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Duration
4 days
Max Group Size
30
Departure Type
Scheduled
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Physical level
easy
Operated In
Turkish, English
Age Requirement
11 - 99 Ages
Tour Overview
Discover
the ancient heart of Mesopotamia on this 4-day cultural journey from Istanbul
to Eastern Turkey. Explore the majestic statues of Mount Nemrut at sunrise, walk
among the sacred ruins of Göbeklitepe—the world’s oldest known temple, and
immerse yourself in the rich heritage of Diyarbakır and Mardin, cities known
for their multi-layered history, architecture, and cuisine. This unforgettable
adventure combines natural wonders, archaeological treasures, and timeless
cultural experiences, perfect for history enthusiasts and cultural travelers
seeking a deeper connection with Turkey’s roots.
Visited Places
Zeugma Mosaic Museum,
Pool of Prophet Abraham, Sanliurfa Historical Center, Harran Bee-Hive Houses,
Gobeklitepe, Mount Nemrut, Cendere Bridge, Diyarbakir Walls, Great Mosque of
Diyarbakır, Kasimiye Madrasah, Zinciriye Madrasah, Grand Mosque and
Dayrul-Zeferan Monastery.
Attractions
Highlights
Itinerary
(Lunch and Dinner Included)
With an early pick-up from your hotel in Istanbul, we will drive you to
Istanbul Airport for a flight to Gaziantep Airport. When you land, our guide
and driver will be ready to meet you at the exit gate with a sign bearing your
name.
After a short drive, we
will reach world-wide famous Zeugma Mosaic Museum there. The Gaziantep Mosaic
Museum has Turkey's finest fully protected mosaics. The museum has beautiful
mosaics from Zeugma Ancient City. Zeugma is in the Tentative List of UNESCO since
2021. These mosaics are a 2000 years old and unique in design, colour and
perfection. Besides this 1450 m² of mosaics, there are also 140 m² of frescoes,
4 Roman fountains, 20 columns, 4 limestone sculptures, bronze statue of Mars,
grave steles, and sarcophagi.
After lunch, we'll also see the ancient city castle, copper market, and baklava
shop(Baklava originates from Gaziantep). We will then drive about 1,5 hours to
get to Sanliurfa. Overnight accommodation in Sanliurfa..
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included)
After having breakfast at the hotel, we will visit Sanliurfa center. The Old
Testament prophets Jethro, Job, Elijah, and Abraham all lived in this city. The
region was also home to Prophet Moses working as a shepherd for seven years in
the region before returning to Egypt. That's why, the city is known as 'The
City of Prophets'. We will visit the Pool of Prophet Abraham. It is believed
that Prophet Abraham did not follow the religion of Nimrod and therefore he was
thrown into the fire by Nimrod to kill. As Abraham is a follower of God, he was
not killed by the fire. The fire was converted into the water and the firewood
became the carps that you can see in the pool. We will also have a walk through
the streets which have a great harmony of different cultures and ethnic groups.
We will drive to Harran about 1 hour. Harran is where Prophet Abraham lived for
a while. Despite the fact that it is situated in a dry, barren plain, Harran
has managed to stay alive for 5000 years. The commerce from Anatolia to
Mesopotamia and from Mesopotamia back again provided welfare and an immutable
culture for thousands of years through Harran and ensured its survival. Harran
is famous for it's adobe houses (bee-hive houses), castle and the university
building from 08th century. Harran has been on the UNESCO Tentative List since
2000.
After this visit, we will drive about 30 minutes to get to one of UNESCO World
Heritage Sites in Turkey: Gobeklitepe. Gobekli Tepe is the earliest known
evidence of monumental human-made architecture so far. The site has been proved
by the scientists that it is the oldest temple in the world from 11,500 years
ago. The site features a large number of limestone pillars, many decorated with
the stylized image of a T, and archaeoastronomers believe these also served an
astronomically aligned function, as well. After this amazing visit, we will
drive about 2 hours to get to Adiyaman.. Overnight accommodation in Adiyaman.
(Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included)
We will wake-up quite early this morning around 03:30am to climb up to the
summit of Mount Nemrut. We will hike up to summit about 30 minutes after
arriving to the entrance of the national park. We will see one of the best
sunrises in the world along with the statues of gods and kings. Mount Nemrut
has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. We will then drive
down from the mount to see Arsemia Ancient city, Cendere Bridge and Karakus
Tumulus.
The Arsameia Ancient City is on steep cliffs and the structures here are
reached by a pathway used as a ceremonial road. On this path there are relief
stelae, rock-carved monuments, the largest inscription in Turkey, the tunnel
structure, and remnants of architectural sites at its peak. The Cendere Bridge
was built in the first years of the third century after Septimius Severus
defeated Parthians. The Karakus Tumulus is a funerary monument of the Commagene
Royal Family. After these visits, we will get to the hotel for the breakfast.
After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive about 2,5 hours to Diyarbakir to
visit this amazing city. The Diyarbakir Walls are the widest and longest
complete defensive walls in the world, after only the Great Wall of China. We
will also visit The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır which is the oldest and one of
the most significant mosques in Anatolia. The Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel
Gardens were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. After lunch and
entire afternoon in Diyarbakir, we will drive another 1 hour to get to Mardin
where we are going to stay Overnight accommodation in Mardin.
(Breakfast and Lunch Included)
After having a Mesopotamian breakfast at our hotel, we will start discovering
Mardin. Mardin is a very special, multi-etnical city located on a hill in the
Mesopotamia region, overlooking its plains. Since it lies along major trade
routes, ancient civilizations have continually conquered and ruled the town to
make it part of their empire. The city was ruled by the Hurri-Mitani, Hittites,
Surs, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Arabs and the Seljuks respectively. The
Artuklu Kingdom established their Mardin branch and made it flourish during
this time.
We will visit several important historic buildings such as Kasimiye Madrasah,
Zinciriye Madrasah and Grand Mosque. We will also visit Dayrul-Zeferan
Monastery which is still an active Syriac Christian Monastery dating back to
08th century.
After visiting Mardin and having lunch, we will drive to Mardin Airport for the
flight back to Istanbul. After your arrival at the airport, our driver will
meet you at the airport and drive you to your hotel in Istanbul.
Trip includes
Included
1 Night Accommodation in
Sanliurfa - Park Dedeman Hotel or Ramada Adiyaman Hotel
1 Night Accommodation in Adiyaman - El-Ruha Hotel or Hanehan
1 Night Accommodation in Mardin - Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Hotel
PS: If
This hotel list not available at the time of your booking then we will arrange
another similar hotel for your group. If you prefer a Different category hotel,
there might be an additional cost
Professional
English - speaking tour guides
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Meal plan as mentioned in the itinerary



Round-trip flight tickets
Arrival airport transfer from Gaziantep airport
Transportation in a fully air - conditioned, non - smoking coach
Guided
Gaziantep Tour
Guided
Harran – Gobeklitepe Sanliurfa Tour
Guided
Mount Nemrut Tour
Guided
Diyarbakir Tour
Guided
Mardin City Tour
All entrance
fees mentioned in the itinerary
Hotel room taxes
City
Tax
Parking fees
Service Charges and taxes
Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights
Start/End: Starts and ends in Istanbul
Accommodation: 4-star or boutique hotels (upgrades available upon request)
Included: Domestic flights, transfers, accommodation, entrance fees, guided tours, and most meals
Best Time to Visit: April to October for the best weather and visibility at Mount Nemrut
Fitness Level: Moderate – includes some walking on uneven terrain
Group Size: Small group or private options available
Language: Tours available in English, Spanish, and other languages upon request
Excluded
International flight tickets
Domestic flight ticket from Gaziantep to Izmir
Insurance: All types
Tipping
Turkey entry visa
Items of a personal nature such as alcoholic drinks, cold drinks, laundry
Any others expenses which are not mentioned at the included section
Please Note: Domestic flight price for adult travelers is approximately:
80,00 Euros for one way. For the last-minute arrangements, the price might
differ. You will be informed during the ticket arrangements.
Please Note: Domestic flight price for under 2 years old, approximately:
20,00 Euros as an insurance policy.
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