Eastern Anatolia Tour from Ani Ruins to Ahlat and Akdamar

After breakfast, we begin our journey accompanied by the beautiful landscapes of the southern shore of Lake Van. 

Akdamar Island

Our first stop will be Akdamar Island. We head to our pier in Gevaş, board the boat waiting for us, and sail to Akdamar Island. After a boat ride of about 30 minutes, we reach Akdamar Island. Here, with our guide’s explanations, we discover the “Surp Haç” Church, a masterpiece on the path to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and one of the most exquisite examples of medieval Armenian architecture and art. Commissioned by King Hacik Gagik Ardzruni between 915-921 to architect Manuel as the center of a monastic complex, the church’s walls share stories depicted in reliefs inspired by the Torah and the Bible, illuminated by magical plays of light and shadow that shift with the season. After touring the clover-shaped church, we return by boat to our restaurant. Following a lunch of local delicacies, we head to the center of Van.

Van City Tour

On the way, we'll make a brief stop to discover Van kilims woven by local women. Our first destination in Van’s city center is the renewed Van Museum. This beautiful museum, especially notable for its Urartian artifacts, will be explored before we proceed to see Van Cats and the renowned silver Savat craftsmanship passed down from Urartian times. The Van Cats, with their colorful eyes, captivate us, while the intriguing Savat handiwork—preserved by Urartian women to this day—is truly magnificent. Afterwards, we visit Van Castle. At the entrance to the castle, reached by passing the sacred area known as "Analı-Kız" at the foothills of the fortress founded by Urartian King Sarduri I in the mid-9th century BC, we view the “Van Castle Mound” excavation site before ascending to the fortress with its extraordinary views. Here, you’ll have the chance to photograph both the modern city of Van, Lake Van, and Old Van.  

Çavuştepe

At the end of the day, we visit Çavuştepe, used as a capital by King Sarduri II and now shedding new light on Urartian history through recent intriguing archaeological discoveries. Here, we examine the remnants of an ancient Urartian capital. After completing our tour, we return to our hotel. Dinner will be served at the hotel. 

After breakfast at our hotel, we depart from Van and set out towards Kars.

Muradiye Waterfall, Çaldıran, Tendürek Lava Flows

Our first stop is the Muradiye Waterfall, located on the Bend-i Mahi River. We then continue our journey and head to observe the lava flows at Mount Tendürek, situated 20 km beyond Çaldıran district. After leaving here, we travel to Doğubeyazıt, known as the region’s most historically rich district.

Doğubeyazıt & Ishak Pasha Palace

We tour the center of Doğubeyazıt, which has hosted Urartu, Assyrian, Median, Persian, Roman, and Byzantine civilizations throughout history. In the Grand Bazaar, known as the Smugglers’ Bazaar, you’ll find a variety of products from Iran—including tobacco, perfumes, and porcelain. The bazaar is also a paradise for those who love contraband tea. The sharp scent of tobacco cologne can often be noticed in the center of Doğubeyazıt. Next, we head to Ishak Pasha Palace, our destination following Doğubeyazıt. Located 8 km from Doğubeyazıt on a hill overlooking the plains, this majestic palace, which seems straight out of a fairy tale, took 99 years to build and is considered one of the most important works of Turkish architecture. Commissioned in 1784 during the reign of Ishak Pasha of the Çıldıroğulları family, it is recognized as the only surviving palace structure of Ottoman architecture in Anatolia. The palace, with its mosque, council chamber, bakery, kitchen, and baths, contains a total of 366 rooms. The motifs on its doors are truly masterpieces of art. Ishak Pasha Palace also features prominently in Yaşar Kemal’s "The Legend of Mount Ararat," as the setting for the epic love story of Gülbahar and Ahmed, who could never be together. Located 500 meters away from the palace, the tomb of Sheikh Ahmedi Hani, noted for his epic love story "Memu Zin," and the mosque beside it are among the region’s most visited faith tourism sites.

Mount Ararat

After visiting Ishak Pasha Palace, we head to the area of Mount Ararat National Park to photograph the breathtaking scenery of Mount Ararat, the tallest mountain in Turkey and continental Europe, and the world’s second largest volcanic mountain. According to legend, after the flood, Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat as the waters receded. After photographing Mount Ararat, we continue our journey to Kars, check into our hotel, rest for a bit, and have dinner. Following dinner, we will go to a venue where we can listen to a traditional local "ashik" musical duel.

After breakfast, we begin the last day of our journey.

Ani Ruins

At the top of today’s itinerary are the Ani Ruins, which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2016. Located on the Turkey-Armenia border near Arpaçay, Ani was built by Armenians in the 10th century. In Ani, it is possible to see remains from the Bagratid Armenians, Byzantines, Ottomans, Georgians, and Seljuks. Situated along the Silk Road, Ani is also called the City of a Thousand and One Churches because it is home to more than 40 churches and chapels. Spanning a vast area of 78 hectares, Ani features Anatolia’s first Zoroastrian temple, Ateşgede; the first mosque built by Turks in Anatolia, Ebul Manuçehr Mosque; St. Patrick’s Church, and many other churches and historical monuments which we visit.

Kars City Tour

After our two-hour tour in Ani, where you can truly lose yourself in history, we return to the city center of Kars. This mysterious city at the farthest edge of the Turkish map has in recent years received the recognition it deserves from valued travelers like you, thanks to its historical and architectural beauty. On our city tour, we stroll through the streets of Kars adorned with magnificent traces of Russian architecture. We visit Kars Castle, the Church of the Twelve Apostles known as the Armenian-Georgian church, Evliya Çelebi Mosque, Fethiye Mosque, the Kars Archaeological Museum, and one of our country's most beautiful interactive museums, the Kars Front War History Museum. After completing our city tour, we set out for Iğdır Airport. We return to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK2721 departing at 17:00, and bid farewell until we meet again on another BUKLATUR trip.