Travel experience between two Nemrut
Why Two Nemrut?
There were two peaks that we took as basis while shaping this extraordinary tour, one is Nemrut Crater Lake in Tatvan district of Bitlis (here is Nemrut Mountain) and the other belongs to Komagene Kingdom and is located on the 2150-meter summit of Ankar Mountains. It is the hill where there is a handmade monumental tomb. Although this place is known as Mount Nemrut among the people, the original is not so. Nemrut is just an expression for this place. At that time, this gigantic structure was called Nemrut Mountain (Bad Mountain) in the sense of ominous because thousands of slaves died due to these difficult conditions during the construction of this huge structure by employing slaves in the most difficult geographical conditions. Actual Nemrut Mountain is the 2828-meter peak between Crater Lake in Bitlis Tatvan and Lake Van. A gift from god to man from two peaks …
1st day
First of all, we start our tour early in the morning to see Kars, Ani Ruins, Great Cathedral, Seljuk Palace, Havariyyun and its surroundings. First of all, it goes to the Ani Ruins, which was established right above the deep valley formed by Arpaçay, which defines the border with Armenia and was one of the important trade centers of the Middle Ages; We visit this old settlement with important ruins such as the Great Cathedral, the Illustrated Church, the Seljuk Palace, the Menuçehr Mosque, the Seljuk Bath, the Keçeli Church. We finish our trip in Kars, which has beauties such as stone buildings built during the reign of the Russians in the region, Kars Castle, Havariyyun Church, which is used as a mosque today, and settle in our hotel.
2nd day
Our 2nd day route; Ağrı Mountain, Doğubeyazıt, İshakpaşa Palace, Muradiye Waterfall, Van Castle. After breakfast, we cross Digor, Tuzluca and Iğdır to Doğubeyazıt with a magnificent view of Mount Ararat. We visit İshakpaşa Palace, which was completed in 99 years with its fine examples of the art of decoration, the heating system that can be called the first heating model and its 366 rooms. After lunch, we pass the Çaldıran plain, which was the scene of the Çaldıran War between Yavuz Sultan Selim and Iran Shah İsmail in 1514 among the volcanoes of Tendürek Mountain, and after a short tea break at the Muradiye Waterfall on the Bendimahi Water, Van, which has a history of 3000 years. We are going to the Castle. Van Castle, which is the most magnificent of the Urartu castles, contains many historical remains from the Urartians. Castle BC 9. It was built in the century by King Sarduri. The most important structures of the castle, which consists of two parts, the Inner and Outer Castle, are the Sardur Bastion and the oldest known Urartian inscription written in Assyrian cuneiform script belonging to Sarduri I, and the rock tombs of King Menua. There are Binbir stairs leading to the water cistern passing under the castle, two temple niches called Analı-Kız and an open-air temple. In addition, the king explains his political program in the inscriptions on the left wall of the entrance of the rock tomb. These inscriptions are also referred to as Horhor inscriptions. After visiting this magnificent structure, we watch the sunset with the last glow reflected on the lake.
3rd day
The places frequented today; Van Lake, Akdamar Island, Holy Cross Church, Tatvan, Nemrut Crater Lake. We take our place in the boats to go to Akdamar Island, which is located in Lake Van and is one of the important religious centers of Christianity. After visiting the Church of the Holy Cross, which has examples of low relief stone workmanship on its facade, where scenes from the Bible are depicted, we enjoy the soda water of Lake Van, which is 1600 meters above sea level. Afternoon Nemrut Crater Lake goes to service vehicles waiting for us to go in Tatvan, Turkey’s largest crater lead into our hotel we add to our memories of the spectacular landscape.
4th Day
Bitlis, Malabadi Bridge, Mardin, Deyrul Zafaran Monastery, Sun Temple, Virgin Mary Church, Medical School, Zinciriye Madrasa, Kasımiye Madrasa, Ulu Mosque, Old Post Office building, Kırklar Church, Abbaralar, Mardin streets are our stopping points on the 4th day. In the early hours of the morning, we move to Hasankeyf via Bitlis, photographed the 800-year-old Malabadi Bridge built on the Batman water in Diyarbakır’s Silvan district, and after a short tea break in the view of the bridge, we pass through the valley between the Raman mountains with the highest oil reserves of our country and reach the Tigris River. We arrive at Hasankeyf, the historical city on the edge of. The fact that this magnificent city, which was the capital of the Artukids at the time and was a very important trade center during the periods when trade was carried out by water, and which was a place of science with the largest library of its time, will be submerged in the waters. In addition, volunteer child guides here will add color to our trip. After our Hasankeyf tour, we set out for Mardin, the authentic city of the southeast, the cradle of civilizations.
