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Duration
8 days
Max Group Size
30
Departure Type
Scheduled
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Physical level
easy
Operated In
English, Russian, Spanish
Age Requirement
11 - 99 Ages
Tour Overview
Embark on "The Seven Roses of Mesopotamia" – an 8-day, 7-night journey through the vibrant heart of southeastern Turkey. This immersive tour unveils the unique charm and rich heritage of seven extraordinary cities: Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Sanlıurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır, and Adıyaman. Each destination is like a rare rose, blossoming with history, culture, and a legacy that dates back millennia. From ancient mosaics and sacred sites to bustling bazaars and stunning stone architecture, this tour invites you to experience the true essence of Mesopotamia.
Highlights
Itinerary
(Lunch, and Dinner included)
Upon your arrival at Diyarbakir Airport, meet your guide and start the Diyarbakır day tour.
Diyarbakir city walls. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, these walls are believed to have been built around 2000 BC. The second longest and widest castle in the world after the Great Wall of China stretches approximately 5,600 meters long, 10-12 meters high, and 3-5 meters wide. One of the most captivating structures we will explore is the four-legged minaret. We will also visit the Diyarbakir Great Mosque, which is recognised as one of the five Harem-i Sharifs of Islam. Martom Church was built in 639 AD after being converted into a mosque. It is highly recommended that you see the sundial the scholar Al-Jazari created in the Ulu Mosque garden. Lunch break in a local restaurant, and try the famous grill kebab.
We will take a coffee and tea break at Hasan Pasha Inn, constructed in 1575. Caravans coming from the Silk Road used to stay there. Additionally, we will visit Sülüklü Han and the Bridge with Ten Eyes.
Diyarbakir Kaleici Bazaar is the local people's shopping centre, so you will have the opportunity to get closer to the people and lifestyle of Diyarbakir.
Dinner and accommodation at our Diyarbakir hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
After breakfast, we will drive towards Midyat via Hasankeyf. Since Hasankeyf was submerged under the waters of the Tigris dam, the ancient artefacts were moved to the newly established town. Visit Hasankeyf and arrive in Midyat. There will be a lunch break at a local restaurant.
Midyat is famous for its stone architectural buildings, unique to the region, and its fine handcrafted silver or gold jewellery called Telkari. You can find the finest examples of filigree art crafted by Syriac Filigree masters over hundreds of years, along with various handcrafted silver jewellery. After shopping, take a lunch break at a local restaurant.
We visit the 3500-year-old Ancient Dara, the battle site between Alexander the Great and the Persian King Darius. We also visit cave houses, tombs, churches, and water cisterns built by the Romans.
Deyrul Zafaran Monastery has been the centre of the Patriarchate of the Assyrians for more than 1,000 years. There, we see the 4000-year-old Sun temple (Sin temple), the Hospital, the Church, and the Baptistery.
Mardin is an authentic Mesopotamian city with a rich cultural mosaic. Different religions and languages coexist, and Muslims, Syriacs, Turks, and Arabs live together peacefully and harmoniously. Mardin has beautiful stone architecture and exquisite examples of stonemasonry, ornate buildings, narrow streets, and passages called Abbara, which make it look like a fairy tale world.
Kasımiye Madrasa, Mardin Ulu Mosque (Cami Kebir), Şehidiye Madrasa, and the historic Post Office building. The Abbara crossings, unique to Mardin, are also quite interesting to explore.
During our free time in Mardin, buy extra suitcases for local products, such as natural soaps, Mardin-specific Almond candies, dried fruits, sweets, rosaries, and other handmade accessories and gifts available in the authentic market.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Mardin.
(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
Our tour today is full of magnificent visual feasts. After breakfast, we visit the Deyrul Zafaran Monastery, the centre of the Patriarchate of the Assyrians for more than 1000 years. We see the 4000-year-old Sun temple (Sin temple), the Hospital, the Church, and the Baptistery there. The ceiling of the ordeal room made of large essential rocks will surprise you. Then we move to Nemrut. ( 280 km 4 hours )
Zerzevan Castle: Visit the 3,000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, a candidate for the Unesco World Heritage list, in the Çınar district of Diyarbakır. In Zerzevan Castle, which was used as a "military settlement" during the Roman Empire, there is the Temple of Mithras, the mystery religion of Rome. Mithras is the Sun God who controls the entire universe. Rites in the temple were always held in secret. Thousands of people come here every year and perform rituals secretly.
Arsemeia was the summer capital of the Kingdom of Commagene.
Karakuş Tumulus, where the tombs of the sister and wife of the Commagene King are located, and the Cendere Bridge.
Cendere Bridge was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211). It is one of the oldest bridges in the world and a magnificent monumental example of ancient Roman architecture.
After getting off the vehicles on Mount Nemrut, we reach the summit with a steep climb of approximately 400 meters.
