Tour Price:
Per Person Twin-Sharing Euro 1250
Single Room Supplement: Euro 525
Hotels 5* & 4*
Arrival in Antioch by a morning flight. Start exploring the ancient city and the Mosaic Museum. The newly-built modern museum houses a rich collection of wall and floor mosaics remained from the Roman villas of Dahne, summer suburb of the city. After the museum continue visiting St.Peter's cave-church, considered to be the first church of the Christianity.
After a lunch break at one of the local restaurants, take a stroll through the narrow streets of Antioch where the blend of different ethnicisites, religions and cultures co-existed throughout the history until present day.
Late afternoon enjoy a free time exploring the historic Uzun Çarşı, the covered market where a rich variety of food and hand-made articrafts are on sale.
After brakfast, join a Sunday Mass at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Antiocia Patriarchy. Aftrewards start an enxcurison to Samadağ. Enjoy a fascinating scenery of The Eastern Mediterranean region with a rich endemic flora on the way. Stop for a tea - break under the so-called the Moses Tree where his stick had turned out to be a maple tree. Continue driving to Vakıfli village which is one of the rare remaining Armenian Villages in Turkey. Visit the church and stroll the streets where the local ladies sell their handicrafts & home - made jams.
Continue visiting the ancient ruins of Pieria Selucia, Hellenistic capital city of Selucid Kindom, founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the 4th century BC. Visit continues by a walk through the Titus Tunnel which was a built to divert the Orontes river to avoid silting the entrance of the port.
Late afternoon return to Antioch by visiting the ruins of the monastery of St.Simon en route.
Dinner & Overnight Antioch
Check out and drive to Nemrut Mountain. Stop by Birecik Dam to make a short boat ride visiting Halfeti-Rumkale dating back to Byzantine period, now the modern city has been remained under the Dam.
Afternoon a short stop will be made in a sanctuary where the last surviving Bald Ibis birds are under protection. Upon arrival in Kahta visit the ruins of Karakuş Tumulus and the Roman Cendere Bridge, Arsemia of Kommagenes Kingdom.
just before sun set Trek up to Nemrut Summit to see the colossal statues of the Hellenistic and Persian Deities. o/n in Adayaman.
Morning watch the sunrise at the mountain and drive to Urfa, another prophetic city where Abraham was believed by Moslems, that he lived in a cave at the foot of a mound. The ancient city of Ur or El Ruha, later called Edessa during the Hellenistic period was settled various tribes and ethnicities.
Sightseeing in the old city of Edessa includes a visit to the old mosques by the artifical lake where local people believe the holly fish live and cave of Abraham located. Then continue strolling through the old bazaar where a rich local food, herbs and spices as well as articrafts are on sale.
Dinner & Overnight in Urfa.
Morning visit the famous Gobeklitepe paleothic site which was recently discovered by Klaus Schmidt, a German archaeologist who also contiuned the exacavations until his death in 2014. Göbeklitepe is one of the sites alike many of them in the northern Mesopotamia which believed to change the course of the known history until very recently. After visiting Göbeklitepe continue driving to Mardin.
Upon arrival Mardin take a stroll in the old city located on a hill bordering the northern Mesopotamia, the city is listed as a cultural heritage due to its unique architecture and rich Islamic and Assyrian and visit the monumental mosques and theological schools of the Islamic Heritage.o/n Mardin.
Mardin Full day sightseeing including Mor Gabriel, Deyruılzaferan Monasteries of the Assyrian Christian society. Afternoon visit Dara the last city located at the Persian borders of the Roman Empire.
Overnight Mardin
Drive to Diyarbakır via Zerzevan Castle where the excavations still continue and the world's biggest secret Miythra Temple was discovered underground. Upon arrival Diyarbakır continue sightseeing including Sur, the old town within the well-preserved city walls from the early Byzantine period. Diyarbakır is another fine example of a blend of people from Kurdish, to Turkish, Arabic and Armenian ethnicities.
Overnight in Diyarbakır.
Fly out home via Istanbul.
The Museum Hotel Antakya, bir arkeoloji harikasının yeniden doğuşu…
Tarih mirası, yaratıcılığı ve toplum yapısıyla pek çok zenginlik taşıyan bu mekân, geçmişi onurlandırmak ve geleceği kutlamak adına dostlarınızla buluşacağınız bir yer...
