Voices of Mesopotamia

The Basalt City

Tour code: DIYAR3D

Location: Diyarbakir, Ergani, Cayonu
Duration: 3 days

Adult (Age 12+)

Details

Everything Mesapotamia

Highlights

Of course we think every single place we visit will be a highlight of your tour, but these will especially stick in your memory.

Breakfast at Hasan Pasa
Çay beside the Ten Eyed Bridge
Egil Boat Trip

Tour Route

Itinerary

This is the typical itinerary for this tour

Day 1: Diyarbakir

Airport / Station collection. After collection from the airport / train station / bus station, we will make our way to the old city of Diyarbakir for a delicious traditional breakfast at Hasan Pasa palace. Over breakfast we will discuss plans for the upcoming week, and build our excitement together over a feast of local yoghurt, jams, eggs, watermelon, honey, çay and coffee.

With our bellies filled and ready for the day, we will take a tour of the Old City. Visiting: Saint Suleyman Mosque, Great Mosque, Suluklu Inn, Seyh Mutahhar Mosque, Mar Petyum Keldani Catholic Church, Surp Gragos Armenian Church, Virgin Mary Ancient Assyrian Church, Hevsel Garden, City Walls.

After seeing the sights in the Old City, we will take time to relax and drink more çay at the magnificent Ten Eyed Bridge, with the waters of the Tigris (Dicle) flowing onwards to Iraq.

In the evening there will be time to visit shops and enjoy the bustling atmosphere of this lively city.

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is a city populated by a people as strong and resilient as the large basalt walls that surround the old city Dag Kapi. Built to protect this ancient trading hub, which served as an important stop on the silk road, the walls are a magnificent wonder in themselves, which make this city (which is claimed to be one of the oldest cities in the world) a fantastic destination for the curious. Read More

Day 2: Egil, Çayönü, Hasankeyf

After making a short trip out of Diyarbakir, we will find ourself transported back almost 10,000 years - at the enthrawling site of Çayönü. After a farmhouse breakfast we will explore the rock tombs, stone carvings, and limestone terrain of the earliest discovered site of human collective settlement.

After Çayönü, and on the way back to Diyarbakir we will make our way up into the hills at Egil, where a large resevoir now lies at the foot of the Zerzevak Castle. There will be a boat tour of the resevoir, where we will take in the castle at the surrounding rock faces.

Our final stop will be Hasankeyf, home to thousands of human-made caves, 300 medieval monuments and a unique canyon ecosystem — which all combine to create a beguiling open-air museum.

Ergani Place names first mentioned as Arkni/Argni in Armenian archives. Trade has flourished between Ergani and Mesopotamia during the third millennium BC. Ergani mines used to ship copper to the early settlements at Uruk of southern Iraq. The Euphrates river connected Ergani and Uruk. Vessels of the day could easily float several tons of copper downstream to Uruk in a few weeks, the transport of hundred of tons of grain back to Anatolia was challenging. Read More

Çayönü Near the village of Sesverenpınar, among the Hilar rocks Çayönü hill was first settled in c. 7500 BC, and was continuously inhabited until 5000 BC - making it the first discivered site of human collective settlement. The soft limestone of the area provided the perfect location for shelter among rich agricultural lands, and encouraged the early neolithic man and woman to gather for the first time, forming communities and the first societies in history. Read More

Hasankeyf The waters of the Tigris River gave rise to the first settlements of the Fertile Crescent in Anatolia and Mesopotamia—the cradle of civilization. The ancient city of Hasankeyf, built on and around the banks of the river in southeastern Turkey, may be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, spanning some 10,000 years. Hasankeyf and its surrounding limestone cliffs are home to thousands of human-made caves, 300 medieval monuments and a unique canyon ecosystem—all combining to create a beguiling open-air museum. Read More

Schedule details

Departure Point:

Diyarbakir Airport / Train Station

Departure Time:

10:30am

Duration:

3 Days / 2 Nights

Return Time:

13:00pm

Return Location:

Same as start location (Or other upon request)

Pricing Information

Inclusions:

All nights stay: Hotel / Pension
Breakfast each day
Entry to all sites
All Transport between cities and sites
Information guide and history booklet
Unlimited free çay throughout each day
Snacks and refreshments during journeys

Exclusions:

Lunch / Evening Meals

Additional Information:

Tour itinerary can be changed in any way, if there's somewhere you want to spend more time, or somewhere you don't want to see - we are totally flexible!

Ticket Info:

You can present either a paper or mobile ticket for this activity.

Local Operator Information::

Complete Operator information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, are included on your Confirmation Ticket. Our Product Managers select only the most experienced and reliable operators in each destination, removing the guesswork for you, and ensuring your peace of mind.

Cancellation Policy

We try to be flexible and accomodate any changes to your booking, so in most cases we can refund the full amount whenever it is that you cancel. Only when we have had to pay in advance for hotels or other services is it not possible for us to fully refund you. As a worst case scenario we offer a 100% refund if you cancel 30 days before your tour - but in many circumstances we will be able to offer refunds past this date.

Tour Emphasis

Archaeology

A funny fact, is that most of the best preserved ancient Greek ruins are in Turkey. But much more than this Turkey hosts some of the best archaeological sites; all the way from the Neolothic era, to the roman empire, the crusades, and the seljuk and assyrian empires. Many of these sites are little known, or off the usual tourist routes, which means you have a rare access to immaculate and perfectly preserved locations.

History

Each site we will visit has played an important role in shaping the history of Turkey and the wider region. We will explore the history of the many civilisations that have called this place home, and how they all fit together in the long timeline of this area - correctly known as the ‘fertile crescent’ and the ‘cradle of civilisation’.

Culture

South East Turkey is a melting pot of cultures, with influences from resident and neighbouring Arab and Kurdish populations, which both bring with them a wealth of history and tradition. You will meet people from all these rich cultures and the many ways they express and celebrate their identities.