Mount Nemrut is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is said that under the 50-meter-high man-made burial mound on this 2,150-meter summit, there is the tomb of Antiochus I, King of Commagene. Mount Nemrut god statues have Turkey's most iconic, fascinating, and frightening remains. Visitors witness a magnificent sunrise or sunset view.
On the terraces surrounding the Tumulus, built for the Commagene king Antiochus, there are magnificent stone statues of King Antiochus l to celebrate his glory and the glory of the gods. We record this magnificent view by taking extraordinary pictures of the god statues. We are leaving Nemrut's host gods with the impressive view of the setting sun at the horizon where the high mountains and the sky meet.
Dinner and accommodation in Adiyaman
(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
After breakfast, after a short city tour in Adiyaman, if desired, we will visit the ancient Perre, which is 5 km away.
The ancient city of Perre is one of the five largest cities of the Kingdom of Commagene. It is 5 km from the centre of Adıyaman and was a city of both religious and geopolitical importance in ancient and Roman times. Arrival and visit ancient Harran (120 Km –1.5 Hours.
Harran has been inhabited continuously since the 6th millennium BC and was the capital of the Assyrians and Umayyads for a period. Many world-renowned scholars were educated at Harran University, the first university in the world, and the province of Astronomy has advanced a lot.
Visit Harran's conical domed houses and historical places. Upon arrival in Sanliurfa, we have a lunch break at a local restaurant serving local delicacies.
Gobeklitepe is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is the oldest open-air temple in the world, dating from the Neolithic Age, with a history of 12,000 years, which has recently changed humanity's history. On the Göbeklitepe tour, which started a new era in the history of world archaeology, we will watch this temple with amazement and admiration. It was built by humans 12,000 years ago from rocks weighing tons.
In Urfa, we will visit Halil-ür Rahman Mosque, Rızvaniye Mosque, Balıklı Lake, Ayn-el Zeliha Lake, the Cave where Prophet Abraham was born ( Balikli Göl ), which is said to be where the wood burned by the Pharaoh to burn him to death is said to have turned into fish.
We visited the Urfa Archeology Museum, where statues and prehistoric items inherited from civilisations in Anatolia and Mesopotamia have been exhibited for thousands of years. Then, we stopped by Bedesten and Gumrukhan to shop.Accommodation in Sanliurfa
* Sıra Gecesi (Sira Night): A unique program where dinner is eaten with conversation and entertainment accompanied by music specific to the Urfa region.
(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
Sanliurfa is known as the "city of prophets" in Mesopotamia. After breakfast, we will visit the tomb of the prophet Dalyan and then travel to Halfeti. It is 120 km away and takes about 1.5 hours to reach by car.
Halfeti, currently situated in Rumkale, was built in 2000 BC by the Assyrian King III. It was founded by Salmanassar and was called Şitamrat at that time. Due to the Birecik dam, many parts of the city, including the Savaşan village, are submerged underwater. We will take a boat cruise tour around Halfeti Dam Lake, where we will see the Savaşan Village, the Sunken Mosque, and Rumkale, which are mostly submerged and described as a "sunken city." After that, we will visit the ancient city of Zeugma.
Zeugma was founded by Alexander the Great's general, Seleukos Nikator I, in 300 BC. At that time, it was called Selevkeia and Euphrates. It was a city of tremendous wealth and splendour during the Roman and Commagene Kingdom eras. However, in 256 AD, the Sassanid King Shapur I invaded, burned, and destroyed it. The world's richest and most beautiful original mosaics, including the world-famous Gypsy girl mosaic, were found in the ancient city of Zeugma.
Arrive in Gaziantep, which is 100 km away and takes about one hour to reach by car. For lunch, we will taste local dishes at a local restaurant, including Ali Nazik Kebab or other kebabs and Delicious Antep Baklava.
Visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, where we can see the magnificent mosaics unearthed from the Ancient Zeugma City, which was submerged under the waters of the Birecik Dam. The world-famous Gypsy Girl mosaic is also exhibited here. In the archaeology section of the museum, prehistoric fossils and items used by ancient people are displayed.
Gaziantep is the largest and most modern city in the Southeast, and the Gaziantep City tour is hectic and shopping-focused. We will visit the Naib Bath, the Monument to the 14 Martyrs, the replica of the Orkun Inscriptions (with Turkish and Göktürk writings), and the Gaziantep Castle. Then we will take a shopping break at Zincirli Bedesten, Almacı Bazaar, and Bakırcılar Bazaar to buy handicrafts made of mother-of-pearl inlay, wire crushed and copper, spices, pistachios, baklava, and other handicrafts that are known for Gaziantep. Dinner and accommodation in Gaziantep
(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
After having breakfast, we arrived in Hatay following a journey of 210 km, which took us 3 hours. Hatay is a fascinating city with a rich historical past dating back to the 4th millennium BC. It has collected various religious, cultural, and historical documents from different periods and civilisations. Visit the Hatay Mosaic Museum, the second-largest classical and Roman mosaic collection globally, and be amazed by the delightful narration of our guide. However, (please note that the museum is under construction due to the earthquake on 6th February).
