MESOPOTAMIA highlights of southeast Turkey ✈️

Departure from Antalya airport with an early morning flight with SunExpress to Diyarbakır. You will be welcomed by your English-speaking guide and your driver. Transfer to the city center of Diyarbakır.

Diyarbakır: Full of soul, character, history and culture.

Located on trade routes throughout history and founded on fertile lands, Diyarbakır, also known in ancient times as Amida and Amed, has always been a magnet for civilizations.

Throughout its 12,500 years of history, the city was home to settlers from the Stone Age to the Neolithic, which can be seen in the Amina Tumulus also located in İçkale.

Diyarbakır is known for its 5.5 km long thick fortress around the old town.

You will start with a traditional breakfast in a typical old Diyarbakır house (extra) before visiting the city.

After breakfast:

The four-legged minaret: The four-legged minaret of Sheikh Mutahhar Mosque, built by Akkoyunlu Kasım Han, is one of the interesting monuments built on four monolithic columns. The mosque was given this name because it was built on the land where Sheikh Mutahhar’s grave is located. The inscription on the minaret states that the mosque was built in 1500 during the time of the Akkoyunlu Sultan Kasım Bey. It is the only example of Anatolian mosques with its square architecture on capitals with 4 simple columns.

St. Giragos Armenian church: is a 16th century Armenian apostolic church in Diyarbakır. It is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East. The church was confiscated by the Turkish government in 2016. The church was re-opened to the public on May 7, 2022, after renovations.

The Grand Mosque: Seljuq Sultan Malik-Shah transformed the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir as a means of bringing the prestige and glory of Damascus, the capital of Syria, to Diyarbakir in southern Turkey. The design influenced by the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, made use of the locally found black basalt stone. The city of Diyarbakir underwent numerous occupations by various conquering empires due to its prime geographical location and proximity to both neighboring allies and enemies of many of its conquerors.

Hasan Paşa han: It was built in 1573 by Vezirzade Hasan Pasha, one of the governors of the Ottoman period. The courtyard was built in two floors. There is a fountain with columns and a dome in the center of the courtyard.

The Ten Arches Bridge: The beautiful bridge, known by four different names as Ten Eyes Bridge, Tigris Bridge, Silvan Bridge and Mervani Bridge, is located 3 km west of the Mardin Gate. In some sources about the history of the bridge it is known that it was built in the 6th century during the reign of Anastasias I. The bridge was destroyed over time by the troops besieging the city and was later repaired.

The city walls of Diyarbakir: The 5,700 meter long city walls of Diyarbakir are 10-12 meters high in some places. It is remarkable with its 3-5 meter bastions, 82 bastions and the main gates opening in 4 directions. The beautiful reliefs on the bastions can be seen almost everywhere. The walls of Diyarbakir, one of the rarest castles in the world and considered the longest city wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, bear witness to a long history.

In  the afternoon you will leave Diyarbakır into the direction of Mardin. On your way you will visit:

Zerzevan castle: The castle was an Eastern Roman military base and a strategic garrison settlement, dominating the entire valley and controlling the ancient road between Amida (now Diyarbakır) and Dara (now Mardin). The castle played a key role due to its location on the easternmost border protecting the Roman Empire.

Hotel in Mardin

Mardin: A visit to a mystical realm. Mardin is the jewel of Turkey’s southeastern region, a wonderland of traditional stone houses steeped in countless cultural and historical gems.

During the time of the Roman Empire it was known as Marida (Merida). This name can be translated as “fortress” from the Neo-Aramaic language. Over time, the name Marida changed to Mardin. The castle you can see today was built on the hill near the Hamdanis in 975-976.

After your breakfast in the hotel, you will explore the highlights of Mardin outside the city before you will discover the city itself.

Deyrulzafaran Monastery: As one of the most easily visited monasteries, it is a silent witness to Anatolia’s ancient Christian past. Deyrulzafaran was founded in the 5th century but has been endlessly expanded and renovated over the years. The original site is said to be a pre-Christian Assyrian Sun Temple, testifying to the ancient Syrian presence in the region.

Dara: a small settlement at the beginning of the 6th century AD, was chosen as the garrison city by the Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius (491-518) and his construction activities were carried out in the city in the years 503-507.

Returning to the old city of Mardin:

Kasimiye medresse: The Kasimiye Madrasah is a remarkable structure that has stood the test of time. It was founded during the Artuklu period and completed under the reign of Akkoyunlu ruler Cihangiroğlu Kasım (1457-1502). The madrasah is a two-story, domed building with one courtyard, made of smooth-hewn stone. Its construction was initially financed by İsa Bey of the Artuqid dynasty, but was completed by Kasım, one of the sons of Akkoyunlu Sultan Mu’izz-al-Din, after the city fell to the Akkoyunlu Turks.

