Tour Overview
| Duration | 8 Days / 7 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Turkey — Eastern Anatolia & Mesopotamia |
| Cities | Cappadocia → Gaziantep → Mt. Nemrut → Sanliurfa → Mardin |
| UNESCO Sites | 3 (Nemrut Dagi, Goreme, Diyarbakir Fortress) |
| Tour Type | Private Tour — Off the beaten path, ancient civilizations |
| Best Season | April–June, September–November (summer can be very hot) |
| Price | From US$1,390 per person (4★ hotels, all transfers included) |
Data source: turkeytravel.com — explore Turkey’s least-visited but most fascinating region
Day 1: Arrive Cappadocia
Fly into Kayseri Airport (via Istanbul). Transfer to your cave hotel in Goreme. Evening at leisure to watch the sunset over the fairy chimneys.
Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 2: Cappadocia Highlights
- Optional sunrise balloon ride
- Goreme Open Air Museum — Byzantine cave churches
- Pasabag fairy chimneys, Devrent Valley
- Avanos — pottery making experience
- Kaymakli Underground City — 4 levels of subterranean living
Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 3: Cappadocia to Gaziantep
- Morning scenic drive through the Taurus Mountains to Kahramanmaras (4 hours)
- Kahramanmaras — Home of Turkey’s best ice cream (dondurma). Visit a traditional ice cream shop and watch the stretching ritual with salep (orchid root) and mastic
- Continue to Gaziantep (1.5 hours)
- Evening: Visit Gaziantep’s famous baklava shops — this city produces the world’s finest pistachio baklava
Overnight in Gaziantep.
Day 4: Gaziantep — Culinary Capital of Turkey
- Zeugma Mosaic Museum — The world’s largest mosaic museum, home to the breathtaking “Gypsy Girl” mosaic (2nd century AD) — often called the “Mona Lisa of mosaics.” See 1,700m² of Roman mosaics rescued from the Birecik Dam waters
- Gaziantep Castle — 6,000-year-old hilltop fortress with panoramic city views
- Coppersmith Bazaar (Bakircilar Carsisi) — Watch artisans hammer intricate designs into copper trays and coffee sets
- Emine Gogus Culinary Museum — Learn the secrets of Gaziantep’s UNESCO-recognized cuisine, taste traditional dishes for lunch
- Afternoon: Visit a pistachio orchard — Gaziantep produces 60% of Turkey’s pistachios
Overnight in Gaziantep.
Day 5: Mt. Nemrut — Throne of the Gods
- Drive to Mt. Nemrut National Park (3 hours)
- Mt. Nemrut (Nemrut Dagi) at Sunset — The absolute highlight: Climb to the 2,134m summit of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Here in 62 BC, King Antiochus I of Commagene built a massive tomb-sanctuary flanked by colossal 8-10m stone heads of Greek, Persian, and Armenian gods:
- East Terrace: Giant heads of Apollo, Zeus, Heracles, Tyche, and Antiochus himself
- West Terrace: Matching statues, better preserved with intact torsos
- Watch the sun set behind the statues — one of the most dramatic archaeological experiences on Earth
- Descend and drive to Kahta or Adiyaman for the night
Overnight in Adiyaman/Kahta.
Day 6: Sanliurfa — City of Prophets
- Drive to Sanliurfa (2 hours)
- Gobekli Tepe — The world’s oldest temple complex (9600 BC), 6,000 years older than Stonehenge. See the T-shaped limestone pillars carved with foxes, snakes, scorpions, and vultures — a site that fundamentally changed our understanding of human civilization. Active excavation site with protective canopy
- Balikli Gol (Pool of Sacred Fish) — Legendary site where King Nimrod threw Prophet Abraham into the fire, which God turned into water and the coals into sacred carp
- Sanliurfa Bazaar — One of Turkey’s most authentic eastern bazaars with spice merchants, saddle makers, and carpet sellers
- Sanliurfa Archaeology Museum — World-class collection featuring the oldest known life-size human statue (Urfa Man, 11,000 years old) and Neolithic artifacts from Gobekli Tepe
Overnight in Sanliurfa.
Day 7: Mardin — Stone City on the Hill
- Drive to Mardin (2.5 hours). This impossibly beautiful city cascades down a hillside in honey-colored limestone, overlooking the Mesopotamian plains of Syria
- Mardin Old City Walk:
- Zinciriye Medresesi (1385) — Former Islamic school with a stunning courtyard and the best panoramic view over the Mesopotamian plain
- Deyrulzafaran Monastery (Syriac Orthodox, 5th century) — Still-functioning monastery where 52 Syriac patriarchs are buried. See the 1,500-year-old original sanctuary and the sun worship chamber
- Mardin Museum — Housed in a former Syriac Catholic Patriarchate, excellent archaeological collection
- Kirklar Kilisesi (Church of the Forty Martyrs) — 4th century Syriac Orthodox church
- Wander the labyrinthine stone alleys, browse artisan shops (Mardin silver filigree, almond candy)
- Sunset dinner at a terrace restaurant watching the lights of Syria flicker in the distance across the plain
Overnight in Mardin.
Day 8: Mardin to Istanbul & Departure
- Morning: Visit Midyat (1 hour from Mardin) — “City of Silver,” famous for its silver filigree work (telkari), a 3,000-year-old craft. Walk through the old town with its elaborate stone-carved Syriac houses and multiple church bell towers
- Transfer to Mardin Airport (MQM), fly to Istanbul for international connection
Eastern Turkey leaves you with memories of colossal stone gods, the birthplace of civilization, and some of the world’s most authentic cuisine — far from the tourist crowds.
What’s Included
- 7 nights (cave hotel + 4★ city hotels + boutique stone hotels)
- Professional English-speaking guide throughout
- Private A/C vehicle for all transfers and drives
- 7 breakfasts + 5 lunches
- All entrance fees (Goreme, Zeugma Museum, Nemrut, Gobekli Tepe, Deyrulzafaran)
Important Notes
- Eastern Turkey is safe for tourism and extremely welcoming — this region sees far fewer tourists than the west coast
- Modest dress recommended for mosque and religious site visits
- Gobekli Tepe opening hours may vary due to active excavation work
- Nemrut Dagi summit involves a 600m uphill walk on a gravel path — moderate fitness required
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