Türkiye: From Göbekli Tepe to Mount Nemrut & the Tigris River

Tuesday, October 7, 2025: Depart home
Depart home on flights to Çukurova International Airport (COV) in
southern Türkiye.

Wednesday, October 8: Tarsus, Türkiye | Transfer to Adana
Upon arrival at Çukurova International Airport near Tarsus, you will be met and transferred to our hotel in Adana. The remainder of the day is at leisure in Adana, the seventh largest city in Türkiye and the oldest city in the Cilicia region, which dates back 8,000 years. Two nights at the 5-star Adana Hilton SA.

Thursday, October 9: Tarsus | Adana: Clock Tower, Archaeological Museum | Welcome dinner
After breakfast we drive to nearby Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul (born Saul), called “Paul of Tarsus” in the Bible. Despite perhaps this best-known association, American archaeologist Hetty Goldman excavated on the edge of the modern town before and after WWII, and unearthed evidence that settlements have existed there on and off from the Neolithic to Islamic eras. Our visit to Tarsus will include the St. Paul Monument Museum (The Church of St. Paul), which was originally built in the 11^th or 12^th century A.D. and houses beautiful frescoes. After lunch in Tarsus we drive back to Adana where we see its famous, late 19^th-century Clock Tower, and then visit the Adana Museum, dedicated to archaeological finds from throughout the region. We return to our hotel and gather this evening for welcome cocktails and dinner. (B,L,R,D)

Friday, October 10: Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | Antakya
This morning we set out for Antakya, stopping along the way at Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park, Türkiye’s first open-air museum, situated in the Taurus Mountains on the banks of the Ceyhan River. The Park has well-preserved Hittite ruins and statues dating from the 8^th century B.C. After lunch we continue on to Antakya, where we check-in to our unique hotel, which is built on top of the largest floor mosaic ever found in the world. Two nights at the 5-star Museum Hotel Antakya. (B,L,D)

Saturday, October 11: Antakya: City tour, Hatay Archaeology Museum, Church of St. Peter
Today we explore the city of Antakya, which was once known as the ancient city of Antioch. The modern city is filled with a mix of Sunni and Alevi Muslims as well as Orthodox Christians, and its alleyways are lined with old stone buildings and charming arches. We explore the Hatay Archaeology Museum (pending reopening), renowned for its extensive collection of Roman and Byzantine mosaics that date to the 1^st century A.D. and are displayed along the expansive grounds and lofty walls of the entire museum. Also visit the Church of St. Peter (known as St. Peter’s Cave Church), carved into the side of Mount Starius. It is one of Christianity’s oldest churches and is now a museum. The balance of the day and dinner are at leisure. (B,L)

Sunday, October 12: Yesemek | Tilmen Höyük | Gaziantep
En route to Gaziantep we will stop at Yesemek Quarry and Sculpture Workshop, established during the Hittite Empire, in the 14^th century B.C. It is the largest known stonemasonry workshop in the ancient Near East, having produced various types of sculptures that adorned the gates of Hittite cities, palaces, and temples, including sphinxes with female heads and lions’ bodies and lions, some of which were winged. Next, we stop at the mound of Tilmen Höyük, initially settled during the 4^th millennium B.C. It was an important fortified city and trading center, where a massive royal palace dating to around 1800 B.C. has been excavated. We continue to Gaziantep, whose cuisine is famous across Türkiye, especially its pistachio baklava. We check-in to our hotel and then gather for dinner. Two nights at the 5-star Divan Hotel. (B,L,D)

Monday, October 13: Gaziantep: Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Gaziantep Castle
Today we visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, the world’s largest mosaic museum, with exquisite Hellenistic Greek and Roman mosaics that were unearthed from Zeugma, said to have been founded by a Macedonian Greek general in the army of Alexander the Great. After lunch we will explore Gaziantep’s old city, which is centered around Gaziantep Castle. The castle has origins dating back to the Hittite period and was expanded over centuries by Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. We will stroll through the old bazaars and listen to the craftsmen hammering their copperware. Return to our hotel to freshen up and then gather for dinner. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, October 14: Kahta | Mount Nemrut National Park | Adiyaman
After breakfast we will drive three hours to the town of Kahta, near Mount Nemrut National Park. After lunch we will be wandering in the land of King Nimrod, Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, and the Commagene Empire is world-famous thanks to the statues and the grave of King Nimrod at the top of Mount Nemrut National Park, 7,381 feet above sea level. First, we visit the mound of Karaus, “blackbird” in Turkish, where the family of Antiochus I Theos was buried. Our next stop will be the Severan Bridge, built in the 2^nd century and recently used for transportation by the local Turkish and Kurdish community. We will ascend Mount Nemrut by mini van to visit Antiochus I Theos’ burial sanctuary, with statues over 19 feet tall. We will enjoy the sunset and then return to the car park for a well-deserved cup of hot tea before returning to our hotel and gathering for dinner. Overnight at the 4-star Ramada by Wyndham Adiyaman. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, October 15: Göbekli Tepe | Şanlıurfa
In the morning, we set out for Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to approximately 9500-8000 B.C. It is situated on a limestone plateau in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. The site is characterized by large circular structures containing massive, T-shaped, limestone pillars, some of which are up to 16 feet tall and weigh up to 50 tons. These pillars are often decorated with intricate carvings of animals, anthropomorphic figures, and abstract symbols. Göbekli Tepe would have required significant organization and labor, especially considering it was built by hunter-gatherers who had not yet developed agriculture or domesticated animals. Originally interpreted as a sanctuary or ritual site, recent excavations suggest Göbekli Tepe may have been a settlement. Its discovery has led to a reevaluation of the timeline of human history and the relationship between ritual, religion, and the development of settled societies. Continue on to Şanlıurfa, where we check-in to our hotel and gather for dinner. Two nights at the 5-star Double Tree by Hilton Şanlıurfa. (B,L,D)

