAY 5: Urfa – Mardin: Historic Citadel
A drive this morning brings us to Mardin, a city set on a rocky hillside topped by a historic citadel overlooking the plains of northern Syria. The old city is UNESCO protected for its 12th and 13th century architecture and has a number of mosques, madrassahs, and, due to the Syrian Christian population a number of churches and monasteries. As we stroll the old city streets we will take in these ornate buildings as well as admiring the abarra, arched passageways between houses which provide both shade and cool breezes. We will also head to the old market and the city museum with its finds from local sites as well as trying out the local cuisine, famous in the region.
Day 6
DAY 6: Mardin – Hasankeyf – Malabadi Bridge – Tatvan: From Reservoir to Lake
Heading to Hasankeyf this morning we will learn more about the effects that the dam projects have had in the region. This ancient town which had been continuously inhabited for 12,000 years was flooded when the Ilisu dam was completed in 2020 and much of the town and its historic architecture is now underwater. A boat trip will show us the sunken village along with the new town built on the lakeside representative of the two sides of Turkey, the historic and ultra-modern. After the visit we stop off at the Malabadi Bridge, a 12th century pointed arch stone bridge spanning the Batman River before arriving in Tatvan at the western end of Lake Van.
Day 7
DAY 7: Tatvan – Nemrut Crater – Aktamar Island – Van: Crater Walk & Boat Trip
We will drive this morning to the crater of Mt Nemrut, known as the second largest crater in the world, using a road which takes us close to the edge of the caldera, in which there are three crater lakes. We have two walking options of a good 5km hike along the crater rim or a shorter 600m walk to the rim. We can drive down to the crater lakes and swimming is possible in the summer. Driving on brings us to the shore of Lake Van from where we take a boat to Aktamar Island upon which there is a well-documented Armenian church with ornate reliefs depicting scenes from the Old Testament. We stay tonight in Van, on the eastern shore of the lake in this city dating back millennia. If possible, we plan tonight to have dinner tonight with a local family.
Approx. 2 hours walking (ascent 400m, descent 300m. Total distance 5km)
Approx. 2 hours walking (ascent 400m, descent 300m. Total distance 5km)
Day 8
DAY 8: Van - Muradiye Waterfalls – Doğubeyazıt – Kars: Waterfalls & Lava Flows
We will make a stop at the impressive 20m high Muradiye Waterfalls this morning before passing close to the Iranian border and the lava flows from Turkey’s youngest volcano. Arriving in Doğubeyazıt we will head up the hill to the Ishak Pasha Palace from where we should be treated to some fine views of Ararat. Ishak Pasha, a combination of Ottoman fortress and palace dates mostly from the 17th century and is one of eastern Turkey’s most memorable and iconic sights. Later we drive on to Kars.
Day 9
DAY 9: Kars: Ani UNESCO World Heritage Site
After a leisurely breakfast trying some of the famous cheeses of the area, we will walk from the hotel past some of the unusual Russian style mansions, to visit the Church of the 12 Apostles, which has been used by various religious congregations over its 1000 year history. We then stroll up to the basalt Kars Castle to view the town from above. We then travel 40km across the steppe to the ruined ancient city of Ani, which was the Armenian capital in the 10th century. The UNESCO ruins are right on the border with modern day Armenia, sitting above the Arpa river and controlling the crossing that was, at one time, an essential strategic point on an off-shoot of the Silk Route. The city became fabulously wealthy before, in the 11th century, it was captured in quick succession by the Byzantine and the Turkish armies. We will explore the site and enjoy a picnic before returning to Kars later in the afternoon. This evening we have a final group meal.
Day 10
DAY 10: Tour ends in Kars
The tour ends this morning after breakfast. Those on the suggested group flights will be transferred to the airport in time for check-in.
Day 11
DAY 1: Tour starts in Gaziantep
The tour begins this evening in Gaziantep with the suggested flights arriving in the evening.
Day 12
DAY 2: Gaziantep – Birecik – Halfeti – Nemrut Dag: Mosaics & Flooded Village
We will spend our first morning in Gaziantep visiting the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, an astounding collection of Hellenistic and Roman mosaics from ancient Zeugma. We then set off for Birecik where we’ll take a boat ride on the reservoir to see some of the flooded villages such as Halfeti, with its submerged houses and with the minarets of its mosques still showing above the water. The scene is a rather evocative one, and the reservoir has had both negative and positive effects on the lives of those in the region which our boatmen will be able to tell us about. We then head for Mount Nemrut (known as Nemrut Dag in Turkish), the site of the famous UNESCO monumental sculptures, staying in the nearby village of Karadut.
