Istanbul Departure / 3 Nights Hotel Accommodation / Gap Tour

Adıyaman - Diyarbakır - Batman - Mardin - Şanlıurfa - Gaziantep

🚌 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 🚌

⏰14:00 In front of Beylikdüzü Migros
⏰14:15 Avcılar Bus Stops
⏰14:30 Sefaköy Bus Stops
⏰14:45 Yenibosna Bus Stops
⏰15:00 In front of Incirli Metrobus Stop Dilek Pastry Shop
⏰15:30 In front of Mado, Mecidiyeköy Square, IETT Stops
⏰16:00 In front of the Parking Lot of Kadıköy Marriage Office
⏰16:10 Under Bostancı Bridge (Ankara direction)
⏰16:20 Under Kartal Bridge (Ankara direction)
⏰16:30 Under Pendik Bridge (Ankara direction)
⏰16:40 In front of Çayırova Mc Donalds
⏰16:50 In front of Gebze Center
⏰17:30 İzmit Halkevi Stop (Across from Asya Hotel)
⏰18:00 In front of Sakarya Alpet (Next to the bus terminal)
⏰19:30 Next to Bolu Bus Terminal
⏰21:30 Ankara Armada Mall

After picking up our valued guests from the specified points, we start our night journey for the Classical Gap tour with ITC TUR.

-- Extra Tours and Activities --

•⁠ ⁠Şanlıurfa Sıra Night Dinner Included 2,000₺
•⁠ ⁠Nemrut Mountain Tour 850₺
•⁠ ⁠Halfeti Boat Tour 750₺
•⁠ ⁠Mardin Night Tour 450₺
•⁠ ⁠Mardin Reyhani Night (Fixed Menu Without Dinner) 2400₺
•⁠ ⁠Mardin Reyhani Night (Fixed Menu With Dinner) 2999₺
•⁠ ⁠Dara Ancient City Tour 500₺
•⁠ ⁠Harran Tour 500₺

**Extra tour fees may vary depending on the period. The specified fees are the current fees as of the reservation date. ITC TUR is not responsible for any fee changes that may occur on or before the tour date.

We are heading to Gaziantep after our night journey.

First, in Gaziantep, we get a panoramic view of Gaziantep Castle, which is built on a hill in the city center. Although it is not known when the castle was built, it is known to have been used for observation during the Roman period. The castle has been restored many times throughout history and took its final form with a restoration carried out in the early 2000s. After a short photo break, we reach the Copper Bazaar by seeing Sedefçiler, Spice Sellers, Vegetable Market, Historic Paşa Inn, Tahtani Mosque, Long Bazaar, Historic Customs Inn, Zincirli Covered Bazaar, and Shoemakers’ Bazaar. At the bazaar entrance, we visit the tombs of Pirsefa Hazretleri and Prophet Hz. Yuşa. Then we tour the 250-year-old Almacı Market, known as Gaziantep’s oldest bazaar. Afterwards, we arrive at Tahmis Coffeehouse. Between 1635-1638, this Tahmis Coffeehouse, built by Mustafa Ağa Bin Yusuf, Turkmen Agha and Sanjak Bey, in order to generate income for the Mevlevihane Lodge, we give free time to drink Menengiç Coffee and do our shopping in the bazaars. After our free time, we take a short break to shop for Gaziantep’s famous baklava and pistachios. After our shopping, we board our bus and head to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum.

After the city of Zeugma, founded by the Seleucids and later named in Roman times meaning bringing the two shores together, was submerged under the waters of the Birecik Dam, we head to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, where the floor mosaics of the villas of Roman generals were removed and exhibited. Opened in Gaziantep on September 9, 2011, and holding 1700 square meters of mosaics, this museum has the distinction of being the world’s third largest mosaic museum. We tour the world-famous “Gypsy Girl” mosaic as well as the mosaics inspired by Greek Mythology, accompanied by our guide’s explanations. After our visit to the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, we bid farewell to Gaziantep and head toward Şanlıurfa, the City of Prophets, where Prophet Abraham was born and thrown into the fire, Prophet Job suffered, and Prophet Shuaib worshipped.