We had a lunch break in the local restaurant and enjoyed delicious dishes from Antakya cuisine. Taste Hatay's local dessert, Künefe. Later, we visited the St. Pierre Church.
St. Pierre Church is a natural cave converted into a church with some additions. This is where St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles of the Prophet Jesus, first preached. In this cave, the congregation took the name 'Christian' for the first time, which is why St. Pierre Church is known as the first church of Christianity.
It is worth noting that all of Hatay City, including the Habib-i Neccar Mosque and some churches, was destroyed after the earthquake on February 6th. We then wandered through the original streets of Antakya and shopped at the historical bazaar. Dinner and accommodation in Hatay.
(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)
We will embark on a 200-kilometer, 3.5-hour journey to Adana. Our first stop will be the Iskenderun district, founded by Alexander the Great in 333 BC after he defeated the Persian ruler III and named it Alexandria. Iskenderun is home to one of Turkey's largest ports and an industrial hub producing iron and steel. After a brief city tour, we will visit the Sokollu Mehmet Pasa Complex in Payas.
Adana: Upon arriving in Adana, we will take a lunch break and savour the delicious local kebabs. Afterwards, we will visit the Ulu Mosque, built in Seljuk and Mamluk architectural style in 1541. Next, we will head to the Kazanlar bazaar, where you can purchase local sweets, delights, peas, and sweets. We will also visit the Adana Clock Tower, which is 32 meters high and was built with cut stones in 1882 during the Ottoman period. The clock was brought from Germany and is still operational.
Our tour will continue with a visit to Sabancı Mosque and Saint Paul Church, with its 6 minarets and a capacity of 28,500. We will then go to the Stone Bridge, M.S. built by the Romans in the 4th century. It is still in use today, with a length of 310 meters, a width of 11 meters, 14 large arches, and 5 evacuation belts. Finally, we will conclude our tour with a visit to the Adana Museum and a tea and coffee break overlooking the Seyhan Dam. Dinner and accommodation in Adana.
(Breakfast included)
Free time depends on the flight time. Transfer to Adana Airport and end of our tour. Have a nice flight, hope to see you on another Turkey tour.
Trip includes
Included
1 nights of accommodation Hatay - Artes Hotel
1 nights of accommodation Adana - Adana Divan
1 nights of accommodation Gaziantep - Grand Hotel Gaziantep
1 nights of accommodation Sanliurfa - Nevali Hotel
1 nights of accommodation Mardin Raymar Hote
1 nights of accommodation Diyarbakir - Divan Diyarbakır
1 nights of accommodation Adiyaman - Ramada Adiyaman
Note:Sample
hotels are confirmed on the booking date in case of availability. Otherwise,
similar hotels are booked.
Professional English-speaking guide
Guiding Method
Fully guided
Meals as per itinerary
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Airport transfers as per itinerary
Transportation in a comfortable, air-conditioned, non-smoking
coach
Airport transfers as per itinerary
All tours as per itinerary
Entrance fees to museums and historical sites
VAT & City Tax
Hotel room taxes
Mesopotamia
General Information:
This 8-day journey explores the rich cultural and historical heritage of Mesopotamia, covering major ancient cities and landmarks.
The tour provides an immersive experience of Turkey’s southeastern region, known for its deep-rooted history, diverse architecture, and unique traditions.
Weather & Packing Tips:
Adana & Gaziantep: Expect warm to hot temperatures, especially in summer. Lightweight, breathable clothing is recommended.
Şanlıurfa & Mardin: These regions have a semi-arid climate, with hot summers and mild winters. Sun protection is essential.
Diyarbakır & Adıyaman: Can be hot during the day but cooler in the evenings. Comfortable walking shoes are necessary for sightseeing.
Cultural Insights & Etiquette:
Modest dress is recommended, particularly when visiting mosques and historical sites.
Be mindful of local customs, as some areas are more conservative.
Trying local cuisine is a must—Gaziantep’s baklava, Urfa’s kebabs, and Mardin’s Assyrian wines offer unique culinary experiences.
Transportation & Accommodation:
Private transportation ensures a comfortable travel experience between destinations.
Accommodations range from modern hotels to traditional guesthouses, providing an authentic stay.
Health & Safety:
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in warm climates.
Travel insurance is recommended for peace of mind.
Always carry some cash, as smaller towns may have limited access to ATMs.
This tour promises an unforgettable journey through the heart of ancient Mesopotamia, blending history, culture, and breathtaking landscapes.
Excluded
Domestic flight tickets
Travel Insurance
Personal expenses
Guide & driver tips
Türkiye entry visa
Alcoholic drinks & beverages
Any expenses not mentioned in the inclusions
Availability
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Book the tour by paying only 25% upfront, and settle the remaining amount 30 days before the tour departure.
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