Explore eastern Anatolia

Itinerary

• DAY 1

  Arrival Van

  Meet at the Van airport with Demavend travels representative and drive to the hotel, located in the city centre. Van is known as "the pearl of the east" because of the beauty of its surrounding landscapes. Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in Van province and environs prove that the history of the city itself goes back as far as 5000 B.C. under the ancient name of Tushpa van was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9^th century B.C. We spend the next two nights in Van at the hotel.

  Transfer time: 15 min.; transfer distance: 10 km (Van airport to the hotel in the city centre)

  ON: in Van at the hotel

  Meals:   - / - / D

• DAY 2

  Hosap castle, ruins of Cavustepe & Van castle (citadel)

  Today we take time to visit some important sights around Van, we start the day with Hosap castle, stands on a steep, rocky terrain, north of the Hosap stream. The history of the castle goes back to time of Urartian, most of the surviving structures were built by a local Kurdish lord named Mahmudi Suleyman in 1643. Fell into decay as a result of natural events, the castle has been renovated and is protected by three separate lines of wall. The castle also has two mosques, three baths, fountains and underground dungeons.

  Via Hosap we continue to Cavustepe. Armenian folklore tells that the fortress was founded in the 3rd millennium BC. It was later used by the Urartian kings as a castle during the 8th century BC and to some extent by the medieval Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. Our last visit takes us to Van castle, constructed by Urartian king Sardur. One of the most remarkable structures around is the rock tomb of Argisti the first, outside which is a long inscription relating the events of his reign. It is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries BC and is the largest example of its kind. It overlooks the ruins of Tushpa, the ancient Urartian capital during the 9^th C, which was centred upon the steep sided bluff where the fortress now sits. We spend the night in Van at the hotel.

  Transfer time: 1 - 2 h; transfer distance: 65 km (Van – Hosap castle & ruins of Cavustepe / one way)

  ON: in Van at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 3

  Van to Tatvan via Akdamar Island & church

  After breakfast we leave Van and drive to Gevas town where we take a ferryboat to visit Akdamar island, a small island in lake Van which is home to a 10^th century Armenian church, known as the cathedral church of the holy cross and were the seat of an Armenian Catholics from 1116 to 1895. The unique importance of the cathedral church of the holy cross comes from the extensive array of bas-relief carving of mostly biblical scenes that adorn its external walls. After visiting Akdamar Island we continue to Tatvan where we spend the night.

  Transfer time: 2 h; transfer distance: 140 km (Van – Tatvan via Gevas Akdamar Island)

  Ferryboat transfer: 20 - 25 min. to Akdamar Island / one way

  ON: in Tatvan at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 4

  Tatvan to Nemrut crater Lake & tombs of Ahlat – via Muradiye waterfalls to Dogubeyazit

  Today we drive to Nemrut Crater Lake, a volcano named after king nimrod who is said to have ruled this area in about 2100 BC. The mountain rises from the south-western shore of Lake Van and enters the district of Ahlat to the north. It is 3,050 m high and its elliptic caldera has a diameter of about 7 by 8 km. Mt. Nemrut is the most southern and youngest of the chain of volcanoes in eastern Anatolia. Afterwards we continue to Ahlat; where we take time to visit the cifte kumbet, emir bayindir kumbet and ulu kumbet, famous mausoleums from the Seljuk period, notable for their ornamentation and architecture. The historic Seljuk cemetery has been seriously damaged over the years but is still standing, in spite of all it has been put through. With more than 8,000 gravestones, the cemetery sits on a large piece of land. Efforts are presently being made by local authorities with a view to including the tombstones on UNESCO world heritage list. With its domes, mosques, castle and cemeteries, Ahlat is like an open-air museum. In the late afternoon we continue towards Dogubeyazit, on route we take time to visit Muradiye waterfalls, a paradise of natural beauty. A quite large waterfall, around 10m tall in a small forest area, where a bridge suspends over the river and it gives you a great view. Dogubeyazit is a settlement with a long history southwest of Mount Ararat, the highest summit of Turkey and resting place of Noah’s Ark. The area has had a rich history since it was settled during the times of the first Armenian kingdom of Urartu; later was subsequently conquered by Persians, Romans, Arabs and Byzantines all of whom would have used the plain to rest and recoup during their passages across the mountains. We spend the night in Dogubeyazit at the hotel.

