| ITINERARY - 2010 - 5NIGHTS/6DAYS
Day 1. Arrival at Diyarbakir
airport where you will be met by your private guide and driver. Visit
Diyarbakir famous for its fortress and walls believed to be built by the
Hurrians. The walls are the second most extensive walls in the world after
the great Wall of China. One can trace back twelve different civilizations
from inscriptions on these massive constructions. If you wish you can visit
the ruins of the Armenian church and or the orthodox Christian church of the
Chaldeans mentioned in the bible. Continue on to Hasankeyf where you can
have lunch in a cave restaurant on the banks of the river Tigris. Visit
Hasankeyf castle, then depart on to Midyat, where you will have a chance to
see the typical Syrian houses. Travel through the green Mesopotamian
landscape to the Monastery of Mor Gabriel,
the oldest still functioning Christian monastery in the world founded in 397
AD. Visit the cloister and the church, where you can view original
manuscripts written in ancient Aramaic language. Continue on to Mardin.
Dinner and overnight in Mardin in a typical hotel with local charm.
Day 2. After breakfast walking tour on the old brick
roads of Mardin, then visit to the
Deyrul Zafaran Syrian Ortodox Monastery. Departure to Sanliurfa. En
route stop at the cave that according to legend gave shelter to biblical
Job. Visit his grave in Eyyup Nebi, the venerable Prophets Village
hosting the tombs of Job, his wife Rahime and the Prophet Elyasa. Continue
on to Sogmatar a renowned center of a Babylonian and Assyrian cult in which
the Moon, the Sun and the planets were considered sacred. The seven ruined
constructions situated above the hills to the west and northwest of the
Sacred Hill are temples representing the planets. The order followed in the
construction of these temples is matched with the position of the planets in
ancient times.
Travel to the biblical city of
Harran renowned for its conic domed houses, medieval castle and an
ancient university. In the famous "Harran School" Sabian, Christian and
Moslim scholars could carry on their studies freely and translate the
ancient Greek scripts to Syriac and Aramaic. Among these famous scholars are
Cabir Bin Hayyam who is considered the father of the atomic theory (722-776
AD) and Battani who calculated the correct distance from the Earth to the
Moon (850-926 AD). Dinner and overnight in Sanliurfa.
Day 3. Tour of Sanliurfa the biblical Ur of the Chaldeans located between the Euprathes
and the Tigris rivers, a city that has been inhabited since the dawn of
human kind. It is believed that Abraham, the father of prophets was born in
Sanliurfa, whose
citadel was the scene of his struggle with King Nimrud and whose lake was
created from the flames in which Abraham was supposed to burn. Abraham is
claimed by three world religions as a recognized prophet of the Jews,
Christians and Muslims. Visit the cave where he was born and the lake with
the sacred fish pool, as well as the fortress that overlooks these holly
sites. Continue on to the Ataturk Dam located 20 kms from Sanliurfa.
Departure for Mount Nemrut via Adiyaman, once important center of the
Kommagane kingdom. Continue up to
Mount
Nemrut, the fabulous archeological site, located 2150 meters
high, a surviving testament to the magnificence of the Kommagane kings. Walk
up to the famous tumulus (burial mound) and hierothesion of King Antiochus
I. of Kommangane who ruled from 69 to 36 BC, heroically resisting the
annexation of his kingdom by the mighty Roman Empire. This mausoleum has a
very distinguished feature; sun rises and sets from the foot level of the
gigantic sculptures. Walk around the well-preserved colossal statues of the
Greek-Persian cult established by the Kommagane rulers. The heads of the
deities have toppled over onto the ground in the intervening centuries.
Their finely sculpted facial features are striking examples of the idealized
late Hellenistic style fused into harmony by Persian elements. The highlight
of your tour
is to watch sunset with champagne glass in your hands from the summit where
the gods reside. Overnight at Kahta.
Day 4. After breakfast visit the Karakus Tumulus of the
Kommagane royal ladies, Cendere Roman Bridge, Yeni Kale Kommagane fortress
with the Nymph river and Arsemia on the Euphrates, the antique sacred
settlement. The rest of our journey will take us on the ancient Silk Road to
Rumkale, the ancient castle city of Hromgla surrounded by an artificial lake
that was created by
the construction of the dam. With its strategic position overlooking the
passages of the Euphrates, Rumkale has been inhabited since Assyrian times.
It is considered a sacred place of Christianity where St. John the Apostle
copied the drafts of the New Testament and hid them among the castle walls.
Visit the church of the great Saint Nerses the Graceful, who served the
Armenian people as Patriarch from his headquarters in Hromcla in the 12th
century. "He was a great man of God, with strong faith and deep love. Saint
Nerses had a special gift for reconciling and peace making between different
peoples. It is his moral presence, and also the place where his remains were
committed, which make this site holy and special for pilgrims," The ancient
ruins will shiver you with their awesome look. You will share the feelings
that St. John felt in his room at the end of a secret corridor that can be
reached through the spiral well. Overnight in
Gaziantep .
>
Day 5. After breakfast tour of
Gaziantep including a visit to the local museum with its
beautiful Roman mosaics excavated from Zeugma Antique Site.In the historical
Tepebasi district, fine examples of mid-nineteenth-century southeastern
Anatolian Architecture may seem an incongruous feature of this once-wealthy
trading center in southeastern Turkey, but are only one of many elements in
a well-preserved example of cultural and religious integration in the late
Ottoman Empire. The missionary hospital and school constructed at the
request of Tepebasi's merchants still stand alongside a collection of
synagogues, Mosques, and Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches
in the historical district of Gaziantep. At the center of the district is
the Millet Hanı, the largest and grandest of the city's hans, or travel
lodges, featuring kitchens, animal stalls, and guestrooms that welcomed both
wealthy merchants and refugees. During World War I, Tepebasi was a
destination for Armenian refugees, whose craftsmanship is still visible in
intricate Ironwork, carved stone arches and columns, basalt ornamentation,
and colorfully tiled courtyard fountains. Sightseeing tour and free time for
shopping in the Copper and Mother of Pearl Workshop Bazaar. Dinner at a
traditional restaurant ( extra cost). A large , rich ,delicious varity of
kebaps and deserts will be served. Overnight at
Gaziantep.
Day 6. After breakfast transfer to the airport. End of
services.
PRICE INCLUDES
* Transportation by air-conditioned private car/bus.
* Snack service on the bus/car.
* All the entrance fees to the historical sites and museums.
* 5 nights of accommodation in 4 and 5 star hotels
* Daily breakfast
* Boat trip around Hromgla.
* Services of a private guide and driver
* Taxes and service charges
Not included in the price: VAT 18 % , Gaziantep or Diyarbakir
domestic flights, lunches and dinners and drinks with the meals, porterage,
tips and personal items
| Prices in Euro
($ rate varies depending the exchange) per person based
on the number of people in your party based on double occupancy (single
supplement on request) |
1- 2 |
3 |
4-6 |
7- 15 |
16- 30 |
31-46 |
| 1563 |
1219 |
838 |
738 |
613 |
575 |
|