Thursday, October 16: Karahan Tepe | Şanlıurfa: Archaeological Museum, Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum
Like Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe is another prehistoric site that suggests that complex societies and monumental architecture existed before the advent of agriculture. It contains at least 266 T-shaped pillars similar to those found at Göbekli Tepe, many featuring animals and anthropomorphic figures. What we will see at this site refers to a timeline that is 5,000 years older than Stonehenge and 7,000 years older than the Pyramids at Giza. We will also visit the Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum and the Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum. The latter is a domed structure that protects mosaics from a Roman villa complex that were discovered during the 2006 construction of an urban renewal project. The balance of the day and dinner are at leisure. (B,L)

Friday, October 17: Harran | Mardin
Depart Şanlıurfa this morning and visit Harran, famous for its beehive-style mud houses. It is difficult to believe that this deserted place on the edge of the Syrian Desert was once a major economic, religious, and learning capital. Continue on to Mardin, a city built upon a craggy rock, facing south over the Syrian Desert. It is an important Syrian Christian center with lovely, Syrian-influenced architecture. We will see the citadel and a number of Islamic masterpieces of the 14^th and 15^th centuries. Two nights at the 5-star Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Mardin. (B,L,D)

Saturday, October 18: Dara | Midyat: Mor Gabriel Monastery, local bazaars | Mardin
One of the most important trade centers of ancient Mesopotamia, the ruins of the ancient city of Dara feature ancient rock tombs dating back to the 5^th century A.D. that have been compared to the famed city of Ephesus in western Türkiye. An important settlement along the famed Silk Road, Dara served as the last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire in southeastern Anatolia. Next we visit the city of Midyat and the Assyrians’ biggest Syriac Orthodox monastery. Founded in A.D. 397, Mor Gabriel Monastery is the world’s oldest surviving Syriac Orthodox monastery and the seat of the Metropolitan Bishop of Tur Abdin (Mardin). We return to the center of Midyat, where we will stroll through the bazaars and see silver craftsmen create their world-famous filigree. Return to our hotel in Mardin, where dinner and the evening are at leisure. (B,L)

Sunday, October 19: Diyarbakır: City walls, Diyarbakır Castle, Grand Mosque, Church of the Virgin Mary
Set out this morning on a drive to Diyarbakır, one of the largest cities in southeastern Türkiye, situated on the right bank of the Tigris River. We will first stop at Diyarbakır’s city walls, the second-longest city walls on Earth after the Great Wall of China. Diyarbakır’s Castle houses a museum of archaeology and ethnography, a medieval church, and a café with breathtaking views of the Tigris basin. After exploring the inner castle, we will enter the old city to visit the Grand Mosque, which was built in 1091. It is among Türkiye’s largest mosques and can accommodate 5,000 worshippers. We will also visit one of Diyarbakır’s old houses, built in a square plan with a garden in the center, using the basalt stone of nearby Karaca Dag, a volcanic mountain. We will stroll Diyarbakır’s narrow streets to reach a caravanserai, used as a social center in the middle of the old city, and see an interesting minaret standing in the center of the street that is built on top of four columns. A short walk will take us to the Church of the Virgin Mary, which belongs to the small Assyrian minority of the city. We check-in to our hotel and then gather for dinner this evening. Two nights at the 4-star Ramada Wyndham Diyarbakır. (B,L,D)

Monday, October 20: Dicle Bridge | Diyarbakır: St. Giragos Armenian Church, Dengbêj Evi | Farewell dinner
This morning we visit the 11^th-century, hard basalt stone, Dicle Bridge—just outside of Diyarbakır—which stretches across the Tigris River connecting the Diyarbakır lowlands with the Hevsel Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Believed to date back 8,000 years, the fertile gardens stretch as far as the eye can see along the banks of the Tigris River. The gardens are an important bird habitat, home to more than 180 species, and they also host otters, foxes, martens, and hedgehogs. We then return to Diyarbakır and visit the 16^th-century St. Giragos Armenian Church. Nearby is Keldani Church, which is still used by a few Christian Syrian families. Our last visit is to Dengbêj Evi (House of Dengbêj), which showcases the Kurdish tradition of Dengbêj (storytelling by song). Kurdish elders gather together in informal groups and take turns singing and chanting. Return to our hotel to freshen up before we gather this evening for a farewell dinner hosted by our lecturer and guide. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, October 21: Fly home
Transfer this morning to Diyarbakır Airport (DIY) for flights homeward. (B)