We head to Balıklı Göl, one of the first places that comes to mind when Şanlıurfa is mentioned. Balıklı Göl is located southwest of Şanlıurfa city center and is known as the place where Prophet Abraham fell when he was thrown into the fire. With its sacred fish and the historical artifacts around it, it is one of Şanlıurfa’s most visited places. After seeing Balıklı Göl (Halil-Ür Rahman), formed where Prophet Abraham was thrown into the fire, and Aynzeliha Lake, said to have formed from the tears of Nemrut’s daughter Zeliha, and receiving information from our guide, we take a photo break. Then we give free time in Şanlıurfa’s authentic bazaars so you can buy products specific to Urfa. After the free time, we head to our hotel. Guests who wish may attend the row night to be organized as an extra activity where we can get to know the region’s culture.

Important: Our Şanlıurfa hotel accommodation is bed and breakfast. For dinner, guests who wish may join the dinner row night program. (Extra)

Breakfast: Will be taken extra. (Extra)

Lunch: Will be taken in Gaziantep. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be taken at the Row Night. (Extra)

Accommodation Hotel: Şanlıurfa/ Dedeman Hotel, Harran Hotel, Newton Hotel, etc.

Accommodation: Grand Gülizar Hotel, Newton Hotel, Akgöl Hotel, etc...

Breakfast: Ulukışla - Demireller Rest Area / Free Time. (Extra)

Lunch: Gaziantep - Free Time (Extra)

Dinner: Şanlıurfa - Gülizar Guesthouse / Mixed Kebab Menu. (Extra)

On the 3rd day of the ITC TUR Gap Tour, after having breakfast at our hotel in the morning, we leave our hotel and head to Harran, which means “the place where roads intersect.” Harran has been protected with its conical-domed houses, found in only 3 regions in the world. In Harran, which has a 5000-year history and also hosted the first Islamic university, we will see Harran University (Grand Mosque), Harran Mound, the Castle, the Caravanserai, and the Traditional Conical-Domed Harran Houses, and we will visit one of them as a guest. During our guesthouse visit, you can wear local clothes and take photos. After our Harran visit, we get into our vehicle and head toward Göbeklitepe. We arrive at Göbeklitepe Mound, which is located near Örencik Village in Şanlıurfa and is home to the first temples in the history of Anatolia and the world’s civilization, listed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Göbeklitepe, whose discovery changed not only the history of the region but also the history of humanity, dating back 12 thousand years, was featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine around the world in recent years with the slogan “The Birthplace of Religion.” After receiving information from our guide about Göbeklitepe, of which only a very small part has been uncovered and which is considered the Pilgrimage Center of the Neolithic Age, we complete our Şanlıurfa tour and head toward Mardin.

We start touring Mardin with Kasımiye Madrasa. After receiving information from our guide and touring and photographing the madrasa, whose construction began during the Artuqid Period and was completed at the end of the 15th century during the reign of Akkoyunlu Sultan Kasım Ibn Cihangir, we move on to Old Mardin. Getting off our vehicle at Diyarbakır Gate, we begin walking through the streets of Old Mardin. On our walk starting at Republic Square, we will see Sheikh Çabuk Mosque, Mardin Protestant Church, Latifiye Mosque, Sokulbar (Cattle Bazaar), and the Copper Bazaar. During our walk, we visit Mardin Grand Mosque, one of the architectural examples of the Artuqid Period, accompanied by our guide. Mardin Grand Mosque, with its ribbed dome and minaret, is the symbol of Mardin and, according to records, was built with two minarets. The inscription on the square base of the mosque’s only minaret today gives the construction date as 1176. However, the current minaret was built in 1888/1889 in a new and eclectic style. Some Syriac writers say it was converted from a church. Even if the structure was not converted from a church, it is likely that an old church stood on the site. After the information we receive here from our guide, we continue our walk by passing under the small tunnels connecting the streets, known as Abbaras. We see Şahtana Mansion, an old mansion that was once used as the PTT Building and became known in this way. Then, seeing Şehidiye Mosque, built in the early 13th century by the Artuqid Sultan Melik Nasreddin Artuk Aslan, we take a short break to enjoy our tiredness-relief tea overlooking the Mesopotamian Plain and to take wonderful photos. Afterwards, we shop for Mardin’s famous coffee and nuts and head to our hotel. Dinner and accommodation at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be served at the hotel. Included in the tour fee.

