Archealogical Tours

Nurdan’s United Travel Services DMC ( UTS ) - Turkey “In Style”

This tour is a vivid demonstration of the immense variety of monuments, cultures and landscapes Turkey has to offer. During its course you will be dazzled by the Byzantine splendors of Trabzon, the churches of Ani, the vast expanse of Lake Van, the Islamic glories of Mardin and Hasankeyf and the beehive villages of Harran. The tour ends amid the extraordinary, lunar rock-formations and underground cities of Cappadocia.

*ARRIVE ISTANBUL: You will be greeted at the airport and escorted to your hotel for cocktails and a tour briefing from your guide.

*ISTANBUL: Full day tour including the Church of St. Saviour in Chora (famous for its frescoes and mosaics), the Spice Market, the Archeological Museum and the Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent.

*ISTANBUL: Our second full day begins with a visit to Dolmabahçe Palace and its Harem, followed by a cruise along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon we visit the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Islamic Art Museum.

*ISTANBUL - TRABZON: Touring includes the majestic Church of St. Sophia, renowned for its frescoes, and the remarkable Monastery of Sümela, which clings to a cliff-face high in the mountains. Dinner at the hotel.

*TRABZON - ERZURUM: Drive through the dramatic Pontic Alps to Erzurum, the highest town in Turkey, and a treasure house of medieval, Turkish architecture. Sights include the soaring Medrese of the Twin Minarets, thought to have been built by a Seljuk princess in the 13th century, the vast 12th century Great Mosque and the 14th century Yakutiye Medrese, with its astonishingly ornate portal.

*ERZURUM - KARS: From Kars we set out to explore the ruins of Ani, a medieval Armenian capital. The site is one of the most evocative in Turkey, including churches, palaces and mosques built between the 10th - 13th centuries.

*KARS - VAN: To Dogu Beyazıt to visit the exotic, 17th century Ishak Pasha Palace. We pass within sight of Mount Ararat (nearly 17,000 feet high) and stop off at the famous Rock of Van before arriving in Van itself, and checking into your hotel.

*VAN: In the morning we visit the island Church of Akdamar. Built in the 10th century by King Gagik of Vaspurakan, it is justly famous for its sculpture and frescoes. In the afternoon we take in the Urartian citadel of Çavustepe, the castle of Hosap and the cemetery of Ahlat.

*VAN - DIYARBAKIR: Drive to Diyarbakır. Explore the magnificent, medieval city walls and the Great Mosque.

*DIYARBAKIR: We drive east to the Tigris River to explore the picturesque ruins of medieval Hasankeyf, capital of the Artukid princes, then on to Mardin, one of Turkey’s most atmospheric and architecturally distinguished towns. Our last stop before returning to Diyarbakır will be the ancient but still functioning Syrian orthodox monastery of Darulzafeyran.

*DIYARBAKIR - ADIYAMAN: Morning departure for Adıyaman, stopping off en route to visit the gigantic funerary monument of Nemrut Dag, the Karakus Tumulus and the Cendere Bridge. Dinner at the hotel.

*ADIYAMAN - URFA: Morning departure for Urfa (the former Edessa) visiting Harran en route. Harran is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited sites. The medieval ruins are impressive, but the site is most famous for its beehive villages. Urfa also has ancient origins, and was once a great centre of learning and religious ferment. Sights include the Cave of Abraham and a sacred pool. Dinner at the hotel.

*URFA - GAZIANTEP: Drive to Halfeti village for a Euphrates boat trip, then to the Hellenistic and Roman city of Zeugma, where spectacular mosaics were recently unearthed.

*GAZIANTEP - ANTIOCH: Drive to the Hittite Open Air Museum of Yesemek, then on to Antioch, where we will visit the Church of St. Peter and the Mosaic Museum. Dinner at the hotel.

*ANTIOCH - MERSIN: Depart for the pleasant seaside town of Mersin, stopping off at Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Sights in Tarsus include the Roman arch known as Cleopatra’s Gate, and St. Paul’s Well in the heart of the city’s charming old quarter. Dinner at the hotel.

*MERSIN - CAPPADOCIA: Morning departure for Cappadocia, stopping off at the cave-monastery of Eski Gümüslük and Nigde, which has some splendid, pre-Ottoman, Turkish architecture. Once in Cappadocia, we’ll visit the villages of Çavusin, Pasabag and Avcılar, and the natural citadel of Uçhisar. Dinner at a “cave hotel”.

*CAPPADOCIA: A full day of sightseeing including the Göreme Open Air Museum, kilim workshops, the Red Valley, Avanos village, and the underground city of Özkonak.

*CAPPADOCIA - ANKARA: We drive to Ankara, arriving in time to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and the Atatürk Mausoleum. Farewell dinner at the hotel.

*DEPART ANKARA AIRPORT