Day 13
DAY 3: Nemrut Dag – Göbeklitepe - Urfa: Ancient Temples
A morning visit to the mountain top sanctuary of Nemrut Dag gives us the chance to see the colossal temple and tomb complex built by Antiochus I, complete with 60m high tumulus and groups of giant statues representing the heads of the gods he believed he was related to. Moving on to another ancient site, Göbeklitepe, home to what are considered to be the world’s earliest temples, we will find carved monoliths and stone benches dating back to 10,000BC. Our final destination for the day is the old Crusader town of Edessa, now Urfa.
Day 14
DAY 4: Urfa & Harran: Glorious Urfa
We will explore Urfa today, believed to be the birthplace of Abraham. The historic centre has stone built houses, a caravanserai and a labyrinthine bazaar, inviting for its fascinating wares. Old madrassahs lie next to ornamental lakes and tea gardens, giving the appearance of a harmonious union between nature and architecture. We also take a trip to Harran, some 20kms away from the Syrian border, with its crumbling village dating back 5000 years and which is home to many distinctive and photogenic beehive-like houses, mainly now used for animals and storage.
Day 15
DAY 5: Urfa – Mardin: Historic Citadel
A drive this morning brings us to Mardin, a city set on a rocky hillside topped by a historic citadel overlooking the plains of northern Syria. The old city is UNESCO protected for its 12th and 13th century architecture and has a number of mosques, madrassahs, and, due to the Syrian Christian population a number of churches and monasteries. As we stroll the old city streets we will take in these ornate buildings as well as admiring the abarra, arched passageways between houses which provide both shade and cool breezes. We will also head to the old market and the city museum with its finds from local sites as well as trying out the local cuisine, famous in the region.
Day 16
DAY 6: Mardin – Hasankeyf – Malabadi Bridge – Tatvan: From Reservoir to Lake
Heading to Hasankeyf this morning we will learn more about the effects that the dam projects have had in the region. This ancient town which had been continuously inhabited for 12,000 years was flooded when the Ilisu dam was completed in 2020 and much of the town and its historic architecture is now underwater. A boat trip will show us the sunken village along with the new town built on the lakeside representative of the two sides of Turkey, the historic and ultra-modern. After the visit we stop off at the Malabadi Bridge, a 12th century pointed arch stone bridge spanning the Batman River before arriving in Tatvan at the western end of Lake Van.
Day 17
DAY 7: Tatvan – Nemrut Crater – Aktamar Island – Van: Crater Walk & Boat Trip
We will drive this morning to the crater of Mt Nemrut, known as the second largest crater in the world, using a road which takes us close to the edge of the caldera, in which there are three crater lakes. We have two walking options of a good 5km hike along the crater rim or a shorter 600m walk to the rim. We can drive down to the crater lakes and swimming is possible in the summer. Driving on brings us to the shore of Lake Van from where we take a boat to Aktamar Island upon which there is a well-documented Armenian church with ornate reliefs depicting scenes from the Old Testament. We stay tonight in Van, on the eastern shore of the lake in this city dating back millennia. If possible, we plan tonight to have dinner tonight with a local family.
Approx. 2 hours walking (ascent 400m, descent 300m. Total distance 5km)
Approx. 2 hours walking (ascent 400m, descent 300m. Total distance 5km)
Day 18
DAY 8: Van - Muradiye Waterfalls – Doğubeyazıt – Kars: Waterfalls & Lava Flows
We will make a stop at the impressive 20m high Muradiye Waterfalls this morning before passing close to the Iranian border and the lava flows from Turkey’s youngest volcano. Arriving in Doğubeyazıt we will head up the hill to the Ishak Pasha Palace from where we should be treated to some fine views of Ararat. Ishak Pasha, a combination of Ottoman fortress and palace dates mostly from the 17th century and is one of eastern Turkey’s most memorable and iconic sights. Later we drive on to Kars.
Day 19
DAY 9: Kars: Ani UNESCO World Heritage Site
After a leisurely breakfast trying some of the famous cheeses of the area, we will walk from the hotel past some of the unusual Russian style mansions, to visit the Church of the 12 Apostles, which has been used by various religious congregations over its 1000 year history. We then stroll up to the basalt Kars Castle to view the town from above. We then travel 40km across the steppe to the ruined ancient city of Ani, which was the Armenian capital in the 10th century. The UNESCO ruins are right on the border with modern day Armenia, sitting above the Arpa river and controlling the crossing that was, at one time, an essential strategic point on an off-shoot of the Silk Route. The city became fabulously wealthy before, in the 11th century, it was captured in quick succession by the Byzantine and the Turkish armies. We will explore the site and enjoy a picnic before returning to Kars later in the afternoon. This evening we have a final group meal.
Day 20
DAY 10: Tour ends in Kars
The tour ends this morning after breakfast. Those on the suggested group flights will be transferred to the airport in time for check-in.