  Transfer time: 4 h; transfer distance: 265 km; (Tatvan – Dogubeyazit via Nemrut & Ahlat)

  ON: in Dogubeyazit at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 5

  Dogubeyazit to Kars via & Ishak pasha palace

  After breakfast we visit Ishak pasha palace, built on a hill at the side of a mountain. It was the last large monumental structure in the Ottoman Empire from the "Lale Devri" period. It is one of the most distinguished and magnificent examples of the 18th century Ottoman architecture and is very valuable in terms of art history. The palace was also an administrative complex from which Ishak pasha dominated the trade along the Silk Road, it was a major stop for caravans crossing the legendary roadway to bring goods all the way from China to Turkey and back again.

  Afterwards we drive to Kars, appears in roman historiography (Strabo) as part of ancient Armenia. Little is known of the early history of Kars beyond the fact that it had its own dynasty of Armenian rulers and was the capital of a region known as Vanand. Depending on arrival time it is possible to visit Kars castle, also known as the citadel, sits at the top of a rocky hill overlooking the city. It is said in ottoman sources that the castle was rebuilt with the help of one hundred thousand soldiers and workers. Also below the castle it is possible to visit an Armenian church of the holy apostles and to see some neo-classical (Baltic) architecture style buildings known as Russian houses, which cannot be seen anywhere else in Turkey. In the decades after Kars was ceded to the Russian empire an entirely new district of European-style buildings was built, these buildings are mostly one or two stories high and built of basalt stone.

  Transfer time: 3 h; transfer distance: 190 km; (Dogubeyazit - Kars)

  ON: in Kars at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 6

  Kars to Erzurum via & capital of Armenian kingdom Ani

  In the morning we visit ancient Ani, the capital of Armenian province in the 9^th century and an important stop on the Silk Road. A thousand years ago the Armenian kingdom covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey and Ani, built on a spectacular site on the eastern border, on a plateau encircled by deep ravines, was its capital. Ani's many churches, palaces and fortifications were amongst the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world at that period. Once with a population of at least 100,000, its wealth and renown was such that it was known as "the city of 1001 churches".

  Afterwards we drive towards Erzurum, known as city of history and because of its geographical location a strategically important town for generations. Once caravan crossroad of the Silk Road, Erzurum today is an economic and cultural centre of East Anatolia. Many ancient structures such as its fortress, mosques, madrasas, tombs and caravanserais are located within the city centre.

  Transfer time: 4 h; transfer distance: 295 km; (Kars - Erzurum via Ani)

  ON: in Erzurum at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 7

  Cifteminareli Medrese & Erzurum castle (citadel)

  In ancient times, Erzurum existed under the Armenian name of Karin and the Erzurum congress of 1919 was one of the starting points of the Turkish war of independence. Today we take time to explore the city centre of this historical town with its most famous sights, visit Cifteminareli Medrese and Erzurum castle. We will have a short walk through the city centre, where we visit historical Rustem pasha caravanserai, also known as Tashan, serves today as Oltu (kind of Jet/lignite) stone bazaar. We visit Erzurum castle (citadel); originally constructed by the emperor Theodosius, stands guard on a hill in the centre of the old town and offers a beautiful view of the entire city. Close to the castle we also take time to visit Twin Minaret Madrasa (school), a famous architectural monument of the late Seljuk period with a colourful history and known as the largest madrasa in Anatolia. We spend the night in Erzurum at the hotel.

  ON: in Erzurum at the hotel

  Meals:   B / L / D

• DAY 8

  Trip concludes at Erzurum airport

  After breakfast; transfer to Erzurum airport where the trip concludes.          

  Transfer time: 20 - 25 min.; transfer distance: 15 km (Hotel in the city centre – Erzurum airport)

  Meals:   B / - / -