This fast-paced journey crosses the Upper Mesopotamian plain of southeastern Turkey from Mardin in the east to Gaziantep in the west, linking four very different cities in four days. It begins with an arrival flight into Mardin, where honey-coloured stone houses step down a hillside above the plain. A walk through the old town shows the arched abbara passages, carved doorways and the Great Mosque, Latifiye Mosque, the old Post Office building and the Mardin Museum, followed by the Kasimiye Madrasa, a Seljuk-era centre of higher learning. Outside the city you visit Deyrulzafaran Monastery, founded in the 5th century and seat of the Syriac Orthodox patriarchs until 1932, and the rock-cut tombs, cisterns and water channels of Dara, the Byzantine frontier city of Anastasiopolis.
Day two heads north to Zerzevan Castle, a Roman frontier garrison with an underground Mithras temple, and on to Diyarbakir, whose basalt walls are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You see the Four-Legged Minaret, the Great Mosque with the sundial attributed to al-Jazari, the 16th-century Hasan Pasha Inn, Sülüklü Han, the old bazaar and the Ten-Eyed Bridge on the Tigris. In the afternoon you reach Gobeklitepe, the 12,000-year-old megalithic sanctuary near Sanliurfa, and the evening ends with dinner and a traditional sıra night of music. On day three you explore Sanliurfa, the city of prophets, with Balikligol and its sacred carp, the Halil-ür Rahman and Rizvaniye mosques, the cave linked to the birth of Abraham, the old bazaars and the Archaeology and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum.
From Sanliurfa the road continues to Harran with its conical beehive houses, through pistachio orchards to Halfeti, where a boat trip on the dam lake passes the half-submerged mosque and Rumkale, and then to the ruins of Zeugma on the Euphrates. The final morning is spent in Gaziantep at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, home of the celebrated Gypsy Girl mosaic and the statue of Ares, followed by Gaziantep Castle, the Naib Bath, the Monument of the 14 Martyrs and the copper, spice and pistachio stalls of Zincirli Bedesten, AlmacΔ± and Coppersmiths bazaars. Three nights of hotel accommodation in Mardin, Sanliurfa and Gaziantep, the meals listed in the programme, an English-speaking guide, transport, airport transfers and entrance fees are included; domestic flights are not.
| Tour type | Private Β· multi-day tour |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 Days 3 Nights |
| Price | From β¬1,146 per person |
| Departures | Every day |
| Guide | Licensed guide in your language |
| Stops | 11 |
| Entrance fees | Included |
| Booking | Instant request online, confirmation within 24 hours Β· TΓRSAB-licensed operator (A-5751) |
Your full program, day by day β click a day to see every stop.
Arrive on an early flight at Mardin Airport, where your guide meets you at the exit. The walking tour leads through the narrow lanes of the old city, past carved wooden doors, ornate knockers and the vaulted abbara passages that run beneath the houses. Visits include the Great Mosque, Latifiye Mosque, the Mardin Museum and the old Post Office, a fine example of local stonework, with some free time at the market for almond sweets and silver jewellery, then the Seljuk-period Kasimiye Madrasa. In the afternoon you see Deyrulzafaran Monastery, 10 km from the centre, and the rock-carved remains of ancient Dara. Dinner and overnight in Mardin.
After breakfast you drive to Zerzevan Castle in the ΓΔ±nar district, a 3,000-year-old fortified settlement used by the Roman army, where a hidden temple of Mithras was carved into the rock. In Diyarbakir you walk along the UNESCO-listed city walls, see the Four-Legged Minaret, the Great Mosque and the sundial of al-Jazari in its courtyard, then stop for tea at Hasan Pasha Inn, built in 1575, and visit SΓΌlΓΌklΓΌ Han, KaleiΓ§i Bazaar and the Ten-Eyed Bridge. After a kebab lunch you continue to Gobeklitepe, where your guide discusses who raised its 16-ton pillars and why the site was deliberately buried. Dinner with a traditional sΔ±ra night and overnight in Sanliurfa.
The morning is dedicated to Sanliurfa, the city of prophets: the Halil-ür Rahman and Rizvaniye mosques beside Balikligol, where legend says the fire prepared for Abraham turned to water and the logs to fish, the cave believed to be his birthplace, the Grand Mosque and the Sipahi, Kazzaz and Naccar bazaars with Gümrük Han, plus the Archaeology and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum. You then drive across the Harran plain to visit a traditional conical-roofed house in Harran. After lunch in or near Halfeti, a boat cruise on the dam lake reveals the sunken mosque and Rumkale. Your last stop is the ancient site of Zeugma before reaching Gaziantep. Dinner and overnight in Gaziantep.
After breakfast you visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, where the mosaics unearthed at ancient Zeugma on the Euphrates are displayed together with the Gypsy Girl mosaic and the statue of Ares, the god of war. The city tour continues with the Naib Bath, the Monument of the 14 Martyrs, the replica of the Orkhon inscriptions and Gaziantep Castle. A shopping stop at Zincirli Bedesten, AlmacΔ± Bazaar and the Coppersmiths Bazaar offers mother-of-pearl inlay, copperware, spices, pistachios and baklava. At the end of the tour you are transferred to Gaziantep Airport for your flight.
Mardin, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Dara β Zerzevan Castle, Diyarbakir, Gobeklitepe, Sanliurfa β Sanliurfa, Harran, Halfeti, Zeugma, Gaziantep β Gaziantep
Modern, comfortable and fully-equipped vehicles β the same fleet we use on your tour.
π₯ 54 Seats
π₯ 37 Seats (2+1 VIP)
π₯ 55 Seats
π₯ 54 Seats
π₯ 50 Seats
π₯ 50 Seats
π₯ 50 Seats
π₯ 46 Seats
π₯ 37+2 Seats
π₯ 37 Seats
π₯ 35 Seats
π₯ 16+1 Seats
π₯ 16+1 Seats
π₯ 12+1 Seats
π₯ 6+1 Seats
Extra day tours you can add along your route β Mardin, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Dara, Zerzevan Castle, Diyarbakir, Gobeklitepe, Sanliurfa, Sanliurfa, Harran, Halfeti, Zeugma, Gaziantep, Gaziantep.
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Real, verified reviews from travellers who explored Turkey with us.
My husband and I chose Inca Tour for our honeymoon and we are so glad we did. The boutique hotel selection was beautiful and the Bosphorus dinner cruise was so romantic. Thank you for making our trip special!
It was important for us to have a guide who spoke Russian, and Ender was wonderful. He explained every detail at Dolmabahce Palace. The Princes Islands day trip was a beautiful break from the busy city.
Our guide Ender was incredibly knowledgeable about Turkish history. The hot-air balloon ride at sunrise in Cappadocia was the highlight of our trip. Everything was perfectly organized β from airport pick-up to the last d...
Ender was our Italian-speaking guide and we felt like family. He took us to local spots tourists never see. The hotel choice in Sultanahmet was perfect for walking everywhere.
10+ years later we still talk about our Cappadocia balloon ride and the Bosphorus sunset cruise. Some memories are timeless. Thank you Inca Tour!