Our first stop in Mardin, famous for its stone houses, madrasas and mosques, is Deyrul Zafaran Monastery, which is in metropolitan status of the Assyrian Ancient Community. Here we see Sun Temple, Cemetery, Medical School, Virgin Mary Church Baptistry sections. Then we return to Mardin city center. Every moment of our trip in narrow streets and abbaras to get to know Mardin, the poem of stone and belief, and every building you will see will give you the impression of walking in an open-air museum. We will have the opportunity to see the fineness of stonework in the structure where two sects of the same religion share their beliefs and the best example of madrasah philosophy is presented in Zinciriye Madrasah, which is the university of the time when we will see Mardin and the vast Mesopotamian plain from above. Our trip will continue with a visit to the Girls’ Vocational High School, which is a very beautiful building and which Mardin people liken to Galatasaray High School. Later, we follow the streets of Mardin and visit the Kırklar Church, another church of the Syriac Community, named after forty people who were martyred during the early spread of Christianity. It is possible to get all kinds of information about Syriacs from the officials here. After our church tour, we continue our walk in the streets to see the Great Mosque, which has the most magnificent and largest minaret in Anatolia. Here, we take a break at the terrace coffee house where we can drink our teas and coffees against the Mesopotamian view to relieve our tiredness. After this rest, we go to the Kasımiye Madrasa to visit the old post office building and the Şehidiye Mosque with its magnificent structure and watch a beautiful sunset.
5th Day
The places we will see on the 5th day; Soğmatar, Şuayip City, Hanel Barur Caravanserai, Harran, Cennet Mosque, Harran cubic houses, Şanlurfa, Balıklıgöl, Bedesten, Gümrük Han, Rizvaniye Mosque, Urfa Castle. After breakfast, we go to Sogmatar, the settlement of the Chief God Marilaha in Harran. After our visit here, we visited the city of Shuayip, the oldest city founded by Suayip Prophet, and the tomb of Prophet Shuayip; We see the Hanel Barur Caravanserai, which is the most important accommodation place for freight caravans during the magnificent periods of the fertile crescent lands, and we move to Harran, the place where the world’s first university was established. We visit the ruins of the city where caravan roads intersect, the conical houses rarely seen in the world, the Cennet Mosque, and pass to Urfa, the city of the Prophets. In the city center, we visit the Cultural Site consisting of old Urfa buildings, Balıklıgöl and Anzilha lakes, Halilürrahman, Hasanpaşa and Rızvaniye mosques. From the traditional Urfa Bazaar, we buy our colorful Urfa cloths, isot, coffee, and mırra cups that we can give as gifts to our friends, and at the end of this pleasant shopping, we take a rest in the historical Gümrük Han. In the evening, an organization is held for the evening, which has become a tradition in the Urfa region.
6th Day
Göbekli Tepe, Atatürk Dam, Adıyaman, Kahta, Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, Arsemia, Nemrut Mountain are the sixth day of our tour.
After breakfast, we go to Göbekli Tepe, an 11,500-year-old worship area that was noticed by chance near Örencik Village. The nine-hectare excavation area is considered the largest temple in the world. It will be an unforgettable memory for you to see this area that caused the rewriting of world history. After visiting Göbekli Tepe, we visit Atatürk Dam, which is the largest dam of the GAP project and is the 4th largest dam in the world in terms of body volume. We see the turbines, the body and the martyrdom from the Seyir hill and pass to Kahta via Adıyaman. After the magnificent lunch we will have on the shore of the Dam Lake, which resembles the Bosphorus, we are moving to Nemrut Mountain to trace the traces of a civilization that has been lost for 1800 years and was unearthed by chance. Our first stop is the Karakuş Tumulus, where the women of the Kingdom of Comegene are buried. Later, the story of Cendere Bridge, which was strategically important and still standing in all its glory with its 2000-year history, will surprise you. Again, we see the archaeological site of Arsemia, the summer capital of the Komagene Kingdom, and the 238-line inscription carved into the rock there, and we set out for Antiochos’ tomb in Nemrut Mountain, which will complete this whole composition. It is not possible not to be impressed by the huge sculptures and mythological god figures of this structure, which is the only tomb that has not been opened in the world at the 2150-meter summit of the Ankar Mountains. You will feel peaceful while watching the sunset here. Although you do not want to leave this place, we return to our hotel in Kahta center to stay.