Kırklar kilisesi: “Forty” Church – named after the forty martyrs of Sebaste). The church was originally built in the name of the Syrian saint Mor Behnam and his sister Saro. The church is accessed through a large courtyard with a bell tower. Inside the church, admire designs unique to Middle Eastern Christianity in the form of carved stone arches, columns, striking images of holy figures, narrow windows and hand-painted curtains that close the altar.

City walk: Walk through the narrow, cobbled alleys and streets of old Mardin with the occasional gazabo “covering the streets to protect the sun”. The stone houses reflect the characteristics of Mardin’s geography. The limestone used in the construction, which is ideal as a heat insulator and a material that can be cut to form their unique style, is locally sourced. The houses are all located a short distance away, but without affecting each other’s light.

Hotel in Mardin

After enjoyed your breakfast in the hotel, you will have a few hours freetime in the enchanting city of Mardin. 

Leisure: The large historic shopping street that runs the entire length of old Mardin offers cozy traditional shops, cafes, terraces and tea gardens with views over the Mesopotamian plateaus.

After lunch you will leave this unforgettable city and you will go into the direction of “The City of Prophetes” or better known as Urfa or Şanlıurfa.

On your way you will visit one of the most important archeological discoveries of the century. Tne archeological site Karahantepe.

Karahantepe: has a history of 12 thousand years. Karahantepe, which sheds light on human history and is thought to be the oldest ritualistic area discovered so far, is one of the most important settlements of the Neolithic period.

Hotel in Urfa

Şanlı Urfa: Also called “the city of the prophets”. Sanliurfa is an ancient Mesopotamian Silk Road city, richly littered with multicultural tradition and history. It has important religious pilgrimage sites, a vibrant food culture and a historic bazaar district resonating with Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish.

The city is also a rewriting of civilizations. Among the Arameans it was called Urhai; Edessa under Alexander the Great, the Romans, Byzantines and Arabs; and then renamed Urfa by the Ottomans in 1607. The honorary title Sanli, meaning ‘glorious’ in Turkish, was awarded in 1984 for its exploits in the Turkish War of Independence, but locals still call it Urfa.

After enjoying your breakfast in the hotel you will visit one of the holiest places in Turkey.

Balıklıgöl or Fish Lake: Şanlıurfa, one of Türkiye’s most mystical cities and a major center for religious tourism, is commonly associated with the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham. Even though this information is not historically proven, millions of people place certain places in Şanlıurfa in the narrative of the Prophet Abraham’s life and visit them as holy sites. Şanlıurfa, with its lakes Ayn-ı Zeliha and Halilulrahman, commonly known as Balıklıgöl, located southwest of the city center, stands out among the places associated with the life of Prophet Abraham and considered sacred. Many places, including the cave, which is considered the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, are associated with this story and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Urfa Bazars: Dive into Urfa’s bazaar alleys to find stalls selling everything from sheepskins and pigeons to jeans and handmade shoes. It was largely built by Süleyman the Magnificent in the mid-16th century. One of the most interesting areas is the bedesten with its shops selling silk goods, including colourful local scarves, under a vaulted ceiling. 

Just outside Urfa:

Göbeklitepe: an intriguing part of human history that peers through the Ice Age.

In 1994, Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute, who had previously worked at Nevalı Çori, was looking for another site to excavate. He looked at the archaeological literature on the area, found the Chicago researchers’ brief description of Gobekli Tepe in 1963, and decided to re-examine the site. After finding similar structures at Nevalı Çori, he recognized the possibility that the rocks and slabs were prehistoric. The following year he started digging there in collaboration with the Şanlıurfa Museum, and soon unearthed the first of the huge T-shaped pillars. This was just the beginning of one of the greatest historical mysteries.

After visiting this archeological marvel you will go into the direction of Gaziantep, the city of culinary cuisine and sweets.

On your way you will visit

Zeugma historic site: Founded approximately in 300 BC by the generals under Alexander the Great, Zeugma is situated in the Nizip town of Gaziantep. The famous mosaics of this ancient city are exhibited in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. On the Silk Road that connects China and Antioch, Zeugma is the trading center of the region.

Hotel in Gaziantep

Gaziantep:

Gaziantep is located between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea, at the crossroads of countries and cultures. It has had a strategic location on both the Silk and Spice Routes for millennia. Archaeological excavations date the city’s origins to the fourth millennium BC.

Sightseeing:

Zeugma mosaic museum: The largest mosaic museum in the world where you feel like you are walking among the villas that were once in the ancient city of Zeugma.

The Gaziantep Castle: Unfortunately heavily damaged by the last earthquake in 2023. You can stil recognize the grandeur of the castle as it rose on a hill above the city.

The old bazars of Gaziantep: discovery walking tour through the colourful bazars of Gaziantep and tasting the sweets like Baklava or Katmer and tasting a Turkish coffee based on pistachio nuts.

Gaziantep’s Old City is a UNESCO gastronomy hub, famed for its baklava and vibrant copper bazaar, offering a rich cultural and culinary journey.

Time for your transfer to the airport for your flight to Antalya. We from ETD-Travel wish you a safe flight and a good travel home. See you again.