EASTERN TURKEY - OFF the BEATEN PATH

May 19-June 21, 2009
Schedules and pricing

Day 1- Tuesday, May 19
Upon arrival in Ankara, you will have a brief orientation with the remainder of the day at your leisure to relax and recover from your flight or to explore on your own. Welcome dinner in an interesting restaurant. Overnight in Ankara. (D)

St. Sophia in Tabzon

Day 2- Wednesday, May 20
Full day of sightseeing in Ankara, Turkey's capital. Today's itinerary will include the Roman Baths, Temple of Apollo, Haci Bayram Mosque, Atatürk's Mouseleum and the world famous Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. This museum will be a detailed introduction for the civilizations that you will encounter in the eastern part of Turkey. Lecture in the museum. Lunch in the fortress area. Dinner in a nice Ankara restaurant. Overnite in Ankara. (B,L,D)

Day 3- Thursday, May 21
Morning flight to Trabzon, a port city on the Black Sea and our jumping off point for touring eastern Turkey. Today you will visit St. Sophia Church. St Sophia or Hagia Sophia, bears an amazing similarity with the one in Istanbul. Like its counterpart in Istanbul, the Trabzon Hagia Sophia is a great treasure, with interior paintings that are impressive. You will get a sense of old Trabzon during your visit to the Gulbahar Hatun Camii, thought to be the first Ottoman mosque in Trabzon. Your tour of this area will also include the Fatih Camii Mosque. Your day will continue with a tour of the city in general, including the harbour and the Russian market. Dinner will be in town. Overnite in Trabzon. (B,L,D)

Day 4- Friday, May 22
This morning, you depart to Erzurum via Sümela Monastery. The drive takes you through the beautiful rural scenery of the Altindere Valley. The Sumela Monastery is a masterpiece of Byzantine Monestecism, frescoes, etc. The area is wonderful for hiking.

Sumela Monastery

You continue on to Erzurum, an old caravan stop. The city is rather provincial and conservative, with simple houses that have been blackened by soot. The surrounding mountains and the Byzantine citadel make the entrance to Erzurum an impressive site. You will have the opportunity to learn and breifly explore some of Erzurum's Selcuk heritage. Overnight in Erzurum. (B,L,D)

Day 5- Saturday, May 23
Today you depart Erzurum towards Kars with your first main destination being the town of Ani. Ani is the ancient capital of the Armenian state and known as the site of 1000 churches. It really looks like a ghost town of many churches. Between the fascinating city and the surrounding scenery, the excursion to this rather remote town is worth every minute! Drive back to Kars. Overnight in Kars. (B,L,D)

Armenian church in Ani

Day 6- Sunday, May 24
Today's excursion takes you to one of the less traveled parts of Turkey, near the border of Iran. En route, you drive through wonderful countryside, where the architecture of the simple homes differs from much of what you will see in other parts of Turkey. The region is primarily Kurdish, with some nomadic life still existing in this region. The primary destination today is Mt. Ararat, known in Turkish as Agri Dagi. The approach to the region is quite spectacular, with snow on the mountain throughout much of the year. You will have time to explore this scenic region, as well as the Ishak Pasa Sarayi, an 18th century palace that appears, seemingly out of nowhere. Built at a height of some 2,200 meters, it appears on top of the world, solemn and noble. You will have the chance to explore the border town of Dogubayazit, where smugglers form the mainstay of the economy. Our lodgings will be rather simple. Overnight in Dogubayazit. (B,L,D)

Ishak Pasa Sarayi

Day 7- Monday, May 25
You spend a good portion of the day driving through the region of Lake Van. You will see many Urartian sites, remnants of the Urartians who ruled the area from the 6th to the 9th centuries, BC. Today, the city of Van is populated primarily by Kurds who migrated over the years from their rural homes to this more urban setting. The beautiful setting of the Lake Van region will be your base for two nights, providing a bit of "R&R" from the active pace of the first week of touring. Overnight in Van. (B,L,D)

Day 8- Tuesday, May 26
The pace today will be rather relaxed, allowing you to partake in some touring, but enjoying the peaceful setting of the Lake Van area. Included in today's agenda will be a visit to Ahdamar island, where you will visit a very special Armenian church. Depending upon the weather, you may enjoy the opportunity for swimming in the Lake. Overnite in Van. (B,L,D)

Akhdamar island's Armenian church

Day 9- Wednesday, May 27
Your drive today to Diyarbakir takes you through a part of Turkey where the topography and vegetation change from your previous days. En route to Diyarbakir, we will visit the Malabadi Bridge, which dates to the 12th century. It ranks in architectural impressiveness with the Mostar bridge, which has been greatly damaged during the recent years of Balkan fighting . We arrive late afternoon in Diyarbakir, the main city of the region, primarily of Kurdish inhabitants. Overnight in Diyarbakir. (B,L,D)

Day 10- Thursday, May 28
This morning you tour the city of Diyarbakir. Formerly a caravan town, the city is surrounded by an ancient city wall from the 4th century. The city has some wonderful examples of Selcuk architecture. You leave mid-day for the drive to Adiyaman, which will be our base of the next day's excursion. Overnight in Adiyaman. (B,L,D)

Day 11- Friday, May 29
This morning you start the day, very, very early, as you depart for Mt. Nemrut, or Nemrut Dagi, in Turkish. This is truly one of the most spectacular sites in Turkey. You will change to smaller buses at Eski Kahta, as larger buses cannot make the nearly two hour trip to the mountain summit. Take small busses to the summit, a two hour drive to the mountain top. Experience the sunrise among the collosal statues. After spending time at the mountain's top, you will also have the chance to visit other remnants of the Commagene Kingdom during the descent. Continue on to Urfa for the night. Overnight in Urfa. (B,L,D)

Sunrise on Mt. Nemrut

Day 12- Saturday, May 30
Today you will visit Urfa, known in ancient times as Edessa, the birthplace of Job and Abraham. The town's history is said to date back some 3,700 years, at which time it was the capital of the Hurrian kingdom. Within the area of Urfa, known in today's Turkey as Sanliurfa, you will visit the sacred fish pond, the Sanliurfa Bazaar, as well as other sites in the area. From Urfa, you drive to Harran, some forty kilometers away. It is said that Abraham lived in Harran (known as Altinbasak in modern Turkey) while traveling from Ur to Canaan. You will see the interesting architecture with its bee-hive type housing, as well as remnants of a 11th century university and newly created oasis resulting from the GAP irrigation project. Overnight in Urfa. (B,L,D)

Day 13- Sunday, May 31
This morning you depart on an early flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will have a brief tour of the region of Sultanahmet, the historic heart of Istanbul, with the remainder of the afternoon free to explore Istanbul on your own. We regroup early evening at your hotel, followed by your "farewell dinner" in an interesting setting. Overnight in Istanbul (B,D)

Day 14- Monday, June 1
Transfers to the airport and return flight back to the U.S.

Along the Bosphorus in Istanbul