3-Day Historical Odyssey: Discover Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Urfa & Gaziantep

(Lunch, and Dinner included)

Visits to Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe can be done on the same day. The oldest settlements in the world, located in the Taştepeler region, have a history of 14,000 years.

After arriving at Urfa Airport with an early morning flight, our guide will meet you at the exit and we will start the tour of the day.

 First, we will visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Göbeklitepe. Known as the oldest temple in the world, Göbeklitepe is an attraction center as one of the greatest discoveries of our day. With a history of 12,000 years, Karahantepe 14,000 years, dating back to the Stone Age, it holds many mysteries. During our tour here, our guide will answer the following questions surrounding the area: Who built Gobeklitepe 12,000 years ago and why? Why was Göbeklitepe, the oldest temple in the world, abandoned and buried with soil on purpose? The technology and mathematical knowledge used to build the Temple with rock megaliths weighing 16 tons is still a mystery.

After the Göbeklitepe trip, we will visit Karahantepe, which is 60 km away in the Tastepeler region. On 24 September 2024, a human statue said to be 14,000 years old was found in the Karahantepe archaeological excavation.

 After our visit, we will have a lunch break, and visit the sacred parts of Şanlıurfa,  the City of Prophets. We will visit Halil-Ür Rahman Mosque, Rızvaniye Mosque, Mevlid-i Halil Mosque, Ayn-el Zeliha Lake, and the Balıklıgöl, where Prophet Abraham is said to have been thrown into the fire, and the burning logs turned into fishes, whereas the fire was turned into water. We will also visit the cave where Prophet Abraham was born. Other historical places to visit in Urfa are the Sipahi Bazaar, Kazzaz Market, Hacı Kamil Han, Hüseyiniye Bazaar, Naccar Bazaar, Tarihi Gümrük Inn and Ulucami (Grand Mosque). Afterward, we will visit the Urfa Archeology Museum and the Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum, where many historical artifacts from Anatolian civilizations are exhibited in an indoor area of 29,000 square meters.  At the end of the tour, we’ll go to our hotel and check in.

Accommodation in Sanliurfa.

(Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included)

After having breakfast at our hotel, we will travel for 45 km to Harran. On the way, we will pass through some of the most fertile agricultural lands in Mesopotamia.

The 3000-year-old Harran houses with conical roofs, designed specially to keep cool in the extreme heat in summer months, were built with adobe and stone masonry techniques. We will visit a Harran house in the village. The first university in the world, Harran University, was also established here. After visiting the ancient ruins of the University of Harran, the historical Harran Castle and city walls from the period when Harran was the capital of the Umayyads, and the tomb of the famous sheik of the region, Hayat al-Harran, we will go to Halfeti, which was called Shitamrat in the Assyrian times.

Upon our arrival, we will have lunch at a local restaurant and start our exploration of the area. Halfeti, founded by the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III in 855 BC, was ruled by many civilizations throughout its history including Hittites, Assyrians, Meds, Persians, Seleucids, and Parthians. Many parts of ancient Halfeti, the only region in the world where black roses are grown, have been flooded by the Bilecik dam. During our boat trip on the lake, we will see, Rumkale (Roman Castle) which is thought to be the place where the apostle of Jesus, Johannes, reproduced copies of the Bible. The ruins in Rumkale have Late Roman and Medieval characteristics. Rumkale itself presents a magnificent view of the remains of old water cisterns, St. Nerses Church, and Barşavma Monastery. We will end our boat tour after seeing the sunken minaret and the village.

Accommodation in Gaziantep. ( Breakfast )

(Breakfast and Lunch included)

After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep, the second-largest mosaic museum in the world.

The mosaics exhibited in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum were excavated from the ancient city of Zeugma, located 55 km from Gaziantep on the Euphrates River. Mosaics, including the world-famous Gypsy Girl mosaic and the statue of Ares, the god of war, are exhibited. Zeugma reached its peak around 256 AD during the Roman period but was utterly destroyed by the Sassanids. The museum exhibits the mosaics that once adorned the floors and walls of the houses of wealthy Roman nobles in Zeugma.

Ancient Zeugma: Founded around 3000 BC, Zeugma was an important strategic centre for commercial caravans in Asia Minor. It was rebuilt in 300 BC by Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great's commanders, and then ruled by Rome and the Kingdom of Commagene. Zeugma, which lived its golden age during the Roman period, covered an area of 20,000 acres with a population of 80,000.

After our museum visit, we will have a lunch break. Other historical places we will discover in Gaziantep include Antep Castle, Zincirli Bedesten, Old Coppersmith Bazaar, Customs Inn and Tahmis, the oldest coffee house in the region, where we can have a coffee break. While you are here, we recommend you try Antep pistachio baklava, the favourite of the region.

At the end of our Gaziantep tour, you will be transferred to Gaziantep Airport