Göbekli Tepe and Southeast Turkey
A Land Tour
Friday 9 April – Saturday 17 April 2027
Provisonal cost: £2,825 per person sharing hotel rooms, £3,075 for single occupancy. Scroll down for price details and itinerary.
No getting around it; even after running tours to this part of the world on numerous occasions, we remain almost improperly excited about the Upper Euphrates Valley and its amazing diversity of ancient sites, in some cases of dizzying degrees of ancientness. These include neolithic Göbekli Tepe, perhaps the most arresting archaeological site anywhere in the world, the astonishing mountain-top tomb at Nemrut Dağı, and Harran, noted not only for its Old Testament associations but as the one-time capital of the Ummayad Empire, earliest of the Islamic dynasties. Then there are our bases at Gaziantep, Urfa, Mardin and Diyarbakir, which between them offer wonderful Islamic and Eastern Christian monuments, magnificent new archaeological museums, fabulous market areas, tremendous food traditions and an exotic character at once Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish.
Site gradings in bold indicate how uneven and/or steep the going will be underfoot; A-C are generally manageable, D may well be an issue for some, and E, should you ever come across the designation, is exclusively for the goats among you.
Day 1/ Fri 9 April 2027: Guests are met at Gaziantep Airport and transferred (30 mins) to the Şirehan Hotel, a converted kervansaray, where dinner awaits. Overnight Gaziantep.
Day 2/ Sat 10 April 2027: We spend the day exploring this fascinating city’s atmospheric mercantile districts, not least its copper bazaar. We also visit the acclaimed Zeugma Museum, with its world-class collection of mosaics rescued from the now-submerged Roman site at nearby Zeugma. Gaziantep’s other great claim is as a foodie centre, not least for its pistachios and baklava. Expect to eat especially well here. Overnight Gaziantep.
Day 3/Sun 11 April 2027: After breakfast we check out and head east (1 hr) to ancient Zeugma (A), semi-submerged by the dammed waters of the Euphrates. We stop for a riverside lunch at Birecik before continuing (1 hr) onto Sayburc (A), the latest of the region’s neolithic sites to open to visitors. At Şanlıurfa, commonly Urfa, we book into the Alahan Hotel. In the late afternoon we visit Urfa’s sacred lake complex. Overnight Urfa.
Day 4/ Mon 12 April 2027: We drive (30 mins) to Göbekli Tepe (A), the World Heritage Neolithic site which has done much to revolutionise humankind’s prehistory. After lunch we head south (60 mins) to ancient Harran (A/B), with its crumbling walls, Umayyad mosque and fortress, and distinctive beehive architecture. Overnight Urfa.
Day 5/ Tues 13 April 2027: After checking out, we visit Urfa’s magnificent archaeological museum before exploring the city’s wonderful atmospheric markets. Then we head east (75 mins) to neolithic Karahan Tepe (A) which we explore before a picnic lunch at the site. We continue east (2 hrs) to Mardin, where we check into the Gazikonagi Hotel. Overnight Mardin.
Day 6/ Weds 14 April 2027: We explore Mardin’s delightful backstreets (B), historic markets and exquisite Artukid-era monuments including the Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque) and the Kasimiye Medrese (theological school). We also visit the Syriac Kirklar Church and the nearby Deyrulzaferan Monastery, seat until recent times of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate. Overnight Mardin.
Day 7/ Thurs 15 April 2026: We drive north (90 mins), stopping off at the 11th-century Ongözlü Bridge, before we reach Diyarbakir, the main city of Turkey’s Kurdish region. Within its spectacular enceinte of black basalt walls the city is a beguiling maze of alleys and backstreets, with a wealth of atmospheric hans (markets) and artisan quarters. We visit the Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque), the Surp (St) Giragos Armenian Church and the Meryem Ana Church. Overnight Dies Hotel, Diyarbakir.
Day 8/ Fri 16 April 2027: After visiting Diyarbakir’s castle and archaeological museum, we head west (1 hr) to neolithic Cayonu (A) before continuing to the Euphrates (1 hr), where we lunch. We check into our mountain hotel (1 hr) before visiting Nemrut Dağı (C), a UNESCO world heritage site since 1987. This is the spectacular first-century BC mountain-top shrine of Antiochus III of Commagene, one of the last-standing kingdoms of Alexander’s fragmented empire before its absorption by the Romans. Overnight Euphrat Nemrut Hotel.
Day 9/ Sat 17 April 2027: After visiting the Roman bridge at Cendere and the Karakuş tumulus, we reach Adiyaman Airport (90 mins) where our tour ends.
For the itinerary on Google Maps click HERE.
Our tours are designed and run by us. We make it our business to be there every time you negotiate a challenge or difficulty, be it city steps or slopes, an ancient site or footpath. But we cannot always be your eyes; it pays to be aware that the ground is often uneven, not to say steep, with no shortage of rocky protuberances, in Turkey. You will need a reasonable level of mobility, balance and fitness. We grade the sites we visit to the best of our ability, but cannot be absolutely sure that all outings and activities will be within the capabilities of all guests. We expect you to follow our advice if we feel that an outing, or an element of an outing, is beyond you. If you are the least uncertain as to your suitability to join a tour, we’d urge you to consult us.
Cost: £2,825 per person sharing hotel rooms, £3,075 for single occupancy. The price includes all accommodation, meals, guiding, entry fees, transportation and airport transfers, tips. It excludes flights, visas and alcohol.
Your holiday is fully bonded and administered by Heritage Group Travel (www.grouptravel.co.uk) in Bath. For a small charge Heritage can also assist with your flights.
The trip will only run with sufficient numbers; early indications of interest are much appreciated.
Enquiries/bookings either to jeremy@somewherewonderful.com or text Jeremy on 07757 703604.