Lunch: Will be served in Mardin. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be served at the hotel. Included in the tour fee.

Accommodation Hotel: Mardin or Midyat Hotels

Mardin/ Anemon Hotel, Raymar Hotel, Yay Grand Hotel, Dedeman Hotel etc. hotels - Midyat/ Royal Hotel, Asur İmperial Hotel, Kervan Hotel etc. hotels

Accommodation: Accommodation: Mardin Hotels

Breakfast: Will be served as an Open Buffet or Set Menu. (Extra)

Lunch: Şanlıurfa - Göbeklitepe / Liver or Kebab Menu. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be served at our hotel as an Open Buffet or Set Menu.

After the breakfast we will have at the hotel in the morning on the 4th day of the ITC TUR and Gap Tour, we leave our hotel and carry out our Dara Ancient City and Beyazsu tour.

Dara Ancient City and Beyazsu Tour (Extra): Located in Oğuz Village, 30 km southeast of Mardin, Dara Ancient City is one of the most important settlements of Upper Mesopotamia. We visit the Dara Ancient City, which consists of structures carved into the rock and spread over a wide area, accompanied by our guide. After our visit to Dara Ancient City, we head to Beyazsu, which takes its source from the foothills of the plateaus and hills south of Midyat. In Mardin's arid and treeless geography, we take a short tea and coffee break at Beyazsu with its cool and clear water, trees, and greenery.

After our Dara Ancient City and Beyazsu visit, we head to Midyat, the meeting point of religions and languages. In Midyat, we carry out our visit to the Midyat Guesthouse, where series such as Sıla, Hercai, Ah Bir Bulut Olsam were filmed. After our visit to the Guesthouse, where you can take wonderful photos, we visit the filigree workshop where we can see and buy examples of the filigree art, which has been developed for years by Syriac masters and has become a culture, and we do our shopping. After our filigree shopping, we give free time so that we can stroll among the Historic Midyat Houses. After our free time, we meet our bus waiting for us in the bazaar and head to Hasankeyf.

In Hasankeyf, whose history dates back 12 thousand years, with the construction of the Ilısu Dam finalized, a new settlement was established 3 km away. In this tour, where we will share in the sorrow of Hasankeyf, which was submerged as of February 2020, we see Hasankeyf Castle, which still preserves its splendor, the minaret of El Rızık Mosque, and the caves, and we give free time. After the free time, we move on to Diyarbakır, the oldest and most established city of Southeastern Anatolia, by seeing the horse-shaped oil pumps panoramically over Batman, where Turkey's first oil wells are located.

We see and photograph the Hevsel Gardens, which are located on the banks of the Tigris River and were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015, and which have an original place culturally and historically apart from their agricultural value. Then we arrive at the On Gözlü Bridge. At the time of Hıdırellez, local people used to write their wishes on a cloth and throw it from this bridge into the Tigris River. After our photo break here, we panoramicly see the oldest of the Diyarbakır city walls, whose construction date and the civilization that built them are unknown, and which are known to have a history of 9000 years: Keçi Bastion, Urfa Gate, and Mardin Gate. Then, after visiting the Grand Mosque, the first in Anatolia and the 5th Haram al-Sharif of the Islamic world, we will see the Four-Legged Minaret (Şeyh Mutahhar Mosque), built in 1500 by Akkoyunlu Kasım Bey. After completing our Diyarbakır tour, we bid farewell to Diyarbakır and head to our hotel in Adıyaman via the Nissibi Bridge, which connects Diyarbakır-Siverek-Kahta-Adıyaman and is the Bosphorus Bridge of the East. Dinner and accommodation are at our hotel.

Breakfast: Will be taken at the hotel. Included in the tour price.

Lunch: Will be taken in Batman. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be taken at the hotel. Included in the tour price.

Accommodation Hotel: Adıyaman / Dedeman Hotel, Taşsaray Bardakçı Hotel, Euphrat Hotel etc. hotels

Accommodation: Accommodation: Kahta Hotels, Diyarbakır Hotels

Breakfast: Will be taken at the hotel. Included in the tour price.

Lunch: Mardin or Midyat / Mardin Plate Menu. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be taken at the hotel. Included in the tour price.

On the 5th day of the ITC TUR Gap Tour, for our guests who wish, we wake up early in the morning and carry out our Mount Nemrut Sunrise program. (Extra)

Waking up early in the morning, we depart from our hotel by minibuses to Kahta district of Adıyaman and begin the ascent to Mount Nemrut, which is 2150 meters high on the Eastern Taurus mountain range. As the sun begins to rise, the magnificent view will awaken you and fascinate you. In this magnificent scenery, you can take wonderful photos accompanied by the sunrise. As daylight begins to break, the giant God statues will reveal themselves and our guide will begin the narration. At the summit at 2150 m lies the Tomb of King Antiochos I. On the eastern and western terraces there are giant statues of Zeus (Oromasdes), Apollo, Mithras, Helios, Hermes, Herakles, Artagnes, Ares, Commagene, Tiche, and himself, made by King Antiochos I. King Antiochos I clearly reinforced the Greek-Persian religion and culture he brought together, along with their traditions, in these works. After receiving the necessary information from our guide, we enjoy the unique sunrise view by remembering Antiochos' following testament; “My birthday will be celebrated every month and year and will be a feast day; on these days the high priest, for the gods and for me, will wear the Persian attire that has been generously given to him by me and by the laws, and will place golden wreaths on all of us. He will burn plenty of incense for all of us and duly sacrifice, and will furnish the sacred tables with the finest foods and wines. My nation gathered here will eat abundantly and celebrate the feast” After our guide's explanations, we get into our minibuses and descend from Mount Nemrut. After descending, we arrive at the 18-century-old Cendere Bridge, one of the most magnificent bridges of the Roman period, and take a photo break. Then we head to Karakuş Tumulus, where the tombs of Kommagene King Mithridates and his family are located. After listening to our guide's explanations accompanied by a magnificent view, we get into our minibuses and head back to our hotel for breakfast.

After the breakfast we will have at the hotel in the morning, we leave the hotel and head to Halfeti, one of our country's “Cittaslow” towns. We will make a short break at Atatürk Dam, which was completed in 1992 on the Euphrates River. After the short photo break we will take at the Atatürk Dam viewpoint, located within the borders of Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman and covering an area of 817 square kilometers, we arrive in Halfeti. After the construction of the Birecik Dam, in Halfeti, part of which remains under the reservoir, those who wish can board the boat waiting for us and begin the Halfeti Boat Tour. (Extra) During our trip on the reservoir, we will see the King’s Daughter Cave, Rumkale, and the mosque and minaret in Bilesur Savaşan Village, much of which is also under the reservoir waters of the Euphrates. At the end of our boat tour, we take a short break in Halfeti. After our break, we reach the end of our ITC TUR Gap Tour and begin our return journey.

Breakfast: Will be served at the hotel. Included in the tour fee.

Lunch: Will be served in Halfeti. (Extra)

Dinner: Will be served in Gaziantep. (Extra)

Accommodation Hotel: There is no hotel accommodation tonight.

Accommodation: There is no hotel accommodation tonight.

Breakfast: Will be served at the hotel. Included in the tour fee.

Lunch: Halfeti - Fırat Restaurant / Shabut Fish or Poppy Seed Kebap Menu. (Extra)

Dinner: Free Time Extra (Extra)

Dear guests, we arrive in Ankara later in the night and, after bidding farewell to our guests joining from Ankara, we continue our journey toward Istanbul. When we arrive in Istanbul, we drop off our valued guests at the points where we picked them up in the morning and say goodbye, hoping to meet again at another ITC